When I first got Sandy from the shelter, she had this little bald spot above her eye that I assumed was a scrape that was in the process of healing. It didn't heal noticeably after a week though, and when I brought her to the street fair and ran into a couple of my dog training and T-Touch friends they thought it could be mange!
That was a wee bit worrisome. I knew that there were two forms of mange, sarcoptic and demodectic, and that sarcoptic is contagious.
Over all the years of fostering, I've accumulated a good medicine cabinet full of various veterinary remedies, and I decided to work with what I had before running up big vet bills for the rescue group that is sponsoring Sandy.
So I've been applying some Chlorhexiderm flush a couple of times every day, followed by some Dermalone antibiotic ointment. When I put it on, Sandy looks up at me with the sweetest little face. These are seriously some of her cutest moments.
Even better than that, the bald owie spot looks much better! The raw part has healed and the fur is starting to grow in across the bald part.
These occasions of successfully avoiding a trip to the vet through application of simple home remedies are moments of quiet triumph. Less stressful for the dog, cheaper for the human and the rescue group, and a learning experience for all concerned.Interested in adopting Sandy? Email peacefuldog [at] yahoo [dot] com
I'm not very confident in my ability to doctor the pups so I have a tendency to trot off to the vet at the slightest provocation. Its definitely pricey and since he detests the vet its stressful all round so I'd love to improve my home remedies!
ReplyDeleteGinger is really great about letting me treat her wounds, too - maybe it's a redhead thing?!
ReplyDeleteHome remedies are def awesome :) Good to see the spot is getting better :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kirsten, wow that's great. You're pretty resourceful. My dad would probably take me over to the vet to have me "checked-out" and then he'd be poorer :(
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a cabinet full of veterinary medicines too! I'm constantly treating Sadie for various scrapes and whatnot at home but Hurley's been developing a similar eye issue to Sandy's so off to the vet we go. This one's a little out of my league but at least it's one more thing I'll then have under my belt of 'comfortable enough to deal with this at home'.
ReplyDeleteI love moments of home remedy when they work, and we've had our fair share, but I err on the side of caution. I'm not a vet, and I've seen dogs end up with conditions that got much worse because they didn't get proper treatment when they needed it. If we have something I'm certain of, I take care of it at home, if I can, but if I'm not, I'd rather risk the vet bill.
ReplyDeleteI'm much quicker to take my dogs to the vet than take myself to the Dr! Having said that, thankfully we are all pretty healthy and accident free for the most part. I'd been wondering about Sandy's little bare patch. So pleased you could fix it yourself.
ReplyDeleteWow, it's looking a lot better!
ReplyDeleteglad you found something to make it all better
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
Good work!
ReplyDeleteKari
dogisgodinreverse.com
Hi Guys we are new followers to your blog and look forward to being pals and learning more about yall.
ReplyDeleteSandy is adorable - I am with you girl I try and use home remedies always first :) Chlorhexidine wash is one of my favs - I also got prescription chlorhexidine mouthwash that humans use and you can put it on a cotton ball and wipe a dogs teeth and it kills bacteria for dogs that have bad breath or dental issues :)
I would love it if you did a post about what kind of situations/illness/ailment can be taken care of with a home remedy and what that remedy might be.
ReplyDeletepretty please...
Good for you! I once freaked out some people at the dog park by bringing a dog with a bald spot... I had to reassure them that the groomer did it. :)
ReplyDeletegood call!! :)
ReplyDeleteHound Girl, that's a great tip! Sounds like it might even be easier than trying to brush with a dog toothbrush and liver-flavored toothpaste :)
ReplyDeleteJodi, I think I've posted already the extent of my knowledge on home remedies...which is not very extensive! I've tagged all posts with some sort of remotely useful information with the tag "grooming," as I wouldn't want to pretend they have the legitimacy of veterinary advice :)