Treating Kennel Cough at Home!

Oh, hi there!  Did you think I dropped off the face of the earth and died?  Well, so did I there for a while.  I have been one busy mamba jamba lately, I tell ya!  I've been working full time, so I find that I don't quite have as much time as I used to.  Now that I'm on a break, I have a post that I hope you will find interesting.

I was thinking of calling this post "How to get your dog to take a nasty-tasting pill", but thought talking about kennel cough seemed a little more important.  My beautiful Lab Mix started coughing a few days ago.  A lot, especially at night.  It would produce a whitish foam and in a couple of instances, he would hack up some of his food.  He also had a runny nose. Poor little baby boy.

Eager to find some homeopathic (read "cheap") way to handle this, I set out on a Google search.  Within seconds, I found all sorts of remedies that mentioned really strange roots and herbs I've never heard of.  And I'm kind of a newbie natural living nerd, so I've heard of some crap that's weird!

Alas, I stumbled across Healthy Pets with Dr. Karen Becker (presented by Mercola.com)  I shouldn't be surprised.  He's the same Dr. Mercola who recommends whole foods, natural cures and grain-free diets.  He runs one of the top 10 medical sites on the internet (that is completely self-funded, I might add).  All around good guy whom I trust.

Read this little excerpt from his site.  I highlighted two items that are very telling!!

Dr. Becker's Comments:

Kennel cough has a number of different causes, only one of which — the most common cause — is the Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria. Many people think bordetella is kennel cough, but that is technically inaccurate.

In fact, dogs that acquire the bordetella bacteria usually have a virus that makes them more vulnerable to infection. Some of these viruses are the canine adenovirus, distemper, canine herpes, and the parainfluenza virus.

Kennel cough is a form of bronchitis and is similar to a chest cold in humans.

        Many veterinarians recommend bordetella vaccines – either by injection or nasal mist          delivery. I’m not one of them, however.

Many boarding kennels, doggie daycare facilities, groomers and other similar businesses require dogs be vaccinated for kennel cough. Please understand the reason behind this requirement – it is to remove liability from those establishments. The truth is, these vaccines are ineffective and will not prevent your dog from getting kennel cough. The infection is caused by a wide variety of bacterial and viral agents, and no single vaccine can provide protection from them all. Nor will the vaccines treat an active infection. 

Here's a link to that page so you can read the whole thing if you'd like...Dr. Mercola

______________________________________________________________________

Now, imagine my surprise (and horror) when I read that!  Although...should we realllllllly be surprised that we're being duped into paying for unnecessary pet care when we pay for unnecessary 'health' care for ourselves all the time?

Of the items on his list of treatments, the only thing I had was Vitamin C, and lots of it!  So, I set out to give my little Happo his pill.  As a side note, I had to open capsules and separate them out and fill other capsules partway because the dose would be too high.  (Be sure to check for the correct dosage for your doggy).   I'm thinking my little cutie would jump right up and eat it with canned dog food I had it hidden in.  Nope.  Cheese, no.  Peanut butter, no.  Bread, no. Sticking it in his mouth and holding it shut, nope.  He spit it out every time and gave me the cold shoulder:

 Ohhhhhhhhh, Happo, how could you turn your back on Mommy this way?!?

So out of desperation, I began rummaging through the fridge to find something better to hide it in.  See, because it's Vitamin C, it's really acidic tasting.  Nobody wants that, especially a dog.  He could SMELL it in every single thing I hid it in.  He'd carefully eat around it, then spit it out.  Today, I finally found the trick!  Hot Dogs!  Here's my quick little tutorial on how to be extra sneaky.  I think the hot dog was just smelly enough that it covered up the pill smell.

Take a hot dog and cut it into 1" pieces.  Insert a straw into the center.  Use a disposable one...I failed to, then had to throw this one away cuz I knew I'd never get it clean.  The nasty smears you see behind the hot dog piece is just from where I cut the hot dog on the paper plate.

 Pull it out and here's what you'll have....a little hot dog plug.  You can blow it out the end and give it to your pup pup.

Take your capsule and shove it in the hole.

You can still see part of the pill, and he STILL didn't notice, ha ha ha!  Now, you might be thinking....uh, why not just shove the pill in the hot dog without creating a hole?  Well, cuz the pill was big enough that the hot dog wanted to split on me.  Boo.  If you have small pill, do try that first though!

