September-October201.. - Dogs Naturally Magazine

y: Emma DefeuAloe looks like a cactus but is actually a member of the lily family.There are four medicinal species but only one is used extensively– Aloe Barbedensis Miller.Known as an adaptogen, the body uses what it needs from Aloeto help the condition it is suffering from. Aloe helps the body toheal itself by restoring the body’s natural balance. This means itcan be used to help extremes of the same condition. i.e. forboth diarrhea and constipation. It can help conditions relating tothe immune system and skin. (External & internal). That includesany ailment that ends with an “itis”. Such as diverticulitis,colitis, arthritis etc.“1991 Baxter, G.M. Management of burns, Equine medicine andsurgery, 4 th edition Vol II pp. 1625-9 an American VeterinaryPublication. Reported that Aloe Vera Gel relieves pain, decreasesinflammation, penetrates deeply into the skin, stimulates celldivision and kills bacteria and fungi.”Here are some of the properties that aloe contains, this will giveyou a good idea of how amazing it is.Aloe contains 75 nutrients (identified so far) including 9 mineralsand at least 10 vitamins, along with 20 amino acids, of which 8are essential to animal diets.Lignin – This helps skin penetrationSaponins – Cleansing, antiseptic, soapyAnthraquinines - Laxative/purgative, analgesic, antimicrobialMinerals (9) – Ca, Na, Fe, K Cr, Mg, Zn, Mn, CuVitamins – A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, Niacin, Choline, Folic acidexercise and we find givinghim a small measure of thealoe combined with the jointsupplements, Glucosamine, Chondroitinand MSM it helps relieve this stiffness. As he gets older itwill be a part of his every day diet regime as a preventative aswell as to ease any problems. The aloe helps the body absorbthe supplements better than if you took them with out it. Thealoe on it’s own is a natural anti inflammatory and would benefithim without the added supplements.You can add it to their food or water, but ours take it readily intheir food. There are no hard and fast rules about specific doses,as with all complimentary herbal preparations, but starting with2mls daily for a weaned puppy and gradually increasing this to15mls over 10 days. With older/larger dogs we work with 10mlsper kilo initially, increasing to 20mls per kilo after a few weeksfor specific treatments. You are looking at a long term maintenance/preventionlevel of 5mls per kilo after the desired resultsare seen.In fact when our younger dog, Rosie, was recovering from havingpuppies and a major operation all in the same day, she tookthe Aloe on its own as I am sure she knew it was helping her. Shewas back to full strength and completely recovered within 7 daysand her wound had healed with no soreness or infection when itwas time for the vet to remove the stitches a week later. As wellas the drinking gel she was taking throughout whelping, we alsosprayed an aloe solution on her scar to help it heal and keep itfree from infection whilst nursing her pups. Unlike steroid andantibiotic creams that can only be applied once or twice a day,topical aloe gels and creams can be applied more often, wheneverneeded.Amino Acids – 20 of 22. All 8 essentialEnzymes – Aid digestion and absorption of foodFatty Acids – Plant steroids, Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antisepticSalicylic acid - (not aspirin) which has anti inflammatory, analgesicand anti bacterial properties.Simple sugars - one in particular, Accemannan – which has immuno-modulatingproperties, which means it helps return theimmune system to normal and is anti viral, particularly againsttumour producing viruses such as feline leukemia.We use the Aloe drinking gels ourselves on a daily basis and tokeep our dogs well. Our older dog, Zeik, an 8 year old bordercollie, has this year started to get stiff in his hips after prolongedAloe has no known side effects and is safe to use with otherdrugs, in fact it enhances the action of other drugs such as antibioticsand homeopathic preparations. If your animal has a particularlysensitive digestive system, then introduce the aloe tothe diet slowly and in very small amounts for the first few days.If you would like more in depth details of Aloe Vera in veterinarypractice, then I would recommend David Urchs’ book, Aloe Vera– Natures Gift. Emma Defeu runs a successful dog boarding business inGlouchestershire, UK. Her business Pure N Forever is also a supplierof raw and natural health care products.www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com September/October 2010 | 19