Things clients have tried before coming into the clinic:
1.) Garlic, coconut oil, and hydrogen peroxide put into her dog's ear for a suspect ear infection. This wound up causing a severe head tilt and pain for over a week before she presented her dog for an otic exam.
2.) Garlic and black walnut orally for flea prevention. (For those not in the know, garlic is toxic to dogs. Black walnut can also be dangerous, depending on type and dose ingested). Spoiler alert, the dog still had fleas and flea allergy dermatitis.
3.) Owners gave Advil to her dog for 3 days for hind limb paralysis. This unfortunately resulted in acute kidney failure for the dog. Remember, NEVER give human medicines to your pets without first consulting your veterinarian! Human anti-inflammatories like Advil and Aleeve have very small therapeutic windows in animals, and even small doses can cause severe harm.
4.) Holy water. I'm just going to leave this one alone.
5.) Cedar oil, lavender oil, or pepermint oil for fleas and ticks.
6.) Raw or homemade diets which are not based on any standardized or nutritionally complete recipes. I don't personally recommend raw diets for any pets, as they can potentially increase the risk of food-borne illness in pets and people. Homemade diets, while not my preferred choice for pets, can be nutritionally complete and relatively safe, however, it is recommended that you consult a veterinary nutritionist prior to combining ingredients for your pet. This is to ensure you are meeting their underlying protein, calcium, and other nutrient profiles for your pet's age, breed, and life stage. Always consult with your veterinarian prior to drastically changing your pet's diet, or if you have any questions about any diet(s) you are considering for your pet (homemade, raw, commercial, or other).
7.) Purposefully adding dirt or rocks to their dog's food to simulate contamination they might get from eating "wild animals." Just... please don't.
8.) Vegan diets for cats. Which are obligate carnivores. NO.
This is not meant to point fault at owners who are truly well-meaning at heart. However, it is meant to raise awareness that not everything you read online, hear from your breeder, or see on Facebook, is true. Please trust your family veterinarian, who has been through years of training, lectures, continuing education, and schooling to be better able to serve you and your pet. Have a medication question? Ask your vet. Concerned that the flea/tick medicine you have been told to use could harm your pet? Ask your vet. Want to make a homemade diet because the pet food industry scares you? Ask your vet.
Stay safe out there!
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