Here's an action shot of him jumping to get his hot dog treat!  (I know...cell phone pix suck)

And here's his sweet little adorable face asking Mommy for MORE, please!   None the wiser, just like I had hoped!  OMG, I love his nose!  Isn't that one adorable nose?????  It's like a big black rubber ball that I just want to honk! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Sorry...I'm smitten by this little fella!

So, that was two days ago that we started the Vitamin C.  I saw SIGNIFICANT improvement just on the first day!  Not kidding!  I was totally shocked.  Today, I think he has coughed twice.  While I'm a big fan of homeopathy, I really was skeptical about the treatment.  He isn't cured yet, but the improvement has been amazing.  I'm expecting tomorrow to be even better!  My other dog started exhibiting some signs of kennel cough, too.  It's highly contagious.  So, guess who else is on the regimen now?  If you have a few minutes, I'd highly recommend looking around Mercola's site.  Some awfully good information for doggies and humans!  What I like best is that my Happy Boy is getting better.  Just second to that is that I don't have a $100 vet bill I can't afford!  Yahooooooo!

UPDATE:  4 days later and the Hap is cured!  I continued to give him the vitamin C for a few days, but it was that quick!

Homemade Aluminum-Free Deodorant

Let's talk deodorant, people!  Are you one of those people who smells like a water buffalo at the end of the day?  Nope?  Me either, thank God!  However, I do sweat at times, like everyone does.  Like when I go for my three mile run every morning.  Wait a minute....I don't do that!  But I'm sure some insane healthy person does.  Like millions of people, I wear deodorant/anti-perspirant every day.  I like my Suave deodorant.  It smells good and it works well.  But it has one teeny tiny itsy bitsy wee lil' flaw.  It's filled with aluminum that leads to something....what was it?  I can't recall.  Oh, gosh. It's on the tip of my tongue....oh, yes...Alzheimers!!!!  Now, my husband's grandma died with Alzheimers, as did my grandma.  Not wanting to suffer the same horrendous fate, I'm going to start being proactive about it, and hopefully I'm not too late.  So I made myself up a batch of homemade deodorant that contains all natural ingredients and best of all, no aluminum!  Here's what you'll need:

 

3T Arrowroot Powder

3T Baking Soda

3T Coconut Oil (any kind is fine)

2-3 Drops Essential Oil(s)

An empty jar or deodorant container that has been thoroughly cleaned

Okay, first an explanation as to why I have two different kinds of Coconut Oil shown.  The taller one (SWAD brand....what an appetizing name...I mean, really people!) is one I got at the regular grocery store in the Indian Foods section.  It is 16oz and costs about $6.99. That's a pretty good deal.  This is what is called Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil and has been heat treated to remove the coconutty smell and taste.  While it doesn't quite retain the same nutritional value as the other, it's still one of the best oils you can consume on a daily basis.  Of course, we're not eating it today, so that doesn't matter.

The shorter, white container is what is called Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  This smells and tastes like coconut.  If you don't like coconut, surely you will not care for this if you are eating it.  If you like the smell of coconut, use it only for applications like this deodorant, or for body lotion.  Coconut oil makes your skin sooooo smooth.  NO lotion on the market can compete, really.    As for consumption, this is the absolute best oil you can use because it retains all of its nutritional value.  When you eat coconut oil, that fat goes to your ENERGY to be burned.  Crisco goes to your ass.  Avoid Crisco.  Anyway, I'm getting off subject here, especially since we're not eating it.  The white container also contains 16 ounces, but cost me $13!!!!  Yikes!!!  I got it at GNC before I knew anything about coconut oil.  While it's a good quality oil, I will NOT be buying from there again.  For this deodorant, you can use whatever kind you like.  Just know that if you use Extra Virgin, it will have a coconut smell to it.

 

I'm going to opt for using the non-coconutty-smelling Swad brand.  What you want to do is scoop 3T into a heat-proof dish.  

 Zap it in the microwave on 20% power for about 30 seconds.  Keep an eye on it as microwaves vary.  Coconut oil only remains solid until it reaches 76 degrees, so it won't take long.  

Next, you will add your 3T Arrowroot Powder and 3T Baking Soda. You may hear some people talk about making sure your baking soda is aluminum-free.  Don't worry about that.  All baking soda is aluminum-free. It's baking POWDER that you need to watch out for.  Now that we have that out of the way, just add it already!  :)  If you didn't have any arrowroot powder, you could always use corn starch.  The only thing about corn starch is that it is sometimes bothersome to some peoples' underarms.  I've never used it, so I cannot say.

Mix well until all lumps are gone.  This will just take a minute.

