Natural Pet Remedies for Cats

If you already have a name for your cat, you can skip to the next section. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you're trying to come up with a name for your furry feline.

First, try to 'tune in' to your cat and get a sense of what his or her personality really is like. I remember this one sassy cat a friend had years ago who was named "Princess." The name did not fit the cat's personality at all. When I tuned in to her fresh face, I soon felt that a more suitable name for her would be Toots, as in the roaring '20s, "Hey, Toots, whatcha doin' tonight?"

My friend really loved the new name (being a New Yorker), and so the cat finally had a name that fit her and her sassy attitude. So, be fair to your cat - they have really sensitive feelings - and try to resist naming it things like Xanax or Harddrive. Funny though they may be, names like this are just not likely to suit an individual cat's personality. No wonder so many of them seem 'aloof' or unresponsive - the owners have never taken the time to get to know who they really are!

Second, try to come up with a name that has long vowel sounds in it, especially "ee", as this is a sound that is very easy for an animal's ears to hear, like Chi Chi. Even a name like Lulu has long vowels that are easy to hear, as opposed to Princess, which has short vowel sounds that are not distinctive.

Training Your Cat to Come to Its Name

Now we're getting down to the fun part. I came across this information years ago when I was on my own after college and acquired three throw-away kittens. My family had always had pets, but I never had sole responsibility for them until now.

I discovered this old book, The Fabulous Feline, or Dogs Are Passe`, which was very thorough and comprehensive on everything from feeding and grooming to training and cat psychology. The most trainable period for a cat is from 3 to 9 months, very similar to dogs.

The author pointed out that, while dogs are often trained with treats and verbal commands, the key to a cat's heart is pleasure. Yes, pleasure! Most cats - unless they have been abused or abandoned - love to have their spines stroked. It's just like mama cat washing her babies to stimulate the pituitary gland so the kitten grows and thrives. And remember, for 4-legged creatures, the spine goes all the way out to the tip of the tail.

When you're petting your cat - stroking its spine and neck, around the cheekbones and ears - it should begin to purr. Once it purrs, this is when you start to implant the association with its name.

So, over and over, as you stroke and it purrs, you say the cat's name, lovingly. Every time you have the cat in one of these pleasure sessions, repeat the cat's name fondly. Something in their psychology responds well to being adored. (A carry-over from Egypt when they were revered as gods? It might be genetic! )

After a couple of weeks of this, try testing out whether the name has "taken" yet, whether the cat has associated the name and the pleasure response. You see the cat across the room and it's looking at something else or washing itself, whatever, it's preoccupied. Then you call its name and see if it looks at you, or at least cocks an ear in your direction. This is a good sign.

You'll know that the cat really recognizes its name when it comes over to you when you call it. So keep up the association of pleasure and saying its name until you get this result.

When I lived in the country, my cats would roam out into the woods and fields. When I called them for dinner, I'd see them appear from far away, running to the house, just like dogs. People would be amazed that they came to their names but, once you know their secret, responding to their names is as natural for them as it is for us!

I had a family of cats that showed up at my door all infested with the herpes rhinovirus. I kept two of the five (sorry I love animals but I'm poor) and gave the other three to the Humane Society. They are indoor-outdoor cats and of course I went to the vet to get treatment for the two that I kept and named them Magnus and Theodore. The vets only know medicine and gave me amoxicillin and eye ointment to administer. Of course it worked but my dilemma was that I don't deny them their freedom so they go out in the neighborhood where they hang out with their friends some of which probably have rhinovirus and Theodore loves to go out more than Magnus and would come back sniffling and sneezing so I'd have to re-adminiter a dose of the left over amoxicillin that I boosted with DMSO to make it more potent so I wouldn't have to give it to him all the time except for once a week

. Antibiotics kill the gut biome in cats just like they do in humans and if you're not paying attention it will slowly deteriorate your cat's health. I also converted a cat carrier into a psuedo hyperbarik chamber that I use to put them in for 15 minutes and gave them nebulized hydrogen peroxide and normal saline with a dissolved vitamin C and Magnesium to help stave off the herpes virus.

Well, it kind of sort of worked UNTIL I bought colloidal silver copper and gold for myself and then researched it for cats. EXCELLENT results. They don't need the nebulizing treatments anymore nor the booster amoxicillin and I don't stress about letting them roam free anymore. I just give them both a 3cc syringe full of half colloidal silver and gold via mouth. They drink it right down and go on their merry way. I LOVE my cats and they make my insides happy. Cheers!

