The Botanical Hound

30/10/2022

Diarrhoea can be a common occurrence in some pets. I do like a good daily species specific probiotic for the repeat offenders.

For dogs I tend to avoid chicken as the bland food option as so many dogs are sensitive or allergic to it. That could then make the diarrhoea worse!

For all animals I am a feeder! The correct food choice given at regular intervals can help with recovery. Food is energy and hydration, 2 important factors needed to help any sick animal to recover. For that reason I never starve anyone with diarrhoea.

www.animallovepetfirstaid.co.uk
Unique courses taught by a vet ❤️

29/09/2022

Thousands of dogs sustain injuries and hundreds die on racetracks every year. All dogs deserve to live a good life. That's why we, Dogs Trust and Blue Cross are standing united in calling for a phased end to this sport. Read more: https://bit.ly/3dGXgrn

29/09/2022

Good news for greyhounds.

No dog should become injured or lose their life for entertainment.

Which is why today we are proud to stand alongside the RSPCA (England & Wales) and Blue Cross, in calling for a phased end to greyhound racing in the UK. Over the last four years, more than 2,000 greyhounds died and racing dogs sustained almost 18,000 injuries which is simply not acceptable.

We’ve worked closely with the greyhound industry for many years to try to improve welfare conditions for the dogs, but progress has not been made quickly enough, or on a big enough scale. We are fully committed to the welfare of all greyhounds affected by our call for a phased end to the sport. We will continue to work collaboratively with the industry and other stakeholders to ensure the welfare of dogs is not compromised while working towards this.
Read more here ➡️ https://bit.ly/3fpyjkJ



Image description: A black Greyhound stands in a field wearing a yellow harness and collar.

22/08/2022

Happy St Guinefort's Day....

St Guinefort, the greyhound Saint, is the only dog to be venerated as a Saint in his own right. And he wasn’t just any breed - he was a Greyhound who lived in Lyon, France in the Thirteenth Century!

When his master, a Knight, went out, Guinefort was left alone to guard an infant. Whilst Guinefort was overseeing the baby, a snake entered the room and approached the sleeping child. Guinefort fended off the snake and killed it, inadvertently smearing the snake’s blood around his own mouth in the process. When the Knight returned, he found the dog covered in blood and mistakenly thought Guinefort had killed the baby. This meant that Guinefort was mercilessly killed himself, only for the baby to be discovered alive with the remains of the snake alongside. The family realised that Guinefort had suffered a great injustice and buried the dog in a well in commemoration.

The dog's bravery and heroic actions were heralded by the local people, who declared the dog a Saint after miracles were reported at the well. His story became legendary, the area became a shrine and babies were brought to the burial place to be healed.

His feast day is today, the 22nd August so let's celebrate the canine saint by giving our own greyhounds an extra hug and promoting greyhounds as loving family dogs. So many greyhounds need a loving home. They may even be related to Guinefort, himself!

If you can offer a greyhound a loving home, please email [email protected]

14/08/2022

With the in full swing, cat owners should be mindful of the signs of heatstroke. 🐱🌡️ Heatstroke is a very serious condition that can cause severe dehydration, organ damage and death. Obese, long-haired, old, young and brachycephalic/flat-faced cats (such as Persians) are most at risk of developing heatstroke because they find it harder to cool down.

The most common cause of heatstroke in cats is being accidentally trapped in a hot, poorly ventilated space such as a shed, greenhouse, conservatory, or garage, so make sure to keep an eye on your cat in very hot weather! ☀️ If your cat is showing symptoms of heatstroke, start cooling them down immediately and contact your vet. The quicker your cat is cooled down and treated by a vet, the better their chance of recovery.

See advice from our vets on what you can do to help prevent or provide first aid for heatstroke: http://pdsa.me/amQc

🧊 Please note that ice cubes are perfectly safe for cats to use as a treat to cool down on a hot day. It is when a cat is suffering from heatstroke that the drastic change in temperature from the ice can cause shock and, therefore, should be avoided. A cat’s normal body temperature ranges between 38.1-39.2°C (100.5-102.5°F).

06/08/2022

02/08/2022

The art of seeing if our dogs need or want to inhale the therapeutic properties of an essential oil is in the listening.

In it’s purest form, the process is superbly simple. Offer at a distance and notice what your dog does, no attachment to what happens or how they respond.

But of course most people come to this practice if there is a problem.

I’m saying you don’t need to wait for things to get more extreme to reach out for an aromatic.

Start now, whether your dog is well, happy, healthy or not.

The conversations you will have with your dog via the aromatics can change your relationship with them.

It means you have to learn to listen more deeply, which can in itself create shifts in them and you.

We naturally become more open minded as we start to explore aromatics beyond them just being ‘nice smelly things’ and we can connect with the aromas ourselves, unconsciously benefiting too.

I have a short course available if this is something you’d like to explore more.
Click the link in comments.

Photo is of Darcy being with geranium essential oil, a family favourite 💜

02/08/2022

Connecting with animals is natural, simple and even easy.
The communication part of animal communication though is where our biggest struggle can be. This is where we start to doubt how we are doing it, based on what we are taught, or more likely based on our expectations for how we think it should be like.
Connecting with your pet does not require any special skills. You feel it.
Communicating with your pets is a skill that can be learned. You may have to go through some un-learning during the process! So instead of thinking you have to learn more, practice more, study more....see that you have to unlearn more 😏
If there was ONE thing you need to UNLEARN today to allow your animal communication journey to be smoother, what would that be?