Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (51 page)

Once the nose is clean and dry, smear the area with almond oil, almond oil mixed with vitamin E oil from a capsule, or calendulated oil (which can be purchased from homeopathic pharmacies). Apply two or three times a day.

The eyes:
To clean crusts and secretions from the eyes and eyelids, make up a soothing, non-irritating salt solution by mixing ¼ teaspoon of sea salt into a cup of distilled or filtered water. Stir well and use this mixture to clean the eyes the same way described above for the nose. After the eyes are clean, put one drop of one of the following soothing treatments in each eye: almond oil (for mild irritation), castor oil (for more irritated and inflamed eyes), or cod-liver oil (for eyes that are dry or ulcerated).

Or, instead of the above treatment, bathe the eyes frequently with one of the following two herbal infusions.

An infusion of eyebright (
Euphrasia officinalis
) is useful where there are injuries or irritation of the eyes. To make it, bring 1 cup of pure water to a boil; pour over 1 teaspoon of the herb. Let it steep, covered, for 15 minutes. Then pour off the liquid through a sieve or through cheesecloth, leaving the solid herb pieces behind. For every cup of the infusion, add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. This makes the solution mild and soothing (like natural tears).

Goldenseal root is helpful when the eyes are infected or discharging thick, yellow material. To make a treatment solution, pour 1 cup of boiling water over ¼ teaspoon of goldenseal powder. Let it steep for 15 minutes; then filter off the liquid part. To this liquid, add ¼ teaspoon sea salt.

When the solution you are preparing has cooled down, gently clean and treat the eyes three times a day, or as needed. You can keep these solutions (covered) at room temperature on your countertop for two days. To avoid contamination of the whole preparation, always pour off a little into a dish or cup to use for treatment, and then put the cover back on the main batch. Discard this treatment fluid rather than return it to the stock you made.

The ears:
If the ears contain much oily or waxy secretion, trickle about ½ teaspoon of almond oil into the ear hole, preferably using a dropper or squeeze bottle. To start, pre-warm the oil in a cup or glass that is partly immersed in a sink or bowl of hot water. Firmly lift the ear flap or tip. You may need someone to help you hold the animal’s head in place, because if you let go or the animal pulls away before you finish the job, he will shake oil all over you. Let the almond oil run down into the ear for a few seconds.

Then, while still holding the ear flap, reach down with your other hand and massage the ear canal from the outside at the bottom of the ear opening. It feels like a firm plastic tube that you can compress as you massage. If you do it right, you’ll hear a squishy sound. This treatment loosens up and dissolves the lodged wax. Use a tissue to remove any excess oil and materials that work their way out. Don’t use a cotton swab except around the opening.

If the ear is very red and inflamed, use calendula oil or aloe vera juice. This can be obtained from health food stores or as fresh juice from a plant. It’s usually adequate to treat the ear this way once every day or two.

Another treatment that can be used in irritated ears is green tea. Put two tea bags in a mug and fill with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 minutes and take the bags out. When cooled down, use to flush out the ears.

On the other hand, if the ear is painful when touched at the massage point but shows no discharge, some foreign body, such as plant material or a tick, may be inside the ear canal. It is best to have your veterinarian examine the ear and determine the cause of pain. If there is no obvious cause for the ear pain, a good treatment to use is Arnica oil (available at a homeopathic pharmacy or a health food store). Gently treat the ear (as described previously) once a day until the discomfort is gone.

The anus:
Often the anus will get very inflamed as a result of excessive diarrhea, causing the surrounding tissue to get irritated and sometimes infected with bacteria. To keep this area clean during the diarrhea stage of an illness, sponge it gently with a damp cloth (rubbing can further irritate it). Pat (don’t rub) it dry and then apply some calendula ointment. Apply two or three times a day or as needed.

USING HERBAL PREPARATIONS

In the description of the specific diseases that follows in the
Quick Reference section
, I have noted many instances when you may use various herbs and/or homeopathic preparations. For those who are not familiar with these remedies, I will describe some of the basic methods for making or obtaining them. Let’s start with herbs. Three basic forms of herbs can be used in preparing treatments: fresh, dried, or tinctures.

Fresh herbs:
When possible, use an herb that has been freshly harvested right before use. In some areas of the country, useful medicinal herbs can be located easily in vacant lots, along roadsides (avoid heavily traveled areas because of car exhaust contamination), in country fields or woods, or perhaps in your own herb garden. Those able to identify herbs in the field can collect them as needed.

For optimal effectiveness, pick an herb when its essential oils are at their peak. In general, that means you should collect any aboveground parts in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the hot sun has evaporated some of the oils. Ideally, leaves should be harvested just before the plant is about to begin its flowering stage. Gather flowers just before they reach full bloom (they have much less value after that).

