Can Dogs and Cats Take Herbal Cleansers?
Dr. Barchas, I am taking an herbal/homeopathic
blend to “detoxify” my body of chemicals,
metals etc. Are there any such herbal/homeopathic
medicines for dogs?
Joe Anne
Mechanicsville, MD
There are many homeopathic products available for pets. In fact, there seem to be several blends available for every conceivable condition, as well as many products for “cleansing” the systems healthy pets.
Homeopathy and herbal medicine cause almost as many arguments among veterinarians as vaccines. In the general public, supporters and opponents of homeopathy both have such strong feelings that they often sound like fanatics when the subject comes up.
I have no doubt that certain blends of herbs and natural products may have health benefits for pets. However, I’d urge you to perform due diligence if you are thinking about administering a homeopathic treatment to your pet.
For one thing, the efficacy of many homeopathic products is unproven. And in my opinion, that’s a big deal. It is very easy to prove that a treatment works. Simply set up a controlled, randomized double-blind study with a sample size that will yield statistically relevant results. That may sound technical, but it’s actually very easy to do. If no study has been done to prove the efficacy of a product, it raises a red flag in my mind. Why has the manufacturer not bothered to take this simple step?
Another problem is that the world of homeopathy is not well regulated by governments. This leads to wide disparities in the qualifications of homeopathic practitioners and the quality of their products.
Some practitioners of homeopathy are veterinarians or other individuals with advanced training. These individuals create products that are likely to be safe.
Other homeopathy practitioners are basically snake oil salespeople. They have no training at all. They simply want to cash in on a profitable enterprise.
A third group consists of well-meaning people who are knowledgeable about human homeopathic remedies but have little training with animals. Members of this group can be especially dangerous. Some of them are not aware that certain compounds can be beneficial to humans yet dangerous to pets (grapes, chocolate and garlic come to mind). Sadly, I have seen pets suffer kidney failure, anemia and other adverse effects after consuming human homeopathic products.
I am not opposed to the use of homeopathic and herbal products. But do some research before you purchase and administer these creations. If you aren’t careful you may do more harm than good.
You have questions. 
[...] or therapy works, a scientific study will be able to prove its efficacy. As I mentioned in my previous post on homeopathy and herbal remedies, such studies generally are remarkably simple to perform. If [...]
We might all think about greening the care of our pets:
Here are some tips on greening your pet care:
Everyone should think about greening their pet care:
Going Green Home Remedy for Pets not found in your pet supplies store.
For natural flea control – groom your pet daily. Use a fine toothed flea comb. Bathe your pet a natural pet shampoo that has flea repellent herbs. During summer wash your pet’s bedding in hot soapy water weekly and dry in hot dryer.
Flea killer: Pennyroyal aromatherapy oil is supposed to be good to get rid of the pesky bugs.
Dog odor: When your dog comes in from the rain or outdoors, wipe him down with lavender essential oils or other aromatherapy oils, that will make him smell good!
Dog odor on the carpet: Sprinkle baking soda and wait 15 minutes then vacuum it up, it is safe for the pets and will smell nice again.
Stickers – Use a stainless steel comb with wide teeth to pull out stickers from the fur before matting begins. Or else you can use your fingers to pull them out. If you find the sticker deep inside the ear making it difficult to remove, put some warm vegetable or mineral oil in the ear to soften it and take your pet to the vet.
“Whoever said you can’t buy happiness forgot about puppies.” !!