Pets: Wound Remedies

Our lab mix cut her paw pad straight across and rather deeply the night before the 4th of July while playing on the beach. Of course, we called the vet and caught him as he was closing up the office but he pretty much told us to just keep her on "crate rest" as much as possible as stitches don't usually hold up well on that area. We were told to bring her in the day after and keep it covered with gauze and the sock & tape trick.

Well, it wasn't doing too well so we went to the store near our house and grabbed some Amish-made raw honey. We applied liberally, even gave her some to snack on, wrapped in gauze & medical tape, and the "sock trick" and by the next morning, you could see new growth and some of the old tissue dying off, and the bleeding was MUCH less so the poor puppy didn't have to be on a serious "crate rest" which was hard enough on her!

Within a week it was closed up but not fully healed. 10 days after the cut (again, clear across her pad and pretty deep) it was 100% healed, not black yet as the rest of her pad, but it was enough for her to run and play without bandages and socks on! Miracle! The vet had never heard of it but he's now done research on it and recommends people keep some in the cupboard just in case! Wish I had known this with my other dogs, greyhound that was always getting cut and banged up (they're graceful most of the time, goofy the rest! Ha! ) and my Brittany constantly had hot spots that drove us both insane, nothing worked on them!

Try to make sure you get local and RAW honey. Regular honey from the store will work, even plain sugar, but the raw honey works SO much faster, I've found. It works by drawing the water out of the tissue so the old bits can die off faster and are way less likely to get infected, there's more to it than that but roughly that.

**Also the sock trick for pets, amazing and so often necessary! Grab an old sock, preferably as tall as possible, unless you have a small pet, and put it on the foot/paw/leg having trouble, and use medical tape to tape it to the dog's leg above the injured area and fold the top over the tape so the dog can't get at the tape. Make sure it's not too TIGHT, just enough that it won't fall off or be easy to mess with.

Another tip that was invaluable to me was skipping the "cone of shame" and instead, using a travel pillow from the regular big box store that I got for $10. It has a clip that keeps the two ends together and if you put that up by their ears they usually can't get it off. Rescue remedy on their paws and ears (or drops on food/water/treats) can also help keep them calmer so they can rest and heal!

Vets are amazing! But the less we have to stress ourselves and our pets out by going there and using home remedies instead, with good judgment, of course, the better off we'll all be. Blessings!

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (FG DE) for rotting or painful teeth and rotting wounds

The fastest acting use I have experienced for FG DE is for teeth. I have a lot of teeth problems from a narrow jaw and bad dentist interventions. When I get a tooth pain, I place a wad of DE (made into a dough like blob with a drop of water) on the offending tooth, clamp down my teeth and go to sleep. Right as rain in the morning. And this is the report with everyone I've prescribed it to. Unfailingly. But use it the first sign of pain you get.

What more, two teeth that the dentists said have to be pulled off six years ago are serving me fine after my having given them the DE wad treatment for a week continuously.

The DE just pulls out any kind of necrosis.

And that's the second great thing I've seen it work its magic on. It also saved the paw of my cat, which was just rotting and the digits were falling off. Dipped her paw into DE, and the whole thing became a hard lump. But finally, the paw stopped rotting and whatever was left of the paw was saved.

Same thing with another cat I recommended it for. Another cat had an anal sac, with a hole as deep as the first digit of my index finger, and a foul smell. I stuffed it with DE multiple times in a day. After two days reduced application to once a day. By the seventh day, even the scar was barely visible.

In January of this year the cat that lives under my garage (he came with the house I bought it seems) was bitten in the face by what looked to be a large dog by the size of the holes. I cleaned him up and left him alone as animals heal pretty well usually. I kept an eye on him but the wounds were not getting better and by February I took him to a vet. Shots and a hundred dollars later we were out the door with instructions on what to do.