If you’re going for the
whole
aboveground part (leaves, stems, and all), pick it just before the flowering stage. Roots and rhizomes are best collected in the fall, when the sap returns to the ground, the leaves are just beginning to change their color, and the berries or seeds are mature.

Because many people are unfamiliar with using fresh herbs, the instructions in this book usually refer to dried herbs. But if the
fresh plant is available, use about three times the volume indicated for dried herbs in the listings.

Dried herbs:
In most cases you will probably just buy the herb dried, either loosely cut or powdered and perhaps packaged in gelatin capsules. Dried herbs can be administered either in these capsules or mixed with water in an infusion, decoction, or slurry. You can save some money on capsuled herbs by buying empty capsules from a pharmacy and packing your own. One “00” capsule holds about ½ teaspoon of powdered herb. If you need to powder the herb, use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to grind it to a fine dust.

If you gather or grow your own herbs, you can dry them for later use. Collect them after the morning dew on the leaves has dried. Tie the herbs in bunches and hang them upside down in a well-ventilated, dry, shaded area. Enclosed attics can be good for this. If you gather roots and barks, scrub them well, then chop them up and dry them on screening in direct sunlight. Once they are thoroughly dried, store them in opaque or capped brown jars in a cool, dark place. Properly cured and stored, herbs retain most of their medicinal qualities for some time. Since these properties are destroyed by heat, sunlight, and exposure to air, however, it is best to keep the herbs no longer than a year.

Herbal tinctures:
Another way to obtain and use herbs is in the tincture form. The easiest way to get tinctures is to buy them from herbal supply houses or homeopathic pharmacies. But if you have access to the fresh plant, the best form of tincture is one made from freshly collected, organically grown material.

To make your own tincture, macerate and grind the fresh herb (or use a blender). Add 1 rounded tablespoon of herb to ½ -cup vodka or brandy (at least 80 proof). Store the mixture out of the sunlight in a clean, tightly capped jar and shake it once or twice a day over two weeks. Then strain off the solids through a fine cloth or paper filter, collecting the liquid, which is your tincture. Store it in tightly capped glass bottles in a cool, dark area. (If you used dried herbs instead of fresh, figure 1 rounded teaspoon of the cut or powdered herb for each ½ cup of alcohol.)

Herbal tinctures are a very potent form of medicine and must be used carefully at low dosages, as the specific instructions in the
Quick Reference section
will indicate. Tightly capped, they will keep for three years.

P
REPARING
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M
EDICINES

The fresh or dried forms of herbs can both be used to make infusions, in which boiling water is added to the herb and steeped (like making tea). To make a less strong tasting, more palatable version of an infusion, double the amount of herb used and just soak it in cold water overnight. This is called a cold extract. If the herb comes as a root or a bark, simmer it in boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes (called a decoction).

Infusions or cold extracts should be prepared in a covered, nonmetallic container such as pottery or glass (to retain the volatile substances). Decoctions should be simmered in an open, nonmetallic pan (to concentrate the product). Be sure to always use purified water (distilled or filtered) for these preparations. Specific amounts to use in preparation are given in the
Quick Reference section
.

Tinctures should always be diluted, three drops per teaspoon of water, just before administering.

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There are two techniques I recommend for getting any form of liquid medication (conventional medicine or a diluted tincture, decoction, infusion, or cold extract) down an animal’s throat.

Pry the mouth open. Lightly grasp the animal’s upper jaw with one hand and insert your thumb and fingers in the gaps just behind the fangs. (For a cat or tiny dog, just one finger is needed in addition to the thumb.) Most animals will then relax their mouths slightly so that you can pour the liquid with a spoon or dropper between the front teeth. Tilt the head back when you do this so that the liquid will run down to the throat.

Alternatively, you can make a pouch out of the animal’s lip. Use one hand to pull out the corner of the animal’s lower lip to make a little pouch and, keeping the head tilted back, pour the liquid into it with the other hand.

In either instance, if the liquid doesn’t go in, it’s because the teeth are clenched too tightly. If so, pry them open slightly with your fingers. If your animal backs away, put its rear end in a corner so it can’t move away from you during the process, or get someone to help hold your pet. Another way to do this is to sit on the floor or a bed with your pet between your legs. With her rear end toward you and the head facing away, you can keep her positioned more easily for the administration.

For a cat, you may need someone to help
by gently but firmly holding its front feet, or you can do the job alone by wrapping the cat quickly and snugly in a towel. Be gentle and positive so your animal doesn’t have reason to feel afraid and put up a struggle. You don’t have to make a big prying effort. Just firmly and persistently work at putting your fingers between the teeth to open the mouth until the teeth separate a little.

After the medicine is in, induce swallowing by gently holding the mouth almost closed and massaging the throat. Swallowing is signaled by the tongue’s emerging briefly from between the front teeth. Alternatively, you can briefly put your thumb over the nostrils to achieve the same purpose.

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