The Herbal Dog: Holistic Canine Herbalism, Applications and Practice

A hands-on guide to holistic canine herbalism

“Even if skeptical readers don’t come away completely convinced, they’ll be enormously educated—Hogan imparts a huge amount of biological information about dogs, and does it all with an easy readability that will make quite a bit of it stick. An informative and sometimes eye-opening examination of natural remedies for helping your dog.”—Kirkus Reviews

• Teaches the tenets of holistic herbalism for the individual dog

• Presents safe, clinically proven, and effective protocols for common canine conditions, from acid reflux to allergies to itching, scratching, and yeast

• Lays out a comprehensive materia medica of canine-specific herbs, including what conditions they are good for, their energetics, internal and external use, safe dosages, and contraindications

In this comprehensive guide to holistic care for dogs, clinical canine herbalist Rita Hogan explains that by looking at dogs as individual ecosystems with unique personalities, physiology, and needs, we can select effective and personalized herbal remedies to support their constitutions and provide relief from many different ailments.

Hogan, who has spent more than two decades working with canines, uses energetic principles (cool, warm, dry, damp) to reveal how herbs are not "one size fits all" and how to find the root cause of chronic imbalances. She discusses in depth how a dog’s main organ systems work, how they are connected to each other, and why we need to understand them when choosing specific herbs and foods.

Presenting safe, clinically proven, and effective protocols for common canine conditions—from acid reflux to allergies to itching, scratching, and yeast—Hogan presents a wide variety of holistic and herbal remedies: from herbal tinctures, glycerities, and phytoembryonics to flower essences, essential oils, medicinal mushrooms, and homeopathy. Her comprehensive materia medica of canine-specific herbs that she uses in her practice details what herbs are good for which conditions and why, what types of energetics are involved, safe dosage recommendations for each herbal remedy, and when to discontinue an herb.

Allowing each of us to take a hands-on approach to our canine companions’ health and longevity, this herbal guide outlines how to help them live their best lives by our sides.