Posted by IsoM on February 1, 2003, at 3:20:58
In reply to Pets with mental illnesses, posted by utopizen on February 1, 2003, at 0:13:24
Why not try herbal treatments for your pets? You must be certain that what you're going to use is safe for the animals though. Dogs are able to tolerate more than a cat can because cats have rather sensitive livers. They can't metabolise meds or toxins like humans can.
One absolutely safe herb for both cats & dogs is catnip. Yep! The plant that puts your kitty in a silly mood is also wonderfully calming. When it's eaten, the effect is to calm & relax the animal. It's safe for both cats & dogs. It's also good for people! If you chop the herb into their food, you can slowly titrate the dose upwards. It's something I've added to the diet of my kitty (with renal failure) to help calm her for all the man-handling & force-feeding I need to give her.
Dried catnip can lose its potency, but it's easy to grow, & grows like a weed (if other cats don't find it & roll about, squishing it). Fresh is more potent & more attractive. Dogs may not like it much but will still eat it if mixed with tasty food.
A few other calming herbs safe for pets is:
- passion flower
- skull cap
- valerian root (used for helping people sleep)
poster:IsoM
thread:36039
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/36055.html