I receive many queries about pets and this is one that arrived this week. I thought I’d share the answer since I remember in my days before tissue salts really feeling helpless about our Maltese poodle who was doing just this, and then lost hair and got eczema that we were treating with cortisone on prescription from the vet. Fortunately I found tissue salts before it was too late, and we had very good results as a consequence.
Q: I wonder if you could suggest any Tissue Salts for dogs to take, they are constantly scratching and licking themselves – I’m sure they have fleas.
Many thanks DB
A: Nat Mur is very helpful for the itching, and also seems to deter insects to a degree; helpful for humans who are prone to insect bites too. If they develop allergies or eczema, you may need to consider Kali Mur and Kali Sulph. The Beauty Synergy contains all of these, and will help if there is a consequent dermatitis or other skin irritation.
Obviously it is quite important to treat the environment they are in as well; you can crush a mothball or two with your shoe and vacuum it up into your cleaner and then use your machine thoroughly particularly in areas where the dogs like to lie. Dyson (and probably some other brands) do a vacuum cleaner for people with pets that is designed to kill the fleas / eggs with its suction action. Breaking the life-cycle of the fleas is one of the most difficult things to do. You can also use diatomaceous earth as a non-toxic flea killer – can be sprinkled into the dogs’ fur and bedding etc. Another helpful non-toxic deterrent can be to mix tea tree and lemongrass (citronella) essential oils into a spray bottle with water, and to spray the environment and onto the pet (although cats may not enjoy this one!)