Natural Pain Remedies for Dogs and Cats - The Secret to Using These Remedies

There are many types of natural pain remedies for dogs and cats. The secret to being able to use these remedies successfully is that you have to understand how the herbs work and also what is going on with your pet. Natural products are not necessarily safer than medical products, nor are they magical cure-alls that can be applied without any knowledge. In this article we are going to discuss a few things you should do in order to assure yourself that the natural pain remedies for small animals that you're using are being administered correctly.

1. The first thing to do is find a vet who understands your desire to find natural pain remedies for dogs and cats. If your vet thinks that all herbal products are garbage, you should try to find another vet to talk to about this issue.

Many people have found lots of success using herbal and homeopathic products to help their pets. Similarly, some people have ended up hurting their pets because they did not know the first thing about natural therapies before they began giving their animals herbal teas and tinctures. This is why you want to find a vet who understands herbal treatments.

2. The second step is to explore the options for natural pain remedies for small animals that are suitable for your animal and their ailment. Some remedies are wonderful for dogs but toxic to cats, so you need to make sure that the product you get specifies which animal it is for.

Furthermore, some products are great for one type of pain but not for another. St. John's Wort might be fabulous at reducing inflammation and pain from irritated nerve endings, but it might not work if your dog is suffering from a painful skin allergy. In the latter case, I think Nettle Infusion or the homeopathic Apis mellifica 30C might be a far better option, as long as your vet approves it.

What you also need to do while you are searching for natural pain remedies for small animals is to study about the herbs and homeopathic remedies themselves. Do you understand why Nettle Infusion would help with a skin allergy? If not, don't give it to your pet.

You should study the herbs so that you know what they are treating. Why exactly does the homeopathic medicine Ruta graveolens 6Xwork for some inflammatory conditions and not others? Why does Turmeric work better for swollen joints than swollen lymph nodes? Would Turmeric be safer than the homeopathic medicine Caulphyllum 6C, which is also good for joints?

If you don't understand these basic differences, you may not be in the best position to be administering these herbs to your pets. No matter what, you need to speak with a vet before giving your pet any treatment.

Some Types of Natural Pet Pain Reliever

If you have a dog or cat, you are aware that their sense of well-being strongly affects your own, and vice-versa. When you are sad, your dog is going to be by your side with a consoling expression, just waiting for you to play with the ball again. In the event that your dog is in pain or upset, you are going to have a hard time feeling good yourself. In this article we will discuss some types of natural pet pain reliever for your pet, and problems that could happen.

The problem with administering your own medicine to your pet is that you do not always know how they are going to react, and you cannot ask them direct questions, such as whether or not a certain dose of an herbal formula has hurt their stomach or not. This is why you should talk to pet professionals if your pet is having a serious problem. Ask them about what types of natural pet pain treatments are available that can be used safely.

Although some traditional veterinarians will warn you against using any herbs, this is sometimes just due to the fact that they have no experience with them. You can make a point of finding a vet that has homeopathic or alternative medicine experience and ask them to help you find the best natural pet pain reliever for your pet's condition.

There are some herbs that are generally safe for dogs and cats that you might consider giving to your pet is as a temporary pain reliever. If the condition is chronic, you should try to work with someone to make sure that the dose you're using is okay to use long-term. Some of the herbs that are used as natural pet pain reliever medicines are Skullcap, Saint John's Wort, and Feverfew. In terms of homeopathic medicines, there are many to choose from for your pets. Some of the most common ones for arthritic pains are Caulphyllum 6Cand Colchicum autumnale 200C. You might also try Ruta graveolens 6X if your pet is suffering with a sprained ankle or inflamed tendons. But please, do check with your vet.

Each of the herbs mentioned above can be used as a tincture or as a tea. For most dogs, a tea is preferable because it contains no alcohol, so their liver will not be affected. If your dog has pain that is from inflammation, you might use oil with Arnica or St. John's Wort and put it topically on the site of inflammation.

The tincture could also be applied topically, but it might be best to then combine it with oil such as almond or jojoba that can be absorbed into the skin. This would be referred to as "carrier oil". This herb is used for people when we have sciatica and it is a very powerful anti-inflammatory, especially when nerve endings are involved. Just make note of any reactions that your pet's skin may have to the tincture or oil that you use, and make sure that your vet approves your treatment before you start administering it.

The danger of using anything every day is that any potentially negative side-effects could be dramatically increased. This is why you should speak to your pet's doctor if your pet's condition is chronic or not. If your pet's condition is confined to their skin, such as a rash from poison ivy or other allergy, you could try the homeopathic medicine Rhus toxicodendron 200C, which may be able to help.

