Cats - Constipation

Try these but take to the vet if it last 3 days:
Petromalt or Laxatone (petroleum jelly preparations - lube the inside of the cat) • psyllium husks (the active ingredient in metamucil - use VERY sparingly or will cause worse constipation) • Lots of Water • Salmon oil (double the usual supplement amount, get ready for diarrhea but it works).

Cats - Diarrhea

A Collection of Things to Try:
fast cat for 24 hrs • gatorade in their water bowl • reduce cat stress • small amount of plain yogurt • small amount of pumpkin • no dyes in cat food • grain free cat food • cooked burger and boiled rice diet • lamb and rice diet.

Dogs& Cats - Arthritis / Hip Dysplasia

Glucosamine:
Glucosamine supplements provide relief to a lot of dogs and cats with joint pain. If works by causing their bodies to secrete more joint fluid, which lubricates the injured joint. It does not work as a preventative (it has no real benefit for younger dogs & cats that don't need it). You can give your dog or cat glucosamine treats but be aware that many of the treats don't have much glucosamine in them. Here are some amount per day recommendations from ENP:

Under 10 Lbs: 250mg/day
10-24 Lbs: 500mg/day
25-49 Lbs: 750mg/day
50-100 Lbs 1000mg/day
Over 100 Lbs: 1500mg/day

After about 6weeks to build up in the system, you can usually cut the dose in half.

Dogs - Itching

Nutrition:
Much obsessive itching in dogs is from food allergies. People foods or dog foods containing an allergen can start a dog itching in less than 5 minutes and take 2-3 weeks to go away. Many dogs are allergic to wheat, corn, or soy - remove these from the diet and itching may clear within 3 weeks. Switch to grain free dog food, itching may clear in 3 weeks. As a last result try an emimination diet of rice and olive oil. Look it up on the internet, it is an OLD diet for allergies. Your dog can eat this diet for a long time as is. Keep the dog on it until the itching goes away, then add one element of the old diet per week until the itching returns. Then remove that food.

Flea Allergies:
Another common cause is flea bite allergy. Like food allergy, a flea bite can start a reaction in minutes that lasts for weeks. Even if you don't see any fleas, try a topical like adventage and see if the itching stops over the course of a couple of weeks.

Omega 3's:
Like in people, lack of omega 3's in the diet can cause dry patches of skin that itch. Add salmon oil, canned sardines in oil, or even part of a fish oil capsule that people use. Add to the diet once per week and look for results over 3 weeks.

Easy Relief Without Cortisone Shots:
Google antihistamine shampoo. Most dog allergies are expressed on the skin. You cant always fix them (like atopic allergies to grass and stuff in your local dirt). Cortisone shots are expensive and antihistamine pills knock them out. Antihistamine shampoo can be bought online without a prescription and relieves itching for several days at a time without drowsiness. Also, Oxymed itch relief spray works well and can be used as often as needed without messing up their fur.

Dogs - Storm Freak Outs

try:
Gels or pills containing tryptophan (puts them to sleep and gels are easier to give), anything containing valerian root (acts like valium) or Bach Rescue Remedy.