Herbal Remedies And Animal Pregnancy

When it comes to pregnancy, we have to be mindful of what we are giving our animals. Whether it’s vitamins, herbs or medications, there are contraindications when it comes to pregnancy. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves if we decide to care for pregnant animals. We will be focusing on herbs in this article, and we know that there are certain herbs we need to avoid. This is not only for the safety of the mother but also her offspring.

Contraindications

Herbs that promote menstruation are avoided during pregnancy because it will alter her hormones. These herbs can help with stress levels that would cause an absent menstrual cycle and others that help with uterine contractions. These contraindications apply to nursing mothers as well. Some examples of these herbs include:

• Juniper
• Parsley
• Yucca
• Liquorice
• Catnip

Herbs with these therapeutic actions should also be avoided during animal pregnancy:

• Astringent Herbs – the high tannins cause uterine contractions, such as uva ursi/bearberry, slippery elm and oak.
• Laxative Herbs – these can also stimulate the uterus from their anthraquinone action, such as yellow dock and senna.
• Bitter Herbs – the alkaloids need to be avoided during an animal’s pregnancy, such as Oregon grape and goldenseal.

Herbs that decrease blood clumping or platelet aggregation must be avoided due to a hemorrhaging risk during labor/delivery. These include:

• Feverfew
• Red Clover
• Gingko Biloba

Health Promoting Herbs

A pregnant animal’s nutritional requirements increase so herbs like spirulina and nettles are safe dietary herbs. A nutritive uterine tonic of raspberry leaf is useful towards the end of the animal’s pregnancy. This helps the uterus prepare for labour in low doses. A 50 pound animal takes 1/3 teaspoon of the dried herb, 3 times a day.

Constipation during pregnancy needs to be addressed safely since we cannot use herbs we would normally prescribe. Bowel movements are very important and need to be managed. Mucilaginous herbs and plenty of water will help hard stools and increase motility. These herbs include:

• Marshmallow Root
• Flaxseed
• Psyllium Seed (pre-soaked)
• Chickweed

Emotional Support

Hormonal shifts during pregnancy can cause emotional upset like restlessness, agitation or behavioural issues that are triggered by the pregnancy, try an oat straw infusion to calm the nerves.

Postpartum And Nursing

After birth, safe nutritive herbs should be continued, especially oat straw. Mama is now feeding her young and needs the nutritional support.

If the nursing mother has trouble keeping her milk up with a hungry bunch, a galactagogue herb promotes mild production and flow. These herbs include:

• Oats
• Dill
• Fennel
• Yucca

An important note about low milk production – If mom is struggling to feed her babies, this could be an indication that there is a nutritional or hormonal imbalance. This will need to be addressed before depending only on galactagogue herbs, these are only to give the milk supply an extra boost. Make sure your nursing animal is fully balanced.

When we have a pregnant and/or nursing animal in our care, it is important to know what we can do and what we shouldn’t do when we are following a herbal regimen. These are so valuable dos and don’ts that your expecting mom and her babies will appreciate.

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Consult with a holistic veterinarian or holistic practitioner to lead you in the right direction. If you feel uncertain, holistic practitioners have the expertise and wisdom to direct you to top quality herbal products for your animal. Do not use any remedies if you are not certain which and how to use them, it is best to work with a practitioner. This blog is for educational purposes only.

If you are interested in a consultation from Maria for your animal, feel free to learn more here. 

Maria Hadjiapostoli