My journey to becoming an herbalist was different from the path taken by most folks. For me, it all started with animals. As a young veterinarian, I dabbled a bit in herbal remedies. I gave dogs with digestive troubles a little slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), and I’d give a spray bottle of water with a little tea tree oil in it (Melaleuca alternifolia) to my dairymen to spray on udder sores in the milking parlor, but I wasn’t doing anything serious.

Then one day I had a labrador retriever come in. She was as sick as a dog! (As a licensed veterinarian, I’m allowed to make those sorts of determinations.) Her gums and the whites of her eyes were dark yellow. The bloodwork confirmed my suspicion… liver failure. The bad news is that modern medicine has almost nothing to help such cases.

I put her on an IV and was supporting her as best I could. Through a series of coincidences, I was led to a friend who happened to be an herbalist. He gave me a mix of barberry, burdock, milk thistle, and a few other plants for the dog. I figured I had nothing to lose, and the dog certainly had nothing to lose!

I mixed the powdered herbs with a little water and syringed it into the dog’s mouth. The next day, the dog—who hadn’t been willing to look at food for days—wanted to eat. I kept administering the herbs three times a day. Three days later, she went home completely resolved. As you might imagine, I got pretty serious about herbs after that.

Before long, my vet clinic had only a few small cupboards for drugs, and an entire room full of herbs. Why? Because, for many conditions, I just found that herbs were much more capable of giving me the results I wanted. Rattlesnake bites, gunshot wounds, shock, sepsis, it didn’t matter. I’ve used herbs on almost everything. As a result, people often ask me about herb use in animals. There are so many different species, so many different sizes. How can you know what to do? Where should you start? My answer is to just do what you would do for humans.

Mammal and poultry species have far more similarities than differences in their anatomy and physiology. Sure there are some differences in form and function, but the actual physiology is remarkably similar in most cases. As a result, most of the herbal interventions I use for animals are identical to those I use for human cases. The same principles apply. The same plants usually work the same way.

Herb Safety and Animals

Animals come in all shapes and sizes. Most cases of herb-related toxicity in animals result from overdosing. It’s much easier to overdose a two-pound chihuahua than a 200-pound man or 2,000-pound draft horse. So, be extra careful with the little guys. Also, there are a few herbs that are more toxic to dogs and cats than they are to humans.

Here are some herbs to be careful with:

• Grapes, raisins, or grape leaves (Vitis species)
• Hops (Humulus lupulus)
• Garlic and onions (Allium spp.)
• Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
• Mistletoe (Viscum album)
• Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)
• Essential Oils (Too numerous to list. Don’t use them on small animals.)

Now, having said that, I use all of those herbs (except essential oils) on dogs and cats all the time. But I’m using them in formulas with other herbs. The primary danger of the plants on that list are from high doses or from long-term use of the single herb. If the herb is in a formula with several other things, it’s a small enough quantity that I’ve never seen problems.

Oh, one other thing… If your cat has been using catnip (Nepeta cataria), don’t let him operate heavy machinery.

Herb Forms and Delivery Systems For Animals

Getting herbs into herbivores and poultry is easy. I just mix the herbs with their feed. If the herb is powdered, spritzing the feed with a little water will make the herbs stick better. Dry powders work well with dogs too—just mix the herbs with a little wet food. Unless it’s a fussy little pomeranian or something, most dogs will wolf it down without thinking. Cats can be a little pickier. Mix their herbs with some strong-smelling canned cat food. Sometimes even that doesn’t work with cats.

Another good trick is to mix the herb powder you want to use with a little bit of marshmallow root powder (Althaea officinalis). Use about nine parts of the herbs you want and one part marshmallow. Then add a little bit of water. The marshmallow makes a great binder allowing you to make a thick, herbal paste. The paste can then be fed to chickens or herbivores by mixing it with the feed. You can also pack the paste into a cored apple for horses. Or, you can roll the paste into little balls and dry them thoroughly to make pills that can be mixed with the feed. Of course, you can also use fresh herbs with the herbivores. Just use twice as much as you would if it were dry to get the proper dose.

