Caring For a Sick Dog - Important Frequently Asked Questions

A lot of people are aware of the value of natural remedies when caring for a sick dog. However, not enough people actually take the time to get the remedies and then use them to bring their dog back to health. This is only because there is some confusion about what the actual natural remedies are and where to get them. In this article, I will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about using natural remedies when caring for a sick dog.

What can I do if my dog has an ear infection?

Some of the basic cooking oils that you have in your home can be used to treat this. Olive, almond or mineral oil are great natural remedies if your dog has an ear infection.

Is there a natural flea repellent for dogs?

Absolutely! Just as it will scare away the vampires, so will it scare away the blood sucking fleas. You guessed it - Garlic. It is a natural flea repellant. OK, so I can't actually guarantee the vampire part, but for kicking those fleas into never-never land, garlic does the trick.

My dog has itchy skin and is scratching all the time - what can I do?

I'm sure you've given your dog a bath before. Well, the next time you strap on the scuba gear to do a doggie wash, put a handful of oats in the bath water beforehand and then while you are giving your dog a bath, pour the bath water all over their skin, and it will help to soothe their irritated skin. Sure they'll shake all over the place to dry themselves off, so you'll most likely get to share part of the oat water, but that's OK. They're just trying to help your skin too.

What if my dog has dry skin patches - can I do something about that?

You bet there is. This is one of the simplest natural remedies that you can use when caring for a sick dog. It can be used after the oat water bath, or just by itself. Just as you can often use Vitamin E on a sun burn on your own skin to take that redness and soreness away, you can also use that same Vitamin to give them some fast relief by putting some on the dry skin area. Vitamin E works very fast to tackle the dry skin problem. And dogs, being the logical critters that they are, won't stop scratching until there is no more itch to scratch.

My dog seems to have sore feet sometimes - is there anything I can do?

Absolutely, and your dog will love you even more for it. There is nothing like a nice foot bath to take the soreness away from tired feet. And since dogs spend so much time on their feet every day, they sometimes end up having problems with them. Epsom salts added to water and then used to soak your dog's feet will give them huge relief. But there is a little trick to this -- you have to be very careful that your dog doesn't drink that water when you are done. Make sure they have cool, clean water available before the foot soaking so that they don't mistake the Epsom salts water for their own.