6 weeks pass. Wounds are looking worse and had gone necrotic despite the fact I had followed the vets instructions to the letter. He smelled like rotting meat. Almost in tears as he is the sweetest cat - never once fought, scratched or tried to bite me while cleaning his face - I thought I would have to put him down. As I sat there with him in my lap I thought about what I knew. Side note, western meds make me sick and if there is a side effect I will 95% of the time have it so it's natural or nothing for my health for the most part. I remembered reading about a man that healed his fathers necrotic diabetic foot wound with grapefruit seed extract (GSE), a woman that had kept her cats safe from a virus that killed a lot of cats in her area by putting a drop of GSE in their water and a man that cured his horse of colic using GSE in it's water. Kills mold, staph and mrsa. OK, so GSE was a go. Needed more though. Then I thought about all the uses of lavender essential oil.

So I went in the house, put about 2 fingers of distilled water in a small glass cup, 2 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract, 2-3 shakes of Lavender essential oil out of the bottle and mixed it up. Went back to cat on porch and cleaned the wounds well. Like I said, he smelled like rotting meat, all hair on that side of his face had fallen out, skin was mottled - the wounds just would not heal with what the vet was having me do. Went to bed sure I would find him worse in the morning. Well, first thing in the morning I went out to see him as always. It was a miracle. Skin was not mottled, it looked pink and healthy! I was onto something. I started cleaning his face 3x everyday using the mix. For his food I gave him a bowl of fresh water with one drop of GSE added to it, his normal hard food and then in the evenings I would give him wet food with one drop of GSE in it.

4 weeks later it is 99% healed. Huge holes filled in, fur is growing back (as of week 3) and the swelling gone. My only sorrow comes from the fact I wish I had used my brain sooner and trusted what I know to heal instead of what the vet said. She is a very good vet but I could have saved the cat months of pain and oozing wounds.

Simone,

Very well said, this site is for helping people heal AND uplift their spirits. It's not for cynical people who want to complain and point fingers.

To Jemira. Glad you were able to help the poor thing. I had a cat brought to me years ago with deep tooth bites on each side of the spine. Vet's pills, etc. Did nothing. Then I remembered turmeric, packed the powder deep into the wounds. The next day she came from under the bed. The wounds had begun to close in, no sign of infection and she was healed in record time. Cost nothing. Best regards. Om

The DE works because it is 80 to 90% silica. Silica helps generate new enamel and growth of teeth. Even if the diet is rich in Calcium, if the levels of Silica are not sufficient, the calcium cannot be utilized to maintain or repair teeth and bones. Silica also protects the enamel against corrosion. Herbally - Black Walnut both leaves and husk, Comfrey, Bamboo and Prickly Ash are also good sources of silica. So take your pick!

Recently I was not at home when one of our cats was outside and cut his paw (we don't know how.) My 12 year old daughter was home and very concerned when she saw his paw bleeding and that he was leaving a track of blood where he walked!

Well, she is a budding herbalist I suppose. She went straight for the herbal wound powder that we make and keep on hand. She sprinkled it onto the wound to help it to stop bleeding. I think she repeated this several times over a short while. She knew the powder would stop the bleeding. And it did. It helps to form a scab as well.

Here is what was in my wound powder:

1 part plantain leaf powder
1 part omfrey root powder
1/8 part Myrrh gum powder
1 part slippery elm bark powder
1 part Oregon grape root powder

I keep a little jar of this in my kitchen and also one in each car. A friend loves to use this on her pet dogs and cats and has gone through a couple of jars!

Some of those ingredients are pricey. Lalitha Thomas, who wrote "Ten Essential Herbs" just uses equal parts of goldenseal and slippery elm bark powder.

These herb powders have anti-infective properties and also styptic properties (they will stop the bleeding.) The powders mix with blood and form a scab. The scab should not be removed once formed, but if bleeding reoccurs, more powder can be added.

Herb powders like this should NOT be used on puncture wounds. Epsom salt soaks would be better for that. I would also not use this on wounds that were deep and not clean.

I was reminded of the recent story of my daughter and her cat when I cut my finger last night while trimming my son's hair. I have done this several times and a cut on the knuckle is painful and wants to keep opening back up. Last night I put wound powder and a bandaid on it. It helped the pain and stayed the bleeding. Today the cut looks good without a bandaid. And it doesn't hurt at all.