Our local Farm Supply Store happened to mention that many of their customers use Non-Medicated (important) chick starter (yes baby chicken feed) as kitty litter. We tried it and it works super well. It even clumps a bit, is a little less dusty and comes in a BIG bag for about $15 CD. We have one cat that likes to eat a bit but it will not hurt them. We transitioned by blending it into clumping clay litter to start and phased out the clay fairly quickly.

My cat, who is male about 4 yrs old, will not eat wet food or fresh food of any kind. I have always given him really good grain free dry food which he tolerates. The vet recommended he eat the urinary food that they sell which I thought would be good. I mixed some with his regular food and he ate it quickly but soon after threw up all his food several times. In addition he threw up yellow stuff a few times which was not good. I was almost ready to take him to a vet but I decided to wait.

Not wanting him to get dehydrated, I made some peppermint tea and also had a commercial aloe/coconut water (not milk! ) which has a little sugar. I slowly fed him from the side of his cheek with a large medicine dropper (the kind they use to administer liquid medicine to babies). I fed him only 2 dropper fulls of each to see how he would react. He took it well and did not regurgitate. I did this about 2-3 times in about 2-3 hr. increments and then when I returned home in the evening.

In the meanwhile, the next day I did administer 1/8 of a pill the vet had given me another time to increase his appetite because I knew it was important for him to eat. When I came home he did eat the controlled amount of food I had left for him of his usual dry food. No messes but I was concerned because the litter pan was dry. He is an indoor'/outdoor cat but I didn't want him out because of the problem. I fed him some more of above water as I described and took him for a short walk outdoors on a leash. He didn't go and I was still concerned.

I came back and gently massaged his belly and area around the kidneys. Shortly after he finally did urinate in his litter box. I'm not concerned (yet) that he hasn't pooped because he really did not eat until today but he definitely looks better.

I definitely recommend pure coconut water for hydration-- best unsweetened but a little sugar shouldn't hurt unless diabetic. Give in small quantities as I described in order to prevent dehydration. Coconut water has minerals and acts like "pedialyte" but is much better for you. It worked well for me.

It's only the yellow liquid latex found just inside the skin of Aloe leaves --which has been removed & concentrated-- that needs to be warned about ... as it is a very strong irritant of the bowels ... so strong that they stopped using it in cases of human constipation long ago!

However, the clear inner gel is quite safe for humans & pets to ingest! It is also very easy to give aloe to our pets without the aloe latex!

'Only the Latex in Aloe Vera is Toxic' https://www.happyhousegarden.com/for-pets/is-aloe-vera-toxic-to-pet-cats-dogs-or-other-animals/.

Aloe gel also works to confuse &/or repel fleas (& ticks?) when applied on their coats! (So does 2.5% vinegar---50% each 5% vinegar & water!) I've used both remedies for this purpose successfully, applying either one 2x daily!

It has also been found that many essential oils can be used carefully with cats, and even birds ... you just have to use the correct ones specially prepared for pets in amounts safe for them!

Medical Use of Essential Oils for Animals https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2019/02/21/essential-oils-for-pets.aspx

My 11 month burmese kitten was jus diagnosed with wet FIP.

We just had his lungs and stomich drained. I just want to know if any cats have survived and or how long does it take before death?

He still eats and seems ok... just a bit down but his quality of life is good

After losing several cats due to respiratory illness where antibiotics only made them worse, not to speak of the bills! I am using turmeric on my cats when they come down with stuffed nose, etc. Take a syringe with a mild solution of turmeric and water (more turmeric the better) and immediately stand by with paper towels when they expell and retch. A lot of mucus will come out, the nose clears and they can smell again and eat. Turmeric is a natural antibiotic and has many health benefits including cancer treatment. My cat, so treated, was well within three days and I was amazed. I am not using vets/antibiotics any longer. It is useless and draining on the resources. I wish I had known this before. There is Om's Organics on the net, read up on turmeric. (it is not me). Good luck. Om

Maximom; I have a kitten she had the same problems, I am almost positive she has upper respiratory infection because of one eye running constantly & red/itchy she is always coughing & what I suspect may be seizures, also she continued to throw up after eating, I started my kitten on ACV right away & what a blessing, she has totally stopped all her ills, she is now so very playful an the pain that all kittens are (just joking)she has grown up into a two year old beautiful fluffy kitten. She is still healthy & shows signs of getting even better. I understand that upper respiratory infections are incurable but at least I can make her as comfortable as possible, good luck!

