The heir to centuries of wisdom and experimentation, phytotherapy studies plants and their active compounds to treat and prevent a wide range of conditions. With the return to natural therapies and the use of "gentle" remedies, studies and applications that extend the use of phytotherapeutic remedies to the most common health problems in dogs and cats are increasingly taking shape. As with human beings, the fields of application of herbal remedies in veterinary medicine are varied, and the positive results that can be obtained are equally numerous. But what is the difference in the way herbal remedies act in humans and in animals, and what are the main conditions that can be treated with phytotherapy?

Herbal remedies and dosages

In essence, the action of natural products in humans and in our four-legged friends is not different. Active compounds work in broadly the same way. What differs is the way the phytocomplex is absorbed between carnivorous and herbivorous animals, and in particular in polygastric herbivores (such as cattle and sheep). These animals are equipped with multiple stomachs, and the stages of food processing before final digestion are therefore numerous. This must be taken into account when establishing the doses of herbal remedies. Dosages are weight-based, and are therefore determined according to the animal's weight.

Phytotherapy in veterinary medicine

The idea of applying phytotherapy to a field such as veterinary medicine is less unusual than it might seem. Observing animals in nature closely, one notices that they are capable of sourcing and using medicinal plants on their own, both as therapy and as a preventive measure. This is the case, for example, with chimpanzees that seek out specific plants for their antiparasitic action, or certain birds that, for the same reason, build their nests with tobacco leaves.

Phytotherapy and animals

But where does the ability to heal and prevent illness by drawing on the natural world come from? This tendency would appear to be innate, is strongly characteristic of animals, and was probably once a feature of human beings too. Although scientific studies have been conducted to understand the roots of these behaviours, to date only hypotheses can be put forward. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that animals demonstrate a knowledge of plants and their properties, and an ability to distinguish between them.

"Phytotherapy applied to dogs and cats, to give one example, has evolved rapidly in recent years, precisely by virtue of the results — often unexpected — that phytotherapeutic remedies have achieved in the field of preventing and treating minor and major ailments in companion animals," explains Gianandrea Guidetti, pharmacist and researcher at Sanypet-Forza10. "Using phytotherapy in veterinary medicine, however, requires the utmost caution. Animals have a physiology and metabolism that differ from those of humans. This means that certain substances that are harmless to us can be toxic to the creatures that live with us."

An example? Plants from the Liliaceae family (the very common onion, leek or garlic) can be harmful to dogs and cats. The same applies to plants that contain xanthines, such as cacao (chocolate can in fact be a veritable poison for dogs if consumed in large quantities), Coffea (coffee) or Camellia s. (tea).

The vet's contribution is indispensable

"In the same way," Guidetti points out, "the interaction between extracts from different plants can produce very different effects depending on the dosages, or may even be inadvisable under any circumstances." A solid scientific grounding and the indispensable contribution of a veterinary doctor therefore become fundamental in this field.

"Phytotherapeutic remedies can be of great help to our four-legged friends. It is no coincidence that animals are very fond of herbal teas, and it is always worth offering them in a bottle or in the same bowl in place of water," says Laura Cutullo, veterinary doctor and expert in flower therapy, homoeopathy and phytotherapy. "Alternatively, the daily food can be diluted with a little therapeutic herbal tea, or it can be gently placed in the small patient's mouth with a plastic syringe. All in small quantities, but at several intervals throughout the day. Phytotherapeutic remedies, if well chosen, can be extremely useful in many conditions affecting small animals."

In her book Cure naturali e alimentazione per gli animali di casa (Riza Editore), Dr Cutullo cites many phytotherapeutic remedies that can prove extremely important in veterinary medicine: from activated vegetable charcoal, the ideal antidote against all types of poisoning, to the versatile chamomile — which can also be used in the highly convenient teabag form as a handy and easy-to-use remedy, always decidedly beneficial for the small patient in cases of vomiting and colic when substituted for drinking water. Once again, nature can offer appropriate remedies and treatments for the minor and major ailments of our best friends. With all gentleness.