Manuka Honey is from New Zealand and has the highest rate of antibacterial properties and pollen purity of any honey. Raw honey is also rich in vitamins, minerals, natural enzymes, antioxidants and is excellent for allergies and overall health. I read that its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity is great for soothing throats.
It all sounded a little hookey but I decided to give it a try. After giving them a spoonful on every meal for a couple weeks, their coughs had cleared up!
I realized the coughing must be from all the dust they inhale. I'm not sure why it hasn't bothered them in the past but it is the most logical cause.
We go hiking almost every day and they kick up a lot of dirt through running and playing. On top of that, the Bay Area is a dry climate and we've had very little rainfall all year.
And after about a month of giving them the honey, I tried stopping it and their coughs came back a bit. Proof that the honey is really doing the trick!
As an added bonus, the dogs love the taste...who wouldn't?
Their meals are starting to look like a kibble sundae with the honey poured over a spoonful of coconut oil.
I wondered if the Manuka Honey is really necessary over regular honey but I guess I don't care to try. Only the best for my spoiled pups:) This stuff is pricey but the bigger jar lasts a few weeks.
Have you ever found any awesome home remedies that really work?
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Boomer and Dottie hack and gag every now and then and it's always allergies. I hadn't thought of adding honey to their diet to see if that would help, thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteThe boys don't really cough or hack, but I'm always on the look out for a natural anti-inflamatory for Ray. We do give the coconut oil as well and boy oh boy can you tell when we're out. That stuff is magical.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great solution--isn't that great to find something simple that works? Most of my home remedies are skin treatments--I've had good luck with tea tree oil (diluted) for fleas and allergies and Chlorhexidine Gluconate for skin inflammations. I've also heard great things about coconut oil but have not tried it much!
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of their outdoor offleash time! ;0 I could not get away with that here, the leash laws are extremely strict and you never know if a mountain biker, or anyone else for that matter is going to come around the corner. Are your trails just not populated? I love it! the pups are so lucky! I just adopted my first pittie and she is crazy high energy, which I expected. I run her every morning and then walk or hike in the evening, but I feel she needs that "running free/chasing bunnies" outlet. :( I really love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We are lucky enough to live just a couple minutes from the Oakland hills which have about 2000 acres of off leash trails! Of course we stick to our few favorites. The trail nearest my house is my very favorite and not well know. Only locals go so we often get the place to ourselves! Other areas are busier on the weekends/evenings. We do run into dogs, kids, deer, mountain bikers, horses, etc.
DeleteThere are areas with leash laws but we avoid them like the plague:) I did, however, work tirelessly in their puppy days to train them for such freedom. I still do mix in some obedience on our hikes.
Your dog is beautiful! Great job on exercising her, she'll keep you fit too!