Medicine for the People

By Harvey Walks With Hawks Doyle

Giving Herbs to Pets

                    
I have a wonderful friend and his name is Soma short for (Soul-mate).  He is a male Border Collie and I found him in the local pound when I lived in Somerset, Kentucky while attending college near Lake Cumberland. He is unique in his own way since he is very intelligent and a very loyal friend and companion. When you live alone; animals are very helpful for your health and are great friends and also are good to watch for people who wish to take from you and also to harm your environment. I have read that they can extend your life approximately 4-7 years. As you know, it can save you a large veterinary bill.  I treat him when he is sick as I treat myself. The Creator wants us to use our herbal intelligence to help our animal brother and sisters when they are ill.  We have to be careful with them since their body chemistry and parts are different from us humans.      
 

Words of Caution

Aspirin and aspirin derivatives (i.e. White Willow Bark and salicylic acid), acetaminophen products (i.e. Tylenol), ibuprofen and Motrin can be fatal to cats or dogs. Do not use them. Do not give pets caffeine-containing herbs either, that includes chocolate, which can be dangerous for dogs even though they like it.  For chocolate flavored treats, try substituting with Carob. Also, the use of anti-inflammatory remedies is inappropriate when there is already prescription of strong anti-inflammatory conventional medication, unless the intention is to withdraw the conventional medications. Pregnant and nursing pets should be treated like people.  Use caution, ask your veterinarian, do research, and do not try any herb on a pregnant pet without complete knowledge of its properties!

Herbs Toxic to Cats

Marigold (Calendula is okay), Pennyroyal, Red Clover, White Willow Bark.

Do not give Wormwood to horses.  Dogs can take almost any herb safely unless they are on prescription medication. Now, lets talk about Mother Earth herbs and how we can administer to pets.  Try to be gentle because your pet needs your respect and love as much as your children.

Standard Infusion
The standard strength of the infusion for most pets is 2 tablespoons of herbs to one pint of water.  Mix the herbs with the water in a pot.  Cover, then simmer until near boiling, do not boil.  Take off of the stove and let sit for 4 hours, do not strain.  Pour into a clean jar and cover with a paper towel and rubber band.  Do not use wax paper or a tight fitting lid. It is best to allow entry of air. The average dose for a 30-pound animal is two tablespoons of the infusion morning and night and always at least 30 minutes before a meal.  For smaller or larger animals, adjust the dose accordingly. Doses can be administered with a plastic (never glass) dropper, poured directly into their water, mixed with their food, or mixed in a meat broth.

Strong Infusion
The standard strength for a strong infusion is about one cup of water to a handful of dry herbs.  Heat to boiling point, boil for no longer than 3 minutes, then set aside to steep for at least 7 hours (overnight is good).  While heating and steeping, it is important to keep a cover on the mixture.  After steeping, pour into a clean jar and cover with a paper towel and rubber band.  Do not use wax paper or a tight fitting lid. It is best to allow entry of air. The average dose for a 30-pound animal is two tablespoons of the infusion morning and night and always at least 30 minutes before a meal.  For smaller or larger animals, adjust the dose accordingly. Doses can be administered with a plastic (never glass in case if they bite the dropper) dropper, poured directly into their water, mixed with their food, or mixed in a meat broth.

Administering Capsules
This method takes some patience unless you have a very tolerant pet. 

For a dog:
Have the dog sit down and tilt the dog's head back. Lift the lips away from his teeth, hold his upper jaw by the gums directly behind his canine teeth, and push down on his lower jaw with your other hand to open the mouth. Place the pill in the very back of his throat, close his mouth and keep it shut. Stroke his throat softly until pill is swallowed.

For a cat:
Kneel on the floor and put the cat between your knees. If you have somebody else to help, at least for the first few times, it is easier to put the cat between their knees so you have a better angle to administer the capsule.  Wet the capsule just before putting it in their mouth.  Wet it too soon and it will start to dissolve.  Some people will put the capsule in their own mouth first.   Put the palm of your hand on top of the cat's head, and thumb and index finger on either side of its mouth. Your cat's mouth should fall open as you tilt the head back. If it doesn't, gently push down on the cat's lower front teeth with your middle finger of your other hand. Drop the pill in your cat's mouth as far back as you can. Keep its head tilted back a bit as you rub its neck and throat until the capsule is swallowed.  As cats can vomit easily, it might help to give it a cat treat or its meal after the pill.

Administering in Food
Sprinkle dry herbs in the food, or the way I prefer is to make a thick mix of herbs with water and heat them to a paste where the herbs are soft and wet.  Either way, you can simply add them to food.  Try mixing the herbs with their regular food, in peanut butter, or in baby food.

Herb Dog Biscuit

You can definitely vary this recipe, but this is what I use for my dog and he loves it. You will need these items but you can change some of the ingredients if you want. Use 1/3 cup dry herbs, 1/3 cup water, 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of dry milk powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon of Garlic Powder, 1 tablespoon of Wheat Grass Powder, and 1/2 cup of oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry herbs with water on the stove top in a small saucepan.  Heat and boil for one minute.  Turn off heat, set aside to cool a little.  Mix all the other ingredients together, then add the cooked herb mixture. If the mixture seems to thin or thick at this point, you can add a little more flour or water respectively.  Blend together and shape into biscuits, balls, or whatever you prefer.  Set onto a greased baking sheet and place in the oven for about 25 minutes.  Cooking time may vary depending on altitude and your particular oven, so check them after about 20 minutes.

Herbal Eye Wash

Especially good for "short face" breeds, such as Persian cats and Peek face dogs.  Blend equal parts of Calendula, Eyebright and St. John's Wort.  Add 2 tsp of the above mixture to 1 cup boiling water, add a teeny baby pinch of cayenne (claims it doesn't hurt), let steep and filter through a coffee filter.  Add just enough of sea salt to make it slightly saline like tears.  Use to treat eye infections.  One drop in infected eyes 3 - 4 times daily.

If you see your animal friend lying on Mother Earth more than you have expected or if he or she is more or less inactive then just maybe they are ill. Animals have a close relationship and infinity to Mother just as we do. Mother has spiritual energy or a magnetic energy field that is very healing to animals. I am sure you have seen an animal that has been wounded in a fight with another animal; they will seek a place to hide and lie down close to Mother and let the magnetic energy help heal them. In the very early beginnings we were also supposed to sleep on Mother’s green carpet.  We were supposed to walk on her surface and receive the wonderful energy that she was generating from her bowels deep within her bosom. We have retreated very far away from our origins or beginnings. We have also retreated from using our spiritual medicine to heal others and heal our brother and sister animals. What a loss of such a wonderful gift for mankind.

I think that we might see on the horizon that we will begin to walk backwards; we might look at our ancestral heritage and begin to see the error in our ways. Modern medicine is helpful, but Mother wants us use her and her herbs for all to survive. That is what Mothers are for in the end; they just want to help us along our way. Survival is not mandatory; some will be lost along the way and others will be wise. For me I would rather my animal friends and I be a survivor; which path will you and your loved ones choose; especially honor and remember your animal friends along the circle of life.

Walks With Hawks Harvey Doyle

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