Responding to: 10/01/2011: Nike from Goteborg, Sweden replies: "...However, he loved to drink cream or half-and half. You could try that next time when Maxi needs liquids ASAP."

PLEASE do not EVER give a cat cream or half and half OR MILK- especially when they need liquids. MOST cats are lactose intolerant and will develop severe stomach cramping and often diarreah from it. This will make the cat more dehydrated, which can be lethal and is a horrible way to go for any creature.

There's a book called: "DMSO Nature's Healer" by Dr. Morton Walker. In it, there was a medical facility that treated a young man with a broken neck with intravenous DMSO. It took a long time, but he went from full paralysis from the neck down to complete recovery!

I volunteer at dog shelters here and have heard of formerly-paralyzed dogs walking again after dmso usage. Yep.

My tomcat was in a fight and got his ear badly scratched. It started smelling really bad as the puss formed, and the whole scratch was filled with yellow puss. He was in a lot of pain. So to clean the ear i put very warm water in a small bowl and added quite a bit of apple cider vinegar. Then i dunked tissue paper into the water & apple cider mix and squeezed it out into his ear (i had to get another dry tissue to hold into his ear-drum so the water wouldn't run further into his ear and upset him). It cleaned it out very quickly, after a few hours the crust had gone and the puss was dispelling. I repeated this in the morning, and he actually seemed to enjoy the warmth of the water on his painful ear, so he never even flinched when i came close with the apple-cider water. it's worked for him ! It's easy on the skin, not harsh like other medication / antibiotics would be.

Acupuncture for cats. My acupuncturist was treating me at home (back pain) and I mentioned that my 12yo Manx didn't pee for 4 days, she put 2 needles into her. Immediately after the session my dear cat relieved itself and was more active. She, the cat, is dying, I'll skip the details, but say that she is sleeping most of the time, only sucks fluids from the wet cat's meals and has problems with #2. She is peeing regularly after 3 sessions, but didn't poop for 12 days now. She is like a skeleton without her fur. We did take her to a veterinarian, she took blood and said everything is normal. We decided not to torture the cat with medical interventions. I started red light therapy, I have a mini MitoRed unit which I use for my aches and pains. Interestingly my cat would lie down infront of the unit. 5-6 inches away, and won't leave until she feel it is enough. Usually it is from 10 to 20 min. The longest she went without pooping was 10 days. Today is the 12th day. But she doesn't really eats, only sucks fluids from meals. I give her butter from my palm, a tiny piece, she likes it. Coconut oil is also good, but she prefers butter.

Kitten Formula from powdered goat's milk

2 scoops meyenburg powdered goats milk + 1 egg yolk

Run just enough boiling water over yolk to sterilize. Blend or shake in a jar according to ratios listed on can. Don't make it too watery and let it warm up to room temperature before serving. Kittens are temperature sensitive. Refrigerate.

My ex didn't get his beautiful queen spayed after the first litter. She had been a great momma to her first litter and let them suckle up until 4 months! At which point, couldn't stand the sight of them any longer and spent all of her time away from the house.

She gave birth to her 2nd litter somewhere outside and finally brought them to the house after a few weeks, starving and flea infested. Her nipples were dry. She wasn't as interested

I tried A LOT of things until I stumbled on to the goat's milk recipe. They say not to feed kittens cow's milk, but then why is the kitten formula cow milk based? Anyway, the powdered goats milk has folic acid added. That's a good thing.

If they don't like the egg, try it without.

I also fed my kitten probiotic plain yogurt and little bits of butter. I splurge on milk products and get the best I can afford, grassfed, organic, and raw if possible.

She was the sickliest, the runt of the litter (I wasn't even sure she would make it) and at five months is doing great!