Then add in your essential oil(s).  I am using two drops of Lavender because I like the smell and because it's not only calming, but antibacterial.  And what makes us smell when we sweat?  Is it the sweat?  Nope!  It's when the sweat dries and bacteria starts forming.  Now, that's what smells.  On other people.  Not me. Ha ha.

I got this old, empty deodorant container clean by wiping out as much as I could with a paper towel, then ran it through the dishwasher.  See that little piece that is all the way to the top?  That is what deodorant professionals call the thingy dingy.  I poked the deodorant out of those holes with a toothpick if memory serves.  Anyway, turn the little dial at the bottom so that little piece goes all the way to the bottom again, unlike what the picture shows.

Set your container down and fill it with the frosting, uh deodorant.  That's what it reminds me of anyway!

 

When I did the one below, I only used 2T of everything and it didn't quite fill it up.  I have adjusted the recipe above so it should fill it up most deodorant containers.  If you live in a warm climate, opt for a small jar or tin as it may get very soft if your home is over 76 degrees.

 Because I am impatient, I put mine in the fridge to 'set'. About 2 hrs later, here's what it looked like:

In my excitement, I promptly turned the dial to make it rise up.  Big mistake.  I heard a big cuh-lick and the deodorant wouldn't budge!  Dang!  I broke the thingy dingy inside!  Now, I'm not entirely sure it would have worked if I had taken it out of the fridge and let it come to room temp first, but it seems logical.  That's the whole reason I went through the trouble of cleaning the darn thing out in the first place, grumble grumble!  Undaunted, I put the container in the microwave and zapped it for a few seconds.  Then I poured it into my NEW deodorant container that is cute and sweet, but not as handy.

I labeled it so my husband doesn't throw it out.  I have it upstairs in my bathroom drawer.  So far, it's stayed nice and solid, about the texture of 'real' deodorant, actually.  If it's summer or you live in a warm climate, it may be soupy, but that's okay, it'll still work the same.

To use, I just dip my fingers in and swirl them around.  It doesn't take much.  It usually stays in a solid form on my fingers, but by the time I took the picture, it kept melting!  I use just about the amount you see here on my fingertips under each arm.

                           

NOTES:

I have used it for about a week now and I can confidently say that there is NO stinky B.O. coming from these pits! But in all reality, I've never been a huge sweater and really never had an odor problem...or maybe no one has told me and I'm just used to my stench, lol!  I was kinda surprised because I thought since this isn't technically an anti-perspirant that I'd experience some sweating.  If nothing else, at least initially, until my body acclimated.  I'm happy to say that my underarms smell as fresh the next morning as they did the moment I put it on!  Note: I haven't had a good day of sweating either, so I can't vouch for that yet.

UPDATE:

Well, it has been about 3 weeks since I've been using this deodorant and something unusual has happened.  At about week two, I noticed an unusual smell emitting from the ole pits.  It wasn't exactly B.O., but it wasn't exactly a smell I was enamored with either.  I'm not sure how to describe it except for maybe acidic????  I'm starting to wonder if the body takes a couple of weeks to detox off the old stuff.  A few days later, it started smelling a little closer to B.O., but I only really noticed it if I was sticking my nose in my pit, lol!  I (probably unethically) asked my son if my underarm smelled gross, or smelled like deodorant.  Sorry, the hubs was out of town and I knew my son would be honest, lol.  He said, "It stinks, Mom!"  I said, "Really?  Like what?"  and he said, "A smelly skunk".  LOL!  While I can attest it wasn't THAT bad, it does have me a little depressed about my deodorant making skills.  Since I had to be close to people the last couple of days (church, etc...) I have worn commercial deodorant.  I'm not sure if I should switch back to my all natural stuff because I don't want to stink either!!  Maybe I should pick a time I know I won't be around others and detox in exile, LOL!  I'll let you know how it goes!  Now that I think about it, I'm starting to wonder if the cheap SWAD brand makes a difference.  I know it makes a difference when I made lotion with it.  The cheap stuff doesn't seem to sink in as well, but rather sit on top of my skin.  Maybe I'll make myself up a batch using the good stuff and report back.

I haven't calculated up how much this deodorant costs, but I bet it's way less than half of the $2.75 I was paying for the Alzheimer-inducing stuff!  

Will this work for a man?  I dunno.  I'm assuming a man would fare better with an actual 'stick' deodorant, like my initial attempt, since they have hair to work around and will require more than a woman will.