If I were faced with a bleeding wound and I didn't have the above powders on hand, I would mix together 1 part cayenne pepper powder and 2 parts turmeric. The sting from the cayenne would not last long. (I have used it straight on paper cuts and it didn't hurt at all! )

~Mama to Many~

Hi all! I just came across this site and have been searching for pet remedies for mange and different types of fungus. I wanted to share with you a remedy that will work for any type of cut, gash, wound, etc. I have used it many times on many different types of animals and iw works wonderfully!. It is half kerosene and half raw linseed oil. Has to be raw. I know it sounds like it would burn, but I have used it on myself, and there is no pain. It will heal any type of major wound, and fast. There is no proud flesh grown, and it is a natural insect repellent, so the flies won't be bothering your animal. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me, and I can answer your questions. Like I said, I have used this many, many times. My vet told me to put Amy down, after being nearly ripped apart by a male. She healed completely after using this on her. You can apply it as often as you like, no side effects, and if you miss a day or two, its no big deal. Hope this helps someone out there.

Please tell me how you make Colloidal Silver?

I have little faith in vets and I try to find things that work and have some luck - manuka honey is really good as antibiotic internally and externally for animals and they like it. Chamomile teabag soak for any eye problems. These are 2 tried and trusted ones for me.

Living on a Farm with many different animal's chickens, dogs, donkeys, cows and horses we have discovered LET THE ANIMALS HEAL ITSELF. There immune system is not damaged like ours. It's amazing to watch cuts and bites and scrapes heal themselves without our help. (Makes you wonder what animals did before we came along) With the more severe cuts we use Hydrogen Peroxide and 7% Iodine. Works great -- haven't lost an animal yet.

Please look at the diet! Think seriously about a raw meat and bone diet. You can learn everything about this at barfworld.com. Seriously! My dog has been eating this diet (frozen patties thawed and mixed with yogurt or cottage cheese, some boiled chicken and french cut green beans (just a little)) for 11 years. People compliment her beatiful coat. Your baby's skin is most likely a reaction to dry food diet. TRY this... you will see results almost immediately and within two weeks, the condition will be clear.

Hi Lynn,

Sorry to hear about your cat. Hopefully someone with a cat will chime in, but in the meantime, have you read through the posts on our pet wounds page?

https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/wounds.html

Also, check out the remedies for horse wounds from readers for ideas... some will definitely work on cats.

https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/horse_wounds.html

And finally, here is our extensive cat remedies page, which has a lot of posts for various ailments in cats:

https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/cats.html

Hope you find something helpful!

Deirdre / EC

Hi,

My dog hurt her leg and an ex-ray showed torn ligaments and the knee displacement........vet suggested surgery at a cost of 1000 euros. I have aversion to any surgery so I used diatomaceous earth and turmeric......the earth is silica and the turmeric for inflammation. I mixed it with water and put in her food......took awhile but she walks and runs fine now.

Good luck with your dog!

My dog was bitten by another dog and had a large open gash on her leg. The wonderful vet we see advised me to clean it, then drizzle UNPASTEURIZED honey all over it, cover it loosely with gauze and wrap it (not too loose, not too tight). She informed me that the honey has antibiotic and wound healing properties in it. I did this, and changed the dressing (cleaning and reapplying honey) every couple of days - the wound healed quickly and beautifully. You do have to wrap it though, because the dog will lick all of the yummy honey off otherwise. Make sure the honey is unpasteurized otherwise all the good stuff has been cooked out, and get the squeezable kind for way easier application.

I'm a nurse, and for cleaning it I would just use saline water instead of anything too complicated and irritating - if the wound has dirt and gunk in it, in which case you have to get as much out as you can, gently.

When wrapping with a bandage, try to find the stuff that doesn't have sticky gluey adhesive as it will be very painful to take off as it sticks to the fur and pulls. I found that tensor-type wrap at the vet's that is self adhesive and stretchy - no glue, it just sticks to itself.

