--by North Wolf

Anyone who knows me well at all can tell you that I'm a believer in naturopathic medicineŠand this goes for animals as well as for humans. I've compiled a list of natural remedies for various animals, and I thought I'd share a few of these with you. Although these come from what seem to be legitimate sources, I suggest that you CONSULT A VETERINARIAN BEFORE APPLYING ANY TREATMENT. (There are holistic and naturopathic vets out there.) Bear in mind that physiology varies from species to species. What helps one may kill another. Cats, who lack an enzyme found in most other mammals, can not metabolize aspirin. Dogs can. Furthermore, your pet is probably far more sensitive to natural remedies (most notably, essential oils) than you are. There have been reports of even highly diluted essential oils harming or killing pets. USE CAUTION! START WITH VERY SMALL DOSES.

As a general rule of thumb, what works for you will work for your petŠbut with the amount cut to one tenth of what you would use. One notable exception is tea tree oil. Tea tree is considered one of the safest essential oils, but cases of convul- sions and death in pets (especially cats, who can not metabolize the oil effectively) from tea tree toxicosis have been reported.

Minor wounds can be treated with lavender oil. Many people recommend tea tree oil, but I would discourage its use based on the pre- ceding remarks. If the wound is deep or has become abscessed, you need to keep it clean for a few days until it be- gins to heal. An effective cleansing agent can be made by adding a couple of drops of red thyme oil to a 16 oz. bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide solu- tion. Gently cleanse the area with a swab soaked in the hydrogen peroxide- red thyme oil mixture. Be- cause oil and water don't mix, it is imperative that you shake well before use. After the infection appears to be gone and the wound has begun to close, you can apply lavender oil. Do not apply lavender oil to a deep cut!To treat skin irritations mix two drops of rosemary and a drop of peppermint in a tablespoon of carrier oil. Soak a cloth or swab in the mixture and dab it on the affected area.

To discourage fleas from attacking your dog, try the following. Smash a clove of garlic in a teaspoon of alcohol. and let it sit for 15 min- utes. Add a drop of cedarwood and a drop of citronella essential oils, and put the mixture on your dog's bedding. You can also add a drop each of cedarwood and citronella to the outside of your dog's collar. Peppermint oil can also be used to help an animal who suffers from motion sickness. If you have to carry an animal with a sensitive tummy, try putting a drop under the front seat of your car. If it's winter and the windows are going to be up, add the drop of oil well in advance of the trip. To help keep the animal calm, you could also put a drop of lavender oil under the car. To calm a nervous animal (like one that's just come back from the vet) put two or three drops of lavender oil on a cloth and leave it in the animal's sleeping area.

To help a dog suffering from a cold, put 2 or 3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil in a tea- spoon of carrier oil and apply this to the dogs chest and the back of its neck, especially along the two large tendons on either side. As an al- ternative, put a drop or two of eucalyptus oil in a vaporizer and place it near, but not beside, the dog's sleeping area. To help treat arthritis, gently massage 4 drops of rosemary, 2 drops of lavender and 3 drops of ginger in 2 table- spoons of carrier oil into the affected areas.

To treat horses for worms, include tansy leaves in their feed.

To help keep hamsters free from infectious diseases, wash their cages periodically with half a gallon of warm water to which you've added two or three drops of lavender oil.

If you don't want to use essential oils, you can create an infusion. Add the dried herb or root to a cup of carrier oil, cover it tightly, and let it sit in a warm place for a week. A lot of information can be found in Valerie Ann Worwood's The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. Most of the remedies included here can be found in her book. If you have any questions about precise amounts or remedies for specific ailments, or if you would like to share any treatments that you may have used, please drop me an e-line. It's This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Before I close want to express my apprecia- tion to everyone who, despite the threat of rain, came out to DVPN's Summer Social. And I especially want to thank those of you who attended my little talk about familiars, and shared some of your personal experiences with animals, whether familiars, pets or wild creatures. It has been my pleasure and my honor to speak at a number of DVPN gatherings. This time, as always, I left knowing more than when I arrived. Vapory concepts solidified, while sophistic notions vanished.

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