Herbal supplements for pets is a growing market.
Did you know that 68% of US households own a pet?
I, myself, have 3 cats; Ragnarok, Vahalla and Thor.
Rupert Sheldrake wrote in Science and Spiritual Practices, “Even though most people now live in cities, keeping pets is a mainstream activity. Pets became widespread only with the onset of large-scale industrialisation and urbanisation in the nineteenth century. Pet keeping can even be seen as a kind of lament for a lost closeness to nature.”
An interesting idea, that pets help connect us to nature. And for many people that have them pets are seen as part of the family.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that people want their pets to be as healthy as possible.
Some more stats, estimates for 2017:
Pet supplies and OTC medication is a $14.93 billion per year industry.
Vet care is another $16.62 billion per year.
If you’re reading this you’re likely supporting yourself through things like herbs and natural supplements alone, or in addition to conventional medicine.
Why not do the same for your pets?
Unfortunately, in those stats we don’t know just how much the herbal supplements for pets market is, but it is likely a tiny fraction. But it is likely growing.
A customer of ours, Pamela, shares her story of feeding the herbs to her pets:
Sure! I believe healing comes from the Earth. Eating those sacred foods that are not so widely consumed is definitely being shared in my house hold. My twin white furry cats are also getting micro dosed. All 3 animals have been with me for over a decades. I am constantly trying to give them a balance in their diet with natural foods. After learning about the Lions Mane Benefits…I thought we all could enjoy the healing benefits.
Paw-sha is now excited to get Lions Mane in her wet food. When I get out the packet she starts making sounds & barking I love you…as she is trained to do when she gets treats. I give her a choice of meats. I spread a few out on the floor & she will get excited @ expressions enthusiasm on which she prefers. Each morning she has done the same with Lions Mane if I have it in my hand. She has not turned up her nose up yet.
Giselle & Revela are just as excited to eat Lions Mane mixed with liver & chicken. They jump up to their eating table & devour the entire meal in 10 minutes. This is the quickest that they have eaten food. Giselle was dipping her paws into her dish & trying to use it as a spoon. That was unusual…lol
Collectively, I think they have increased their water intake which is a good thing. I am filling up water dishes more frequently.”
Lion’s mane is a good one to get started with. The other medicinal mushrooms are likely a good pick too because they tend to be some of the safest herbal substances there are.
Recently, when we got Thor, the newest addition to our family, I dosed him with some cordyceps and local mushrooms tinctures to help fight a respiratory infection he arrived with.
Take into consideration they tend to be much smaller than humans, so doses should be lowered accordingly.
Unfortunately, very little is known about what herbs are good for pets (and which animals, because dogs are different than cats are different than birds…). So please experiment with feeding herbs to your pets responsibly.
But if you love your pets like you do a family member there’s no reason you can’t aim for them to have radiant health too.
If you do feed your pets herbs please share a bit about it in the comments below, so that we can share the herbal love.
References:
- SHELDRAKE, R. (2018). SCIENCE AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES: how hard science validates and improves prayer and other spiritual practices. S.l.: CORONET BOOKS.
- Pet Industry Spending at All-Time High: Up $6 Billion. American Pet Products Association. Retrieved December 29, 2017, from http://media.americanpetproducts.org/press.php?include=146407
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Lost Empire Herbs
We give our German Shepards 1/2 tsp. of He Shou Wu every other day.
Hi Logan,
Big cat lover here. Is Valhalla a tortie? Looks like it. One of my torties lived with CRF for 4.5 years. She was diagnosed at 9 years with failing kidney function and given her levels of markers, given roughly 1-2 years to live. She lived for 4.5, with pretty high quality of life (I finally had to have her put to sleep 2 years ago). I attributed the longevity to the combination of western medicine (modified protein food, sub q fluids), homeopathy (we worked with a homeopathic vet in Europe), as well as herbs. I will find the kinds of herbs we used – they were ordered by a very progressive vet (also in Europe). I am curious about kidney-supporting herbs, as I have another cat that has early stages of CRF (I prefer the term CKD – less negative way of looking at the condition).
Yes, Vahalla is a tortie.
Rehmannia, known as “kidney’s own food” could be an interesting place to look. Don’t know much about CRF/CKD, so would be curious to hear more of what you did.