I first had the pleasure of meeting Katie Scott Dyer at an event hosted by her in Bristol, where Sarah Fisher and I independently gave a talk. Katie is an incredible woman with such a dedicated passion to Animal Behaviour, it is thanks to Katie that the door has opened for me and my students and graduates to work at Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary Bristol, where she introduced me to Pauline, who runs the shelter. Pauline is also so incredibly dedicated to the welfare of animals, tirelessly working all hours, while open to anything that may be of benefit to an animals' well being.
In addition to many Animal Behaviourists beginning to regard zoopharmacognosy as a great compliment to their work, I also wanted to mention the benefits that I am experiencing with green clay for various itchy skin conditions.
On one particular day last month I went to help a dog with demodectic mange (non contagious) at the shelter. The puppy’s skin was hot and itchy, a gel was not appropriate so I dusted her coat with a preparation of powdered green clay, neem and a drop of garlic. Instantly she settled and stopped itching, and her skin became less angry. In most cases of itchy skin I work with an anti itch gel, in these cases it is usually related to allergies. The week before green clay was once again the hero. In this case the dog had a fungal infection, the skin was hot and damp, typical of conditions where fungal infections thrive. Since the skin needs to dry out to create a hostile environment for the fungus, I dusted powdered green clay into her coat, with a few drops of sandalwood and again the effects were immediate. She stopped itching and her skin began to heal in the days to follow.
