what do you guys thing of websites and people that sell plants for cats to eat? to be quite honest i don't know much about cat biology but i see a bunch of them say stuff like "it will CURE this and that" which immediately made my BS sensor go off...is this just another pet scam that appeals to humans more than it cares for the cats?
Hi, Sueanoi here.
While I cannot say how legit an unspecified website is, I recommend everyone to never delay vet visit trying self treat your animal. It is a gamble. The thing from the internet may or may not work. But mostly, they don’t work.
Not only because things from the internet may not do what they claim, but because you do not have vet training, you do not have enough experience in recognizing things that vets look for in a vet visit. You might see things that aren’t there, or miss the things that ARE there. And the product that you’ve bought from someone trying to make money from your worry, might not be what you really need.
The delayed vet visit might have great consequences. Some things are easier and cheaper to treat when it’s in its early stage. The animals will not have to suffer for longer than it needed to. If you’re unsure, please call your trusted clinic near you. Ask them if you need to bring the animal to them. And if it is okay that you pick up some product from them to help first aid your beloved pet while you wait for your appointment.
In some cases, those websites may target the people who are desperate. Those people included owners of animals in their terminal stage, went to the vet and all and did everything that they could already, and this website said their expensive product can help? That sounds very appealing. However, most of the time, they don’t really help. But those website already took the money and they didn’t need to take any responsibility. Unlike a vet who can’t claim anything because medicine is never 100%. And this can frustrate some owners who are seeking comfort rather than the truth.
Personally, I despise these scammers. They are the same as those who sell miracle drugs to terminally ill people. They sell fake hope, and kill people because they seek solace in those sweet words that real medical providers can never say.
I must admit, I do not have enough knowledge about alternative medicine for animals. I practice in SEA, I do see some “herbal supplement” reaching the counter of real vet hospitals. I never personally prescribe these, but I won’t judge the vets who use these as their additive treatment on top of modern medicine. That said, some plants can do things to the body of animals. But I am more familiar with “toxicology” side of the study, rather than “alternative medicine”.
Even if there is active ingredient in the plant, I would still not recommend using the whole plant without some procedure to isolate the active ingredients. Because a plant is not uniform in its entire, you may end up underdosing, overdosing, or contaminating with other ingredients that the plant also has.. Said procedure to isolate the active ingredient is how we make many of the modern medicine that we use today.
I have heard someone said long ago on Tumblr, that “Alternative medicine that has been proven to work is called ‘medicine’.” and I agree, to an extent. (It is quite complicated so I won’t get to it in this answer)
I went on a huge tangent. I hope this answers your question.