Buy Pet Medication Online - Best Cat Flea Control

There are plenty of cat flea treatments which you can buy in your local shops but probably not all in the same one. However, if you buy pet medication online you can check out all the alternatives from the comfort of your own home.

Cat flea protection is an absolute must if you don't want your can and your home to become infested. Not only is an infestation bad for the health of your cat but contrary to popular myth, cat fleas do bite humans too. If you let fleas get out of control you will find them hopping around in your carpets and all your other soft furnishings and once that happens, you will probably need to employ a professional pest control person, leading to expense that you can well do without.

Anyway, things needn't come to can because cat flea protection is easy to buy and quite easy to administer.

Of course, you could use a traditional flea collar but my vet always says that collars of any kind are dangerous for cats. This is because if the collar gets caught on a tree branch or in undergrowth it can strangle the cat. Elasticated collars are also bad as they can ping back and break a cat's jaw; so collars really should be avoided.

This leaves spot on cat flea treatment, Frontline probably being the best known of these, flea powder or a flea spray.

If you want to use flea powder, you need to make sure that it's spread all over the cat's fur and worked it. This treatment needs to be repeated every couple of weeks and you need to have a very patient cat to be able to administer it.

I used to use an aerosol spray which came in an orange can but my cats learnt to recognise the can and they would run at the sight of it. When the reached a closed exit door, I would hastily run my finger the wrong way along the fur on their back, use the spray and open the door fast, so that they could make an escape. This was effective but deeply unpopular.

I have also tried a pump action spray which my husband bought by mistake. It was impossible to hold any of my cats still to undergo this so the mostly unused spray was donated to a cat rescue charity.

My favourite is a spot on cat flea treatment, Frontline being the most effective. It protects against ticks as well and seems to last longer than Effipro, which is another popular spot on cat flea protection. However, that's just a personal choice.

If you want to buy pet medication online, it's worth checking out both effectiveness and price before you purchase. Read the reviews and choose whatever seems best value for money while protecting your pet and your home from the dreaded fleas. The prices are very reasonable online compared with vets' prices.

15 Symptom Checklist For Identifying Cat Urinary Tract Problems

Cat urinary tract wellness is a very important part of pet health. Granted it is only piece of the overall puzzle but an important one because your cats urinary system is responsible for filtering and eliminate toxins in the form of urine. Without this under-appreciated bodily function your feline would not be able to survive for very long.

So when cat urinary tract problems occur it is important to recognize them early enough to avoid a serious, even life threatening, crisis.

The most common types of cat urinary tract problems often are bladder related. This type of urinary tract system problem generally includes the bladder not emptying fully/correctly or a bacterial infection which has gained access through the urethra,

I would like to tell you that there is one obvious cause, but in truth that is simply not the case. As my veterinarian likes to put it "Cat urinary system problems are a mix of clinical symptoms that may have more than one possible cause."

Is your cat experiencing any of these 15 clinical symptoms?

*Visiting the litter box more often than normal

*Squatting in the litter box for an extended period of time

*Unable to urinate or only passes a small amount of urine

*Strains or cries out in pain when attempting to pass urine

*Total or partial loss of bladder control

*Cloudy urine

*Urine stream may contain blood, especially toward the end of the stream

*Urinating outside the litter box

*Hard, distended abdomen

*Increased in water consumption possibly sleeping next to the water bowl

*Constant licking of urinary opening

*Foul urine odor possibly reminding you of ammonia

*Fatigue/Lethargy

*Vomiting

*Depression/Social Avoidance

My personal experience with cat urinary tract problems is that increased water consumption and fatigue/lethargy tend to precede many of the other symptoms. If you recognize these symptoms early enough you might be able to fend off the crisis by adding a moderate amount of blueberry/raspberry/cranberry juice to your cats water in combination with a homeopathic pet urinary tract supplement.

On the other hand if your cat is straining when urinating, squatting repeatedly without urinary success, or crying out in pain you could be looking at a medical emergency requiring immediate veterinary attention.

Once at the clinic your veterinarian will likely want to first palpitate the hind quarter of your pet in the area of bladder checking for soreness and sensitivity. He may also examine the urethral opening for blockage. The next step will likely be a complete physical exam including a urine analysis, blood work, ultrasound, and radiographs.

He will be looking to rule out possible cat urinary system culprits on his way to establishing the true underlying cause. Examples of possible causes would be urinary tract infection, a urethral plug, bladder stones, a tumor in the urinary tract, congenital abnormalities, incontinence from excess water consumption, a weak bladder, spinal cord problems or possibly something as simple as too much stress.

By getting your veterinarian involved early you will be doing your part to make sure that a cat urinary tract problem such as an obstruction or advanced bacterial infection is not allowed to rupture the bladder or damage the kidneys. Both which can prove to be fatal if not effectively treated right away.