Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats

THIS book is a boon to any dog or cat owner and although it is American in text and there are some of the diseases (eg rabies), parasites (heartworm) and pests (snakebite) that New Zealand does not need to bother about, by far the largest part of the book is just as relevant to life in this country as anywhere else.

It is not available in general bookstores here, but New Zealand readers can write to: Health Pride Ltd, Private Bag 19981, Avondale, Auckland; Phone (09) 828-3645 or Fax (09) 828-5390.

Starting with 'acne' and ending with 'wounds' you could learn something from every page. I like the layout particularly - starting with general information on the illness or condition the book then goes into sub-sections labelled 'for dogs', 'for cats', or 'for dogs and cats'.

A box in each chapter tells you when to see the vet, what signs to look for, and when the situation could become an emergency.

The number of tips this book gives that are logical, easy and usually plain common sense, is unbelievable. But the facts are that when most of us are faced with a sick dog, common sense seems to fly out the window.

For instance, there are nine tips to help when your pet has diarrhoea - the first is "quit stuffing things in one end and it will stop coming out the other"! (I'm sure I know someone this guy's been watching, don't you?) NO FOOD for 24 hours is the advice, only water!

After that keep food bland, add ingredients slowly over a few days and keep the water level high. Cut out the dairy, suppress the stress, say no to drugs, and take short walks if your pet is strong enough.

Hot spots, hives, allergy rashes and infections - all can cause skin outbreaks but all are different in cause and remedy and all can be helped at home.

Over 400 pages of advice, tips, training methods and good feeding practices make this a book that the dog owner should not be without. You will constantly go back to see if there is a better method of doing things ... and there usually is!

I now keep this book in a very handy place for easy access. - EP