A seriously sick animal has certain basic need. Quiet, safe and warm and to have access to fresh air and sunlight. They normally will fast (Do not eat for days). This is a part of healing response, rather than forcibly overridden. Free of drafts, disturbances and loud noise enable your animals to rest peacefully and feel protected. Keep the area clean, if your pet desires some fresh air and sunlight its ok.
Bathing And Cleaning
In some cases your dog is so fouled by vomiting, diarrhea, or skin discharges that a bath is definitely in order. You should, however take on this task only at the end of an illness. Otherwise, rely upon the cleaning method. Dry him quickly by giving him a good toweling, follow by a warm sunbath or blowdry, with the dryer held not too close to the fur. You can bath your dog, only when it is heavily parasitized with fleas and lice that its strength is being sapped. A soapy bath that will remove and drown the parasites is in order.
Care For Body Openings:
Often disease will cause discharges from various body orifices, especially the nose, eyes, ear, and anus. Here are few tips that offer great relief.
NOSE: If plugs and secretion have formed, carefully clean the nose with a soft cloth or gauze saturated with warm water. Sometimes patience is need in trying to soften the material so you can gradually remove it. 2 or 3 session may be better than a single long session.
EYES: Mix 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt into a cup of distilled or filtered water. Stir well and use this mixture to clean the eyes the same way describe above for nose. After the eyes are clean, put one drop of one of the following soothing treatments in each eye: almond oil (for mild irritation), caster oil (for more irritated inflamed eyes) or cod liver oil (for eyes that are dry or ulcerated).
EARS: If the ears contain much oily or waxy secretion, trickle about 1/2 teaspoon of almond oil into the ear hole, preferably using a dropper or squeeze bottle. To start pre-warm the oil in a cup or glass thart is partly immersed in a sink or bowl of hot water. Firmly lift the ear flap or tip. You may need someone to help you hold the dog head in place, because if you let the dog pull away before you can finish the job he will shake oil all over you. Let almond oil run down into the ear for a few seconds.
While still holding the ear flap, reach down with your other hand and massage the ear canal from the outsiode at the bottom of the ear opening. It feel like a firm plastic tube that you can compress as you massage. If you do it right, you will hear a squishy sound. This treatment loosens up and dissolves the lodged wax. Use a tissue to remove any excess oil and material that work their way out. Don use a cotton swab except around the opening.
If the ear is very red and inflamed, use calendula oil or aloe vera juice. It's usually adequate to treat the ear this way once every day or two. Another treatment that can be used in irritated ears is green tea. Put 2 bags in the mug and fill with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 mins and take out the bags. When cool down, use to flush out the ears.
On the other hand, if the ear is painful when touch at the massage point but show no discharge. It is best to have your veterinarian examines the ear and determine the cause of the pain.If there is no obvious cause for the ear pain, a good treatment to use is Arnica oil (available at homeopathic pharmacy or a health food store). Gently treat the ear as previously once a day until the discomfort is gone.
ANUS: Often the anus will get very inflamed as a result of excessive diarrhea, causing the surrounding tissue to get irritated and sometimes infected with bacteria. To keep this area clean during the diarrhea stage of illness, sponge it gently with damp cloth (rubbing can cause further irritate it). Pat (don't rub) it dry and apply some calendula ointment. Apply 2 or 3 times per day or as needed.
How To Give Liquid Medication
There are 2 methods.
1) Pry the mouth open. Lightly grasp the animal's upper jaw with one hand and insert your thumb and finger in the gaps just behind the fangs. (For small dogs, just 1 finger is need in addition to the thumb.) Most animals will then relax their mouths slightly so that you can pour the liquid with a spoon or a dropper between the front teeth. Tilt the head back when you pour the liquid in, so that the liquid will run down.
2) Make a pouch out of the animal's lip. Used one hand to pull out the corner of the animal's lower lip to make a little pouch and, keeping the head tilted back, pour the liquid into it with the other hand.
In either instance, if the liquid doesn't go on, its because the teeth are clenched too tightly. If so, pry open them slightly with your fingers. If your animal backs away, put its rear end in a corner so it can't move away from you. Or get someone to hold the dog. Another way to do this is to sit on the floor or a bed with your dog between your legs. With her rear end toward you and the head facing away, you can keep her positioned more easily for the administration.
How To Give Pills And Capsules
Open the dog's mouth by grasping around the upper jaw, as describe for liquids. Hold the capsule or pill between your thumb and the first and second fingers. Use the remaining fingers to press down the lower font teeth and thus pry the jaw open.
Insert the medication into the throat, pushing it as far back as you can. Then induce swallowing as describe above. At first this will seem awkward. After a few tries, it will become much easier.
Using Homeopathic Medications
Use on of the 2 methods:
1)Give the tablets or pellets whole. Administer them from the cap of the vial or from a clean spoon.
2)Crush the pellets into powder (use three pellets). To do the crushing, make a crisp fold on a heavy paper. (A small file card is very good for this.) Pour the tablets from the bottle into the open fold. Fold the paper flat, with the pellets inside against the crease, and put the folded paper on a hard countertop. Tap against the pellets (in the paper) with a heavy glass to gradually crush them to a powder. Some of the pellets can be very hard careful of your furniture.
With word of encouragement, invited your animals to lick it. If he is not interested, use the same holding and prying technique describe for other pills to get the medicine in. Prepare by pushing the powder down tp the edge of the paper with your fingernail, then open the mouth and flick the powder from the paper onto the dog's tongue.
This method both eliminates the possible of your dog spitting outand also keep it from being contaminated.
There are distinct advantages to using homeopathic pellets or tablets. Because only a small number are given, they are easy to monitor. In many instances only 1 or just a few doses are needed during the entire course of treatment.
source from: DR. PITCAIRN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS AND CATS
http://www.nelsonvet.com