Hi to all,

I just want to give a fresh reminder of how different a cats liver/kidneys is from ours or a dogs, etc. They lack an important liver detoxification enzyme called glucuronosyltransferase (yes a mouth full). That is why so many things cause much toxicities in our cats. Their livers can not clear so many substances safely & there for a toxic build up happens, this can be over time of many years or shorter time depending on what toxins are taken in. Taken in can be either oral or through the skin, or breath. This is very much so when it comes to Essential oils as the EO's are 500 - 2000 time stronger then the plant. However what ever is being used oral, eyes, skin, etc., please remember that there are other things in most products not just one thing. It may be safe for a human but not for cats. Always do research, over & over to make sure of safety. You could find illness or disease many, many years down the road. We have toxins in & around us all the time, from cleaning items to smoking, outside environment, paint, carpets & so on, this is adding to the cat as well as good intentions. Mind you I am not saying that DIY help is not a good thing, just be sure to do your home work of researching very well. I work at a animal shelter and have seen first hand what good intentions or even the lack there of can do to our furry babies, of all kinds. We sometimes get tunnel vision when it comes to our babies, we need to keep that tunnel open with research and knowledge.

This is a wonderful site and I for one hope it is always here. The best to all of you.

P.S. I forgot to mention that cats are "lactose intolerant" they may love the milk but it is not, again, it is not good for them.

Please avoid aloe vera with cats. Like so many other seemingly harmless things, it is toxic to cats. ALL of it. Please do a search and look up ANYTHING before administering it to your cat. They lack detoxifying enzymes and cannot detoxify things that are fine for humans and dogs. Please avoid essential oils as well. I have aloe plants that I place where my cat cannot reach them. Trust me, it is not safe for cats.

Warning!

If your cat is young, treatment on Earth Clinic will probably work for upper respiratory illness. Yesterday, I had to put down my older cat (18 years old) due to respiratory illness as I was afraid she was going to suffocate. I was only able to help her once using antibiotics. But the next time my cat came down with this illness nothing would work! Absolutely nothing. Although it is very difficult to put an animal down it is best for the animal. Don't allow your pets to suffer if they don't get well. Just my opinion.

I have a 15 year old siamese cat who started having eye infections on a routine basis and was diagnosed by vet with Herpes. The expensive, prescribed drops and cream would eliminate the infection only for it to flare up again in less than a month's time (sometimes only within days of treatment). Lysine was prescribed daily and that seemed to add some time between infections, but not always. I tried the ACV which did nothing. I came across a weird youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm8qBR7NdVg

which said to use raw honey in the eyes for two weeks. I used raw unheated honey with a syringe in both eyes morning and night for two weeks. It does burn (I tried it in my eye) so I would put very light pressure on the eyes with paper towel after putting in the honey to try and reduce the pain. It has been two months since I first used the honey and the herpes has not returned. Even if it comes back, he has never gone this long without needing the prescribed medicine. I wanted to share this miracle here to help all the kittys and owners struggling with feline herpes.

I have a female (fixed) cat. She is 17 years old. She is an indoor cat and was really healthy all her life but now she pees and poops right were she lies. Is this normal for an old cat. My friends say I will need to put her down soon because all she does is sleep. What do you think I love my cat

Hello fellow pet lovers at Earth Clinic; I have a beautiful 8 month old Russian Blue X kitten named Maxi who has recently begun having coughing fits that wake him from his sleep in the middle of the night. He got so dehydrated a few days ago that he needed subcutaneuous fluid to survive! I took him to the vet to the tune of nearly $1000.00 and even with a radiogram, xray, CBC, urinalysis and fecal test, the vet was unable to pinpoint his exact ailment! So Maxi's now on Cefa-drops (antibiotic) for his bronchitis as well as fenbendazole for possible lungworm infestation. My family and I are beside ourselves with worry over Maxi's condition! (my teenage son even pitched in money to pay the vet bill! ). But Maxi will only eat (the best$$ wet food we can get) if we encourage/pet him and he won't drink water at all. He's slowed down so much for an 8 mo kitten and is sleeping a lot the last few days too. We thought he was recovering yesterday when he was really hungry, but today is back to being tired and not eating - he had another coughing bout yesterday morn too - so sad :~( My vet wants to run more tests - we love our baby, but WOW is it expensive! And we're not sure these meds are working! I hope I found the sight with the cure here! Has anyone seen a cat recover from this type of malady by using ACV? What would be the right dose and method of delivery for a cat with the above symptoms? If anyone at all coud help us, we would be so very grateful! Love nor money alone isn't working to heal our baby! We need to try something else! Thanks so much for any help received - Maxi's Mom

Somehow nowadays American cats are lactose intolerant. My European grandma's cats loved milk and lived long life! Many 17 - 19 years. There was no vet in her town for small animals and cats got meat left overs and twice a week small piece of raw meat. Try organic goat milk or minimally processed milk from a small local farm. Mine is not certified "organic" but they take good care of their cows without wasting money on certification.