You can use whatever essential oils you like, but use them sparingly as they are really strong. I only used two drops of Lavender to the whole batch and it's plenty strong.  You could also use Tea Tree oil (stinky, but one of the best anti-bacterial oils) or Lemon or Orange Oil (which sounds good and fresh to me) and still receive the anti-bacterial properties.  Use whatever smell appeals to you.  I'd also recommend oil of Oregano, but who wants to go around smelling like a sub sandwich? LOL! 

I haven't experienced any discomfort or irritation from this deodorant so far. The only 'odd' thing I noticed the first day I used it was a tiny little sting in the left underarm for a few minutes. Only the left side.  BUT, as a disclaimer, I think that was because I got over-zealous with my razor, thinking I was actually going to take a picture of my underarm to show you.  #1) No one wants to see that  #2) Since I've been using the same razor for 3 months, I'm not getting a clean shave, but rather scraping off extra layers of skin!  However, I'm anticipating having some lovely soft underarms pretty soon from that fabulous coconut oil.  Well, maybe if I ever change my razor out.

Overall, I'm very happy with this stuff. I'd be interested in knowing how this would work for someone who cannot typically use the deodorant sold in stores due to irritation or allergies, etc.... If you decide to make this simple deodorant, let me know how you like it.  Especially if you normally stink like a yak in a Calcutta outhouse in July.  Have a fresh and clean day!

Make your own Sinus Rinse!

Today I woke up with the tell-tale signs of a sinus headache.  My cheeks were sore, above my eyebrows aching, dry throat.  Ugh..I hate allergies.  Anyway, I went to go use my handy dandy 'booger rinse' as I like to call it...I know, gross...and only had two packets left.  That was enough to get me through the day, but what about tomorrow?!  I can't afford won't pay $10 for the refill packets any more, so I decided to make my own.  Can't be that hard, right? Well, I'm glad I looked up a recipe online first, because I would have used the wrong things.  Here's what I did...

Supplies:
NON-Iodized Salt (Luckily, my Sea Salt grinder said this right on it)
Baking Soda
2C Water, distilled
Sinus Rinse Bottles like above or a Neti-Pot.

I started with two cups of water because 

I figured that's about what I'd need to fill both bottles.

The online recipe said to use either distilled water

(like I had been using up to this point) or to use water

that has been previously boiled and cooled.  Be sure to never use straight tap water because a people have actually DIED because of the bacteria in their water because it was unsafe.  

To the water, add 1/8t Baking Soda.

Then you need to add your salt.  I had to grind

it into a little container, then measure out 1 teaspoon.

Add it to your water and give it a quick stir.

I then put them in the microwave for one minute.* (see notes/warnings below)

 

Place the lids on and use!  (Figured you didn't want to see that)

Notes:  

I have been using this sinus rinse for a couple of years now.  I seemed to have developed worsening allergies the last few years and this really helps.  If you have frequent (or even daily) problems with allergies and your sinuses, this is something you can do every day.  Even several times a day when they're really bugging you.

The Neil Med sinus rinse has saved me from many sinus infections, I'm sure.  The key is to learning to use it at the first sign of sinus pain, pressure or allergy symptoms.  I used to pay $10 for just the (100 pkt) refill kit.  Now, I can make my own for just pennies! 

*As for the microwaving of the water,  I am only telling you what I do.  I am not recommending you do this because every microwave is different.  I fill the bottles and place them apart from each other in the mic.

I then microwave exactly one minute.  I have found that this is the perfect temperature for me.  When using one bottle, I give it less time.  My microwave will vary from yours, so do several test runs like I did to get this right.  Test it on your hand, not your nostrils.  Ask me how I know.

Trust me when I say you need to warm up the water a little bit, even if it's done in a totally different way than I do.  You do not want to know the pain of using cold/room temp water!  Holy Moly!  It's like brain freeze, yet all over your sinuses, in your cheeks, in your nose, in your forehead.  I do NOT recommend it!

With distilled water, it cost me almost 20 cents per bottle and I always use two, so 40 cents each time.  Using boiled, then cooled tap water, it probably costs me 10 cents maximum (for two bottles) and I think that's probably on the high side.  It's hard to guesstimate the salt from the grinder.  I only paid $1.49 for the whole grinder (Dollar General) and this uses just a tiny amount of it.  Baking soda, I get for 45c for a one pound box at Aldi every day.  And tap water...free....well, sort of.  You know what I mean.  Anyway, if you have sinus trouble, this is a cheap way to give you some relief.