Many dog owners believe prescription antibiotics are not the only way to eliminate dog infections.
Due to the misuse of Antibiotics, many bacteria become stronger, and the antibiotics become ineffective. That’s one of the main reasons many opt for natural antibiotics for dogs skin to eliminate infections.
In this piece, you’ll learn more about the natural antibiotics for dogs skin, some of the best natural antibiotics, and dog antibiotics’ side effects.
What are Natural Antibiotics for dogs skin?
Natural antibiotics for dogs skin are medicine used to destroy unwanted bacteria from the dog’s skin, but these are medicines that are not made out of synthetic materials; instead, they are made from herbs and have been proven to be reliable and effective for years now, that’s why many opt for them.
These natural antibiotics for dog skin are often recommended for infections that aren’t too serious. Before you opt for natural antibiotics for your dogs skin, you should seek advice from your vet because they will recommend the best antibiotics for your dog.
Best Natural Antibiotics for dogs skin
Do you know the best antibiotics for dogs skin? I guess not. Natural antibiotics are wonderful alternatives to prescription antibiotics. Below are some of the best natural antibiotics for dogs skin.
- Hypercal
First on the list is hypercal. Hypercal is a natural antibiotic that is a mixture of calendula and hyperium. This mixture is very effective because calendula has excellent antiseptic and antifungal properties.
While hyperium helps in healing and can serve as a painkiller, you can get hypercal as a prepared cream. When applying it, ensure you apply it on areas without much hair. You can also make your spray by mixing two tinctures in a spray bottle with a spray bottle.
Ensure you dilute the tincture and spray the mixture underneath the coat so it will directly contact the skin. This mixture would work on burns, open wounds, cracked pads, and abrasions.
- Plantain
Research has shown that plantain is both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. This is another wonderful natural antibiotics for dogs skin. It contains allantoin, an anti-inflammatory phytochemical that kills germs and makes a wound heal faster. It stimulates the growth of new skin cells.
You can get this common weed anywhere, and it can be used to treat injured dogs. It can be administered by chewing the leaves, and after chewing, you apply it to the dog wound.
- Manuka Honey
Manuka Honey is a natural antibiotics for dogs skin that hails from New Zealand and Australia and can be found in the nectar of the Manuka tree, also called the tea tree.
Research has shown that the Manuka Honey has antiseptic properties. This honey can prevent the growth of a nasty superbug called MRSA. Honey is known to have antiseptic hydrogen peroxide that is very unstable and can be destroyed by an enzyme found in the human skin called catalase.
After the hydrogen peroxide has been taken out of the Manuka Honey, what will remain will be more powerful and stable phytochemical factors.
Its antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral properties make the manuka honey an effective remedy for kennel cough, ringworm, and many other skin conditions for dogs.
- Oregano oil
Oregano oil is one of the best antibiotics for dogs skin. This oil is an excellent source of thymol carvacrol and successfully treats bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections.
Oregano oil promotes optimal oral health among dogs, and why it’s one of the best antibiotics for dogs skin because it can effectively get rid of harmful bacteria from your dog’s body.
If you want to apply the oil on your dog’s body, you can drop a couple of oil in your dog’s water bowl and then apply it on an affected area of your dog’s body.
- Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is often known for its extremely antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It’s a fantastic natural antibiotic that heals dog ear infections, sounds, gut inflammation, and wound and skin infection.
An effective way to use Apple cider vinegar is to pour a couple of drops into the bowl, and if you notice your dog doesn’t like the taste, you can mix it with yogurt. After mixing it, your dog won’t be able to taste the antibiotics.
- Coconut oil
Coconut oil is a natural antibiotic with lots of antifungal and antibiotic properties. These natural antibiotics for dogs skin can be used to treat different skin conditions, wounds, infections, and digestive problems. They are many ways to use these natural antibiotics on your dog. You can mix small amounts in your dog’s food.
Coconut oil has been shown to heal skin conditions such as rashes, dry skin, hot spots, and many more.
- Olive leaf extract
Research has proven that olive leaf extract is an excellent antibiotic for dog skin because of its antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties.
Because of its many antibiotic properties can be used to treat certain skin conditions, bacterial infections, flu, inflammation, and many more.
You can apply it by mixing it in your dog’s food or massaging the affected area with olive leaf extract.
- Turmeric
Turmeric has excellent properties such as antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant. This excellent natural antibiotic can benefit your dog in many ways.
It can improve your dog’s immune system, and its antibiotics nature plays a significant role in getting rid of infections, healing wounds, treating liver disease, and supporting the gastrointestinal system.
