How to Give Herbs to Pets
Filed Under Herbalist |
I would like to share how to give encapsulated herbs to animals. If your dog or cat isn’t fussy, you can just pill them. Use a pilling device, or just push the capsule down the back of the throat, then stroke the throat until you are sure the capsule was swallowed.
However, I find that my animals never really appreciated this method; it just added to their stress level. When animals are sick, it is not good to further stress them. I prefer either of these two methods.
First, put the capsule in a treat like peanut butter, cheese (I actually use a cheese spread), or meat. The dog should gobble it down. However, the smart ones may figure it out and you will find little capsules in a corner.
The second way, which works well for my animals, is to open the capsules and mix the contents with wet/canned food. This generally hides the taste and the animal isn’t stressed. The second method works well if you are giving many capsules to your pet.
Many people, especially children, have problems swallowing capsules. Opening herbal capsules and mixing the contents with foods such as applesauce or soup is an easy way to ingest the herbs. You can also buy herbs in bulk (much cheaper) and handle them the same. You don’t always have to make a tea.
Wendy