A further option to get a powdered herb into an animal is to mix it with water and give the slurry orally with a catheter tip syringe (your feed store or vet will have these). Of course you can also use tinctures but, honestly, one doesn’t often need to resort to that with an animal unless it’s an emergency.

Herbal teas can be used, but they aren’t my favorite. I feel like I have a better idea of knowing the herbs got into the animal if I see they were eaten. If a tea is mixed with the drinking water, you’ll have a harder time knowing the herbs were ingested, especially in a group of animals. Also, if the animal decreases water intake because it tastes funny, you now have an animal that is sick AND dehydrated.

Treating Wounds

Animals have a knack for getting wounded. Horses, in my experience, are particularly gifted. Topical application of herbs for wounds can be accomplished in a couple of different ways. The traditional method is to poultice the wound. This is done by mixing powdered herbs—such as comfrey (Symphytum officinale), calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis), marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), yarrow flowers and leaves (Achillea millefolium), etc.—with a little water to make a thick paste and applying it to the wound. I usually do this twice a day, securing the poultice with a bandage.

Now, having said that, I haven’t used a poultice in several years because I’ve found a much simpler way. What I do now is make a wound spray either by making a very strong tea, or more often than not, by making a tincture of my poultice herbs and adding a teaspoon of tincture to 2-4 ounces of water and using that as a spray. Teas and watered-down tinctures only have a shelf life of a couple of days, so don’t make too much at a time. Apply the wound spray at least three or four times a day. Wound cases are also going to be getting some herbs internally to stimulate the immune system, fight infection, and accelerate healing.

If you’d like to see some pretty amazing wound cases that have been managed with herbs, swing by my website (HomeGrownHerbalist.net) and do a search for “Wound.” That will pull up the blog articles on wounds I’ve treated.

Herbal medicine for animals is an extraordinarily powerful healing modality. I’ve treated virtually every species commonly kept as a pet or livestock, and time and again, the herbs prove remarkably effective. Now that you know how to get the herbs into your critters, you’re well equipped to offer real help when they’re ailing. Just use the same herbs and formulas on your horse, chicken, or dog that you’d use on a beloved family member, and chances are excellent you’ll see good results.

Animal Dosages

Dosing animals is a pretty simple affair. Here are some guidelines for you.

Herbal Powders for Pets

Under 10 Pounds: 1/16 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

10-20 Pounds: 1/8 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

20-40 Pounds: 1/4 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

40-60 Pounds: 1/2 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

60-100 Pounds: 3/4 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

100-200 Pounds: 1 rounded teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

Tinctures for Pets

Under 10 Pounds: 3 drops, 2-4 times daily

10-20 Pounds: 5 drops, 2-4 times daily

20-40 Pounds: 10 drops, 2-4 times daily

40-60 Pounds: 20 drops, 2-4 times daily

Over 60 Pounds: 30 drops, 2-4 times daily

Capsules for Pets:

Under 10 Pounds:1/4 capsule, 2-4 times daily

10-20 Pounds: 1/2 capsule, 2-4 times daily

20-40 Pounds: 1 capsule, 2-4 times daily

40-60 Pounds: 2 capsules, 2-4 times daily

Over 60 Pounds: 3 capsules, 2-4 times daily

Powders for Livestock

Smaller animals: dose by weight as if they were pets (see pet doses).

100-200 Pounds: 1 rounded teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

200-400 Pounds: 2 rounded teaspoons, 2-4 times daily

Adult Horses & Cattle: 1-2 tablespoons, 2-4 times daily

Tinctures for Livestock

Smaller animals: dose by weight as if they were pets (see pet doses).

100-200 Pounds: 1 teaspoon, 2-4 times daily

200-400 Pounds: 2 teaspoons, 2-4 times daily

Adult Horses and Cattle: 5 cc’s, 2-4 times daily

For chronic or maintenance issues, 2-3 times daily is usually sufficient. For acute situations such as pain or fighting infections, dosing can be done more frequently.