Home Remedies Are for Pets, Too

Medical bills being what they are today, many people have decided to go the route of home remedies when they can. They can save us money and take some of the strain off of an already overworked medical infrastructure. Unless you’ve got a serious injury, trying to get in to see a doctor in less than a month is an exercise in futility for many these days. Depending on where you are, vets can be much the same.
With a little resourcefulness and information, you can help your pet stay healthy yourself and save some money in the process. Here are just a few tips.

• Yogurt – A lot of dogs will jump at the chance to eat yogurt and the good news is that its benefits apply equally well to them as they do to humans. Helps promote regularity.
• Chamomile tea – Dogs and cats will often drink this right from their water bowls, or you can use an eyedropper with larger animals (cats probably wouldn’t like this much). It has the same soothing effect on pets as it does on people. Helps to calm nerves and promote sleep.
• Baby oil and cotton balls – When you’re giving your pet a bath, avoid water in the ears by moistening a cotton ball with baby oil and inserting in you pets’ ears.
• Bag balm – Ever heard of this? It was initially developed for the purpose of soothing sore cows’ udders. But you may not believe what else it’s good for. For one, it can help your pets’ cuts and scrapes heal faster. Good for people, too. Check it out.
• Epsom salt – Itchy pets are irritable pets. Give them a nice relaxing soak in some warm water with Epsom salts. Helps with irritation and itchiness.

These are all pretty safe for home use and there’s not much that can go wrong. There are some remedies out there, however, that call for the use of common household drugs (e.g., aspirin). You should probably consult with your vet about dosage in these cases.