DIY: Homeopathic First Aid Kit

We recently discussed some common pet emergencies and their homeopathic remedies. Today, we’re continuing the conversation with our top homeopathic remedies to have in your pet first aid kit. Please keep in mind that you should always follow up with your vet for life-threatening emergencies. Without further ado, here’s what we suggest you include in your homeopathic first aid kit:

Arnica – Leopard’s Bane

Used for:

• Sprains and injuries
• Bruises
• Eye injuries
• Puncture wounds that turn to an abscess
• Animals fearful of being touched following an injury
• Shock from injury

With extensive training, it can also be used for broken bones, labor, abscesses, and post-surgery recovery.

Aconite – Monkshood

The main element this remedy addresses is fear — specifically in traumatic accidents. Use it when an animal has:

• Extreme sensitivity to noise, light, touch, fears of not recovering
• First stages of colds/kennel cough
• Thirst for large quantities of liquid or unquenchable thirst

It can also be used after car accidents and for vaccine reactions.

Apis – Bee Venom

Apis is used often for hives and swelling. It can help alleviate:

• Bee stings and insect bites
• Itching, redness
• Swollen eyes and puffiness in the face or throat
• Difficulty breathing
• Hot Spots
• Conjunctivitis
• Cystitis
• Mastitis
• Allergic Reactions
• Vaccine Reactions

Belladonna – Deadly Nightshade

Belladonna is a good remedy for hot and intense conditions that come about quickly. Some relevant symptoms include:

• Gums are bright red and hot
• Typically right-sided symptoms
• Worsen at 3 p.m. and after midnight
• Often very thirsty

This remedy can be used for:

• Hot spots
• Aural Hematomas
• Aggression
• Convulsions
• Mastitis
• Vaccine Reactions
• Heat Stroke

Urtica Urens – Stinging Nettle

Use this remedy for conditions that have an affinity for the skin including: itching, burning, or stinging somewhere. Symptoms may be:

• In the joints, mammary glands, or urinary tract
• Predominantly right sided

This remedy can be used for itching, cystitis, mastitis, allergic reactions, and dogs that brush up against nettle plants.

Hypericum – St. John’s Wort

Hypericum is often called “Arnica of the Nerves.” It can be used:

• In any areas that have lots of nerve endings — tails, toes, ears, fingers, teeth, etc.
• With brain and spinal cord injuries
• To relieve pain after surgery
• For speeding up healing of jagged cuts.

Use this remedy for teeth extractions, tail slammed in door, disc disease, bites/wounds to the fingers, toes, tail, etc., and smashed toes.

Carbo Veg – Vegetable Charcoal

Carbo Veg can be used to ease sudden collapses from any cause and these symptoms:

• Limbs cold, bluish skin, blue gums, weakness
• External or internal bleeding
• Flatulence, regurgitation of food
• Spasmodic cough
• Never really recovered from previous illness

Use this for pets who have have bloat, a failure to thrive, or are on the brink of dying.

Arsenicum Album – Arsenic

Arsenicum Album is used to help these symptoms:

• Chilliness, restlessness, weakness
• Cyclical (always worse after midnight)
• Ailments typically appearing on the right side
• Usually anxious and fearful; often afraid of strangers
• Show interest in food or water but then walk away; often hang their head over their bowl
• Thirsty for small drinks
• Fastidious

This remedy is used for food poisoning, later stages of colds/kennel cough, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Cantharis – Spanish Fly

This remedy can help with:

• Irritability
• Emotional distress
• The urinary system — frequent urge to urinate
• Inflammation is intense
• Unquenchable thirst with aversion to all fluids

It can be used for UTI, bites, and stings.

Ipecac

Ipecac is a great remedy to use with:

• Symptoms of vomiting — usually a very clean tongue
• Non-stop nausea, not relieved by vomiting
• Blood in vomit or urine
• Lack of thirst
• Asthma attacks
• Gushing of bright red blood

It can be used for non-stop vomiting, car sickness, nausea from medication, and hemorrhaging.

Ledum – Wild Rosemary

Ledum can help with:

• Deep, clean, sharp puncture wounds
• Wounded parts that twitch
• Black eye caused by a blow and cold to the touch
• Skin that itches worse at night — may concentrate on lower legs and feet

Ledum can be used for cat bites, insect/flea bites, bruise/injury to the eye, itching, and injuries to the testicles.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is helpful for:

• All bleeding situations
• Vomiting/regurgitation shortly after the food warms up in the stomach
• Anxious, fearful, weak
• Croupy, dry, raspy cough
• Thirst for ice-cold drinks
• Symptoms worse on left side
• Overall mentally well despite high temperatures
• Weak and easily exhausted
• Thunderphobia

It can be used for bleeding, anemia, vomiting/diarrhea, aural hematomas, and mouth inflammations.

Nux Vomica – Poison Nut

Nux Vomica is often used for:

• Overeating
• Depleted immune system
• Too many conventional medicines
• Animal is on edge from noise, lights, smells
• Often digest food poorly
• Sensitive to colds and drafts

It can also be used for over indulgence, vomiting, bloat, aggress, drug reactions, cystitis, and food poisoning.

Too much information? If you have more questions or just need a bit more help setting up your own kit, feel free to contact The Pet Beastro and they will guide you on your way!