Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine practitioners use herbal medicine for a large variety of medical problems and diseases including behavioral disorders such as fear, anxiety, depression and anger.

Many of these behavioral problems can successfully be treated with an appropriate herbal formula, often in conjunction with Food Therapy. As we know there is no single diet suited to all animals, similarly the appropriate herbal formula for your fluffy’s specific problems can be discovered through the astute examination of the patient.

Herbal medicines may be given in pill, tablet, capsule, granular, or raw form. The pills, tablets and capsules are best for those animals who will comply with taking them orally. The granular and raw herbs can be added to patients’ food if they have good appetites and are not finicky. For debilitated animals raw herbs can be cooked together with some home-prepared food in the form of soup or stews.

Cardiovascular problems such as cardiac arrhythmia and weakness leading to heart failure, or obstructive pulmonary disease may be treated with precise herbal formulas alone or in combination with Western medication. Unlike modern medication however, some herbal formulas work by nurturing a weak heart as opposed to forcing an already compromised organ to work harder. Commonly related to cardiovascular problems, pulmonary weakness that may lead to exercise intolerance, chronic coughing, frequent upper respiratory tract infections or chronic nasal discharge may be successfully treated with herbs for clearing pathogens or tonifying deficiencies.

Ocular disorders such as difficult to heal corneal ulcers, chronic conjunctivitis, and retinal pathologies (Gia’s case) can also be helped with the appropriate herbal treatment (see Teddy’s case). Many forms of dental pain, redness, swelling and inflammation may have symptoms greatly reduced or even relieved completely through herbal therapy. Many forms of chronic ear problems(see Ben’s case) also react well to herbal treatments. These include external auditory canal and middle ear inflammation which can be healed utilizing oral herbal medicines that treat the root cause of the problem as well as topically-applied herbal medication.

Herbal medicines can often be used in the place of antibiotics (disruptive to healthy gut bacteria) and benefit a large variety of gastrointestinal disorders including inappetance, vomiting, diarrhea (see Zack’s case), constipation(see Moccha’s case), and bloating. Hepatic disease of both infectious and endogenous origin can be soothed and hepatic regeneration encouraged with a judiciously chosen herbal formula. Various forms of renal disease including kidney failure and urinary problems(see J.J’s case) such as inflammation (see Daisy’s case), infection, and urinary leakage may be successfully alleviated extending animals’ lives through herbal medications that normalize and regenerate kidney tissues or the organs themselves.

Most orthopaedic problems including degenerative joint disease, strain/sprain, inflammation(see Jake’s case), and weakness are amenable to significant benefit from an appropriate herbal formula. Neurological disorders including paresis, paralysis (see Rhani and Leo’s case), and vestibular disease may be resolved more quickly and kept from reoccurring when treated properly with the correct formula.

Almost all companion animals readily accept herbal medical therapy, however sometimes experimentation is required to find the form which best suits a particular animal. Some herbal formulas are used for only a short time to clear excess conditions while others are used for longer periods in order to tonify chronic deficiency problems. As with any form of medical intervention, herbs should only be used after a competent veterinary practitioner has made an accurate diagnosis for each companion animal.