Apple Cider Vinegar can sting on broken skin. You could try it but dilute it a lot. Maybe 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup of water. Turmeric powder may be of help, or extra virgin coconut oil. You could even mix the two and apply it.

~Mama to Many~

Kreena (Scotland)

The best treatment is powdered turmeric applied dry onto a wound. Heals fast and no pus. It is a natural antibiotic, makes new blood. When healed, apply coconut oil. I have used it on large wounds with great results.

Namaste, Om

Digestive Enzymes, Salmon Oil for Cat's fur loss and skin problems

Our indoor/outdoor cat had been scratching and chewing his fur off the back of his legs and underbelly, and had bumps and sores on his skin all over his back and sides as well. His fur had also lost its lustre and looked ragged instead of smooth. We'd fed him high quality, high protein no grain organic foods for years, so we didn't think the food was the problem. Vets, even a naturopathic vet, told us he must be allergic to fleas and we were encouraged to constantly spot treat him with prescription treatment. This never really caused the problem to go away and it would sometimes get a little better, only to flare terribly until he lost all his fur on the backs of his legs and belly, and in patches all over.

My husband went to the natural pet food store to pick up his food and got into a conversation about our cat's issues with the person at the counter, who gave him some handouts about fleas, skin and fur problems. They contend that itching and fur loss was often the result of insufficient digestive enzymes causing an inflammatory reaction in the skin and other systems. They recommended, besides a raw food diet which provides the correct live enzymes for your pet's digestion, adding digestive enzymes to wet food as well as salmon oil.

For a cat, that's 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of enzymes (specially formulated for pets) and a few squirts of salmon oil added to any serving of food. Our cat was slightly reluctant at first, but quickly adjusted and we fed him this mixture to half a can of high protein no grain orgarnic wet food a day. Within days the itching stopped, within weeks his coat regained it's lustre and smooth appearance, is soft to the touch, and grew back more lush and full than ever. They also cautioned that the spot treatments were probably crippling his immune system and making him more susceptible to fleas. We have stopped those, and he hasn't shown any signs of itching or fleabites.

Try diatomaceous earth.

Cats are 100% carnivorous. Anything other than 80% raw flesh, 10% raw bones and 10% raw organs will kill them. ALL kibble (even grain free) is completely toxic to carnivores. It's the equivalent of a human being eating pretzels 3 times a day, 365 days a year and expecting to be healthy and live a long life. That's why tigers and other cats in the zoo get raw meat.

We have an outdoor kitten that is about 9 months old. She was sneezing a lot, low on energy and appetite. I put colloidal silver in her water for a couple of days and now she is back to normal! ~Mama to Many~

How much Silver were you putting into how much water? I try to give it orally to my kitten but she hates it. And do you know how many ppm your silver is?

Our nearly 18-yr-old cat (1) has lost several teeth due to resorptive lesions (2) had his thyroid treated with radioactive isotope in late 2016 - which vet told us COULD give him up to 3 more years* (3) without his thyroid developed diabetes so is on 1 unit of insulin daily (4) and developed kidney disease - stage 2 (5) was diagnosed before Thanksgiving 2023 with feline herpes.

ER vet suggested steaming him before we got herpes diagnosis from regular vet. While waiting for the test results, the reg vet put him on an antibiotic. Then prescribed a med that needed to be compounded and given 2x per day. Expensive and very bitter/nasty tasting to the cat. Stressed him out to the max. Stress can make the virus more active. Decided to postpone giving the med to him until after Christmas, but continued steaming him 3x per day.

Rarely sneezes anymore and eye no longer waters. Plus he loves being steamed. He voluntarily goes into his hard-side cat-carrier to put him in the tub with an electric pot boiling near it. With a support over the pot to keep the towel from touching it, we drape a heavy towel over the pot and carrier for 10 min, then unplug the pot and leave him for another 5-10 min.