It can be mixed in the dog’s food, and you can also get it as a supplement making it easier to give your dog this antibiotic. Mix turmeric with aloe vera and rub it on the affected area for skin conditions.
- Garlic
Garlic is another wonderful natural antibiotic for dogs’ skin. It’s usually recommended for bacterial infections, parasites, Lyme disease, and yeast infections.
When you want to use garlic to treat these conditions, one of the most important things to consider is to remember that you shouldn’t give your dog much garlic. It depends on your dog’s weight. You should give it at least 1/6 teaspoon as much as one teaspoon of garlic.
- Calendula
Calendula is a beautiful flower known as a pot marigold. Apart from being beautiful, it also has incredible healing benefits for dogs.
This beautiful flower has excellent antimicrobial, antifungal properties, and anti-inflammatory. Natural antibiotics like calendulas can help improve your dog’s severe discomfort, wounds, and skin infections.
Dog Antibiotics Side Effect
Antibiotics are medicines used for the treatment of bacterial infections in dogs, and it’s one of the most frequent medications prescribed for dogs. Infections can occur in any body part, including the urinary tract, mouth, eyes, skin, ears, lungs, and other organs.
If your vet prescribed antibiotics for your dog, you could ask about the side effects and whether or not they are ways to prevent them.
Also read: Healthy Low Calorie Foods for dogs
Antibiotics don’t have the same side effects, but some share similar ones. However, most antibiotics are generally safe and rarely seriously affect dogs. These antibiotics can, most of the time, cause some common side effects. Here’s a list of those common effects;
- Vomiting
Most times, it’s challenging to know if your dog is vomiting because of their sickness or because of the side effect from the dog that’s making them vomit.
They are some types of dog antibiotics that commonly cause vomiting in dogs. Antibiotics such as Clavamox and Doxycycline, etc., if your dog is vomiting, it’s best to contact your vet.
- Allergic Reaction
Allergic reaction is a severe side effect of antibiotics for dogs. Common allergic reactions to Antibiotics are swelling: rash, hives, difficulty breathing, fever, vomiting, and seizures.
If you observe this allergic reaction, you must stop administering antibiotics and call your veterinarian immediately.
- Developing resistance to antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance occurs not only in humans but also occurs in pets. Bacteria that cause disease will be able to find a way to resist the medications that vets prescribe.
Bacteria resistance can develop as a result of antibiotics being overused. Improper duration and dosage of antibiotics could also lead to antibiotic resistance.
- Yeast infection
Yeast infection is another common effect of Antibiotics. Dog antibiotics kill off the good bacteria in the digestive tract, often resulting in an overgrowth of the less friendly bacteria that naturally live in the gut.
A yeast infection in dogs may appear in the following ways: rash, itchiness, eczema, lesions, diarrhea, and food allergies.
- Microbiome imbalance
Antibiotics for dogs can kill both good and bad bacteria. When both the good and bad bacteria are killed, it will lead to an internal imbalance of gut bacteria which might show as diarrhea.
The side effects may not appear until some time, so watching your dog is important. Your veterinarian Might recommend Probiotics to restore the balance of good bacteria and keep your dog fighting fit.
- Loss of appetite
It’s unusual for dogs that take antibiotics to lose their appetite. If you observe this, consider feeding your dog a “bland” diet of soft, easily digestible foods.
Bland diets typically consist of one carbohydrate source and one lean protein, which helps to rest the gastric system and assist in normal stool production.
Conclusion
It is a well-established fact that nothing comes close to nature when it comes to healing the body system. Drugs in themselves are measured quantities of natural ingredients put together to get rid of certain pathological conditions. With little to no side effects, natural remedies still stand out in all relevant situations.
Antibiotics are especially tricky as their method of action is quite specific. Overuse of antibiotics could lead to resistance from the bacteria it was created to combat, while its underuse would lead to the body creating its immunity against the antibiotic, which renders it useless in both cases. Looking outside the need for strict adherence to the regimen, there are also various side effects to consider.
As a pet owner, the main aim is to ensure ease for your dog. These natural remedies don’t only work for a single purpose when viewed in contrast to antibiotics. They also add integrity to the skin on which they’re applied, adding not just cure but nurture and nutrients to the skin.
As a little takeaway, you need to know exactly what works for your dog. Some dogs are not overly comfortable with remedies being left on their skins, and others might even try to rub them off, rendering the whole treatment ineffective. In such cases, the use of an antibiotic would suffice. But considering the many side effects, a natural remedy can do the job correctly.