The information in this section is designed to give you an introduction to potential benefits of herbs and plant products used in cooking and herbal medicine and is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medications prescribed by a licensed physician in the treatment, cure, diagnosis or mitigation of a disease or condition. Animals with potentially serious medical conditions should seek professional care! 

Herbs for our Animal Friends

In caring for our friends we learn to care for ourselves.

 Type of Administration - Pros and Cons

Herb Form

Preparation

Comments

Fresh plants

Picked from the herb garden and fed fresh

Not palatable in many cases

Dried bulk herbs              

Available as whole, dried plant from health food stores and herb suppliers

Dried herb may be mixed with food, but often unpalatable

Dried powdered herb

Available as powder, or more commonly in capsules

May be mixed with food; may be unpalatable

Dried extracts

Available as powders, granules or capsules

May lose active constituents in processing

Tablets- pressed

Dried herb is compressed with a binder to form firm tablets

Found in many health food stores

Pills

Dried herb is compressed with a binder to form firm pellets

Found mainly as Chinese patent herbal medicines

Teas, Water infusion

Hot water is poured over dried herb, steeped and allowed to cool             

May be flavored with bouillon; herb constituents sometimes not water soluble so this form is not the most desirable

Oil infusion

Dried or fresh herb is steeped in olive oil for about one month; usually for topical application

Must be protected so that animal does not lick oil

Decoction

Herb is heated in water and simmered for 20–40 minutes

May be flavored with bouillon; herb constituents sometimes not water soluble so this form is not the most desirable

Tincture—alcohol extract

Dried or fresh herb is extracted by soaking in 30–70% grain alcohol

Unpalatable, however, preparation is likely to be more potent than water extracts (like infusions)

Tincture—glycerin extract

Dried or fresh herb is extracted by soaking in 40% glycerin

By far the most palatable liquid herb form due to sweet taste of glycerin; potency much less than alcohol tinctures

Poultice

Boiled and cooled herb is applied topically

Must be protected so that animal does not lick or destroy poultice

Compress

Cloth or gauze soaked with water extract (decoction or infusion) is applied topically

Must be protected so that animal does not lick or destroy compress

Standardized extracts

One (presumably most active) constituent is concentrated to a consistent percentage in each batch of herb

Consistency is a plus; preparation is semi-synthetic

Ointment

oil infusions of herbs are combined with beeswax and used for topical treatments

Must be protected so that animal does not lick ointment

 

Proportional recommendations for dogs and cats are as follows. Doses below are given q8–12h.

Species

 

Tincture

*Granules (tsp)

Tablets

*Patent pills

**Capsule (500mg)

Loose herb (tsp)

Canine

small

5-10 drops

1/8–¼

¼–1

1–3

1/3–½

½–1 ½

 

medium

10-20

¼–½

1–2

3–5

½–1

1 ½–2

 

large

20-40

½–¾

2–3

5–8

1–2

2–3

 

giant

40-60

½–1

3–5

6–10

2–3

3–4

Feline

 

5-10

1/8

¼–½

2

1/8–½

½

Nutritional and culinary herbs to use in pet animals

Many veterinarians believe that full, complete nutrition is not available from a bag or a can, in much the same way that humans need fresh fruits and vegetables for the unidentified phytonutrients which are thought to prevent cancer. Cooking stews containing good quality meats (chicken, pork, fish, organ meats, lamb, etc), whole grains (rice, barley, oats, etc) and a variety of fresh or frozen vegetables will give your pet an extra boost, plus give you a creative outlet for using the culinary herbs listed below.

Common conditions where herbs may help

Common herbs that are potentially dangerous for use in animals

Contraindications for herb use

Pets with these conditions may have serious short- or long-term reactions to the indicated herbs, unless properly prescribed by your veterinarian. These are precisely the herbs that are used in treatment of some of these conditions—this is why it is important for a veterinarian to make the decision about whether the herb is appropriate for your pet.

Certain herbs should not be used if your pet is on the following medications, unless prescribed by your veterinarian:

Herbs that may have interactions with certain drugs - Aloe, garlic, horsetail, cascara, ginger, kava, senna, ginseng, khella, black cohosh, lavender, licorice, buchu, ginkgo, mistletoe, bugleweed, goldenseal, pau d'arco, cats claw, gotu cola, red clover, dandelion, green tea, St John's wort, dang qui, hops, valerian, and many chinese herbal combinations

 



Idaho Web Design Tools
 Idaho Web Design Too