You Can Do It at Home

It's not always necessary to take your pet to the veterinarian for minor medical problems. You can treat many conditions at home easily, safely and effectively.

The heartbreak of diarrhea may be due to a simple change of diet. If it has been ongoing for only a day or two, the appetite is still good and there is no blood in the stool, you can try changing to a bland diet. Dogs can be offered boiled rice mixed half and half with boiled hamburger or chicken. For a cat, all meat human baby food mixed with baby rice cereal can be soothing to the upset feline tummy.

A trip in the car can be a horrid experience if your pet is prone to motion sickness. Desensitizing your cat or dog by gradual exposure to the car is best, but if you don't have the time or your outings are very infrequent, ask your veterinarian for a dose of the travel sickness medication 'Dramamine.' Typically a large canine would take one tablet, a small dog or cat would take 1/4 to 1/2 tablet one hour before travel.

Before you give any human medications to your pet, it is always best to check with your veterinarian first.

Hay fever got your pet down? The over the counter medication, 'Benadryl' can give some needed relief from runny noses and itchy skin. 1 mg. per pound is a common dose. This is a much higher dose that you or I would take but a pet's metabolism doesn't always mimic ours. It can be given 2 to 3 times per day.

Before you give any human medications, even the ones that I have mentioned, it is always best to check with your veterinarian first. Every pet, like every person is different.

Avoiding a trip to the vet may save you money but sometimes you need to consider health first, and economics second.