Colloidial Silver is an awesome remedy for virtually any bacterial infection; internal or external. I have cured my dog's eye and ear irritations (and my pink eye) with a couple drops, the results were immediate. It comes in drops or spray and I have both. I spray my dog's cuts, sores, rashes and teeth because it does not sting. Antibiotics are inferior to Colloidial Silver, which was commonly used before antibiotics were popularized. It is found at health food and Meijer stores and is inexpensive for its many possible uses. Research it; you'll be glad you did.

At some point you would think you would use common sense and seek professional help instead of letting this animal suffer. Why would you let them continue to live in such pain? Go to a vet!

Have you ever heard of using "sugar" to heal wounds? When I was young, our dog opened a large area near his scrotum that would not heal..My father suggested we pour sugar on it. The wound healed in less than one week. Has anyone else heard of this?

My poor puppy looked like she was growing gills on one side of her face. It was a skin infection and was large. It looked as if it was about to eat her face. The area was very sore as she got very defensive of it. To bring it to the surface of the skin I put some Diamotaceous Earth on it, which was very successful. Once I could see where exactly it was, I was able to use my trusted Manuka Honey on it. Within 12 hrs (overnight) the infection was gone and she was healing! She looked so much happier and had no problem with mama putting more honey on the area. Manuka, ya came thru again!! Manuka & D.E. cured her infection and for a total cost of a couple of bucks! I love Earth Clinic! Other people would've had to pay alot for a vet, then the medication, and then wait for days to see the medication doing anything. I think my way was both less expensive and more effective, as well as very quick ta boot!!

That is very interesting. I have used D.E. for so many things. I will use it for teeth now. Great info. Thanks!

Turmeric is one thing I have yet to try (for anything) but you are the 4th person in a week that has told me about it. (grin) The world must be hinting at me to try it out. Think I will get some tomorrow. Thank you Om!

I read about how great honey was in healing wounds/cuts in animals and it's true! Our dog seems to get hurt weekly, and anytime he has an open wound, we clean it with HP, put honey on a gauge bandage and then wrap it. After a few changes, it heals great! Thanks for the tip!

I have a terrier mix that obsess's about anything on his body. Not sure what irritated his belly but it was red with a few bumps. One being about half inch across. Red and crusty looking. Probably from his obsessive licking. Soooo seeing how Apple cider vinegar works on so much. I diluted water one third to two third's ACV wiped it for 2 days, first day dried it up, second day not red at all. Third day, just flecking off dead skin from wound. I love this stuff. I am taking it internally, and just today added it to my dogs water. Great stuff.

Sounds like the plastic bowls are a problem as they breed bacteria. Use ceramic or stainless steel bowls, although my dog refused to eat or drink out of of s-steel because of the smell which she could detect. Try dabbing the sores with 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide to kill the bacteria and then a little coconut oil to soothe it.

I make my own colloidal silver for my critters. I just want to rell you my little guy's troubles. He's a 5yr old ferret name Chewy. He just had his gallbadder & some of his liver removed on7-17-07 and when I got him home first thing I did was spray colloidal silver on his belly.and today I looked at it and wow its almost cleared up, back to his real color. Also Chewy has the best vet in this world! and this helped me to trust and love! thak you.

My cat had a huge piece of fur and skin ripped off by something which I think was a racoon. It left 2 puncture wounds. I immediately put colloidal silver (our regular family remedy for killing bacteria etc.). However, he keeps rubbing it and taking the scab off when it gets dry and he cleans himself. I cut away the fur that was getting in the way and used a collar but that aggravated both him and the sore. It became infected and still the CSilver worked. I clean it several times a day and am watching him closer and using collar only a bit. I was really worried I would have to put him down as I can't afford vet bills. So far it is amazing how quickly the CSilver works if we can keep ahead of his scratching by keeping it clean. If I use polysporin or a cream he cleans even harder. I found this really helpful site and wanted to share my experience.