*It is now Feb 2024. We've enjoyed this "3 years" with him!!!

Can I give my cat tuna if he has cystitis? He loves the juice and could probably get him to eat the apple cider vinegar mixed in?

You should not let her outside in that condition or at all for that matter.

They sell L-Lysine for cats with a tuna flavor online- just search L-Lysine for cats (chewys, amazon, ect) no prescription, and my cats love it. Also it comes with a scoop and tells you how much to give. Very Easy and reasonable price. Hope this helps someone.

Hi, Just saw your post. I too have a kitty with FCV. When I first adopted him his tongue was one big open, ulcerated sore. He could not eat. Had to force feed him 4-5 times a day with syringe. Besides making him an all natural, grain free raw diet, I gave 500mg Lysine daily for 2 weeks as well as Daily Reiki sessions, 1/2 to 1 hour 3x's a day. (I'm a Reiki Master). That was 1 1/2 years ago. He's fine now. I regularly put 1-2 drops of organic, raw with the mother ACV in his water bowl. Now he gets 250mg of lysine daily. If he starts to show signs of a weakened immune system I may give 1/2cc Astragulus (Liquid Chinese herbal) twice a day for a few days. The Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier is a book I often refer to for help. A friend refered it to me and it's been a Great resource.

Actually, tooth resorption is not the same thing as stomatitis. My kitty, Izzy, has this issue and unfortunately, like stomatitis, the cause is unknown. Although my vet did tell me that his theory for these conditions is the processed food we feed our pets. He just said "it's something in the food. " He prescribed Vitamin C (250 mg of sodium ascorbate plus bioflavanoids per day). I am also trying a protocol of supplements and energy healing basically, with a holistic vet located in Woodland, CA. I adopted Izzy in June 2010, and he's already had 2 teeth pulled in 2011 and 2 more in 2012 due to the resorption issue (very painful unless teeth are removed). He will be getting a wellness check in the next few months, and I will update on this site to to let you know how his mouth looks.. hopefully we won't have to pull any more teeth. Good luck with your kitty. If anybody has any other advice, please let me know!

Pureed asparagus is good if a cat or dog has a UTI. Fresh or canned will work.

Excuse me : what is half a Nori sheet, for seaweed or kelp?? I have no idea, ...

No I wouldn't. Have you colloidal silver or coconut oil? Try that.

My inside cats came down with a kitty flu about 4 weeks ago from a roaming neighborhood cat that has 'goopy' eyes. By the symptoms it looks to be Feline Herpes. The first cat to become ill needed to get subcutanous fluids twice. I was also given an antibiotic ointment for his eyes. The days after he was taken to the Vet his health deteriorated terribly. I had to syringe feed and water him for almost two weeks to make sure he had enough nutrion and fluids. The second week he would eat in the first half of the day but then stop for the rest of the day. So, I would have to syringe feed and water him then. I didn't start reading on the illness the first week but after I did, I went out and I bought super echinachea (700mg per two capsules). I poked a hole with a pin at the top of the capsule and added one drop to his food day and night. I also bought Taurine and put a small pinch in one of meals each day. When the second cat became ill, I knew what to do by then and avoided having to get him to the Vet for fluids. What I noticed with him, the other day, is that when I stopped the echinachea his symptoms - the drainage, sneezing, and a odd sounding cough - increased. They decreased again with the addition of the echinachea. This cat is about a week behind the first cat so am hoping to see a huge improvement this time next week as the first cat is doing a lot better. I will be going to get some L-Lysine this afternoon as I have read that the cats will have to have to be given this for the rest of their life...

Two things I want to add are... If a cat has an immuno deficiency then, apparently, echinachea is not good for them. The second thing is I had the Feliway dispenser in a drawer and plugged it in since stress can cause flare ups. Our house is not stressful at all but I figure any extra comfort I can provide I will do so. The cats seem to have less discomfort when they are around the dispenser.

Your cat's upper respiratory issues and runny eyes sound like an issue my cat developed several years ago, Ocular Herpes. The L-Lysine was a great intuitive move; my vet prescribed this 500 to 1000 mg daily crushed in food to help recurring viral symptoms. She must have this for the rest of her life, something about attaching and flushing out the virus that can come out as a respiratory issue if under stress. Best of Luck