Stinging Nettle for Canines


I am really excited for this upcoming spring because I will be growing a weed in my garden! Not just any weed, but Stinging Nettles to be exact. I have been doing some extensive research on this plant and I think it will be beneficial not only to my dog, but also to my family and myself. Stinging nettle is famous in the herbal world as a natural anti-histamine as well as an anti-inflammatory. This means, it can not only help the seasonal allergies that run rampant in my family (two-legged and four-legged members), but it will also help my arthritis. But, that is not all.... Stinging Nettle is also considered to be one of those "super foods". It contains:

That is a lot of stuff.

For harvesting Stinging Nettle, it is recommended that you wear gloves, long pants and cut them with scissors, because of the stinging part (which is on the underside of the leaves). BUT, some people purposely sting themselves to help with joint pain. There are two phases of harvesting that should be noted:

Eating Fresh Nettle: You must harvest when the plants are still young. If you wait until they have matured and flowered, it's too late for fresh eating --> Mature plants contain cystoliths that can irritate the kidneys. To get rid of the "sting" in order to eat them fresh, you must steam, saute, freeze, can (like spinach) or boil them. You can use the left-over water from boiling and steaming as a tea to drink or as a rinse for your dog's fur. This rinse is very beneficial for alleviating itchy skin caused by rashes, flea bites, ect...

OK, I have a bunch of mature, flowery Nettles. Now what do I do? You can dry them! The process of drying the plant destroys the cystoliths. Now it will not wreak havoc on your kidneys. Gather up your nettles and dry them by tying a string around the bottom of a bunch and hang them upside down to dry. Once dry, you can use the dried leaves as tea by seeping 1 TBSP/ cup of boiled water. Again, this can be drank or used as a skin rinse. You can also add 1/2 tsp per lb of dog weight to your furry friend's food.

A word of caution: Stinging Nettles is haemostatic. This means it stops bleeding. If your dog (or human) has blood thinning or thickening problems, it's best to talk to your veterinarian (or doctor) before eating Stinging Nettles. In addition, do not feed your dog (or human) stinging nettles if suffering from a bacterial infection, being treated for diabetes, high-blood pressure or on NSAIDS.

 For more information on Stinging Nettles, please visit these websites:



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 DIY Enrichment Games for the Canine Mind

Image
As winter continues on, we all try to ward off the winter blues by taking our handful of vitamin D daily and watching endless hours of Netflix. Sometimes, we take hikes in the winter wonderland...or there is skiing...or ice climbing.  But let's face it, winter is a time of hibernation and cabin fever can take it's toll. A dog's mental health can suffer. While you can go skiing and ice climbing, a dog can't. They get bored when mental and physical exercise are not consistent. And a bored dog equals a mischievous dog. Luckily, humans are also a creative species and below I have found a bunch of DIY enrichment games for dogs. So start crafting away the winter canine blues! What you see above is a "snuffle pad". You can purchase these or make them. The picture above is a snuffle pad from an Etsy store: FleeceBeWithYou . The price of these mats vary depending upon size and weight ($9.00- $50.00) Snuffle pads are also fairly easy to make, but can b
Read more

DIY Enrichment Games For Your Dog

Image
Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well...
Read more

Dog Collar Safety In Daycares

Image
At Bark City, we have a "No Collar Rule" while the dogs are in the daycare. When two dogs are playing and have collars on, they can quickly become entangled. Teeth, jaws and feet can get caught.  Once the entanglement happens, things can escalate quickly. A dog can start to panic: twisting, turning and pulling to get free. This can result in an injury to the area of the body that is trapped. In addition, there is the risk of the twisted collar on the dog cutting off the oxygen supply resulting in asphyxiation. Outside of a dog care facility, collar safety is a must for owners as well. There are three basic types of collars: Each collar serves a different purpose and should be used at the appropriate time. I am using examples found on 2 Hounds Design , simply because they had images of the three types of collars I am want to discuss: This type of collar is called a Martingale Collar and is often used with dogs that have a smaller head than neck. Owners often use the
Read more