Aloe Vera Juice for Dogs With Digestive Symptoms

Digestive problems in dogs range from chronic diarrhea and vomiting -- to simple bloating. If your dog exhibits any symptoms of digestive difficulty, you may be tempted to try using aloe vera juice to ease your pet's digestive discomfort. Using the product has no clinically proven benefits, but many pet owners and holistic veterinarians claim it works. Because of the mixed reviews on aloe vera, in both the scientific and medical community, approach the use of aloe vera on your dog with caution and medical advice.

  1. Suggested Administration

    • Use an eye dropper to administer the aloe vera juice.

      Holistic veterinarians at Well Vet recommend aloe vera juice for dogs, cats and birds, primarily to treat burns, wound care, to boost the immune system, constipation and for inflammatory bowel disorders. The drops can be given in water, food or just administered orally. Their suggested dosage is one to three drops of aloe vera juice per pound of dog. The dosage is to be administered twice a day and is intended to reduce bowel inflammation and cleanse the digestive tract.

    Cautions

    • The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) however, cautions that because aloe contains saponins, which can produce diarrhea, vomiting, the loss of appetite, depression or possibly tremors in many animals, aloe vera juice treatment is not recommended. Because there are no clinical studies available to prove the positive or negative effects of using aloe vera juice for a dog's digestive symptoms, it's important to consult your personal veterinarian before treating your pet with any aloe vera products.

    Juice Options

    • The aloe vera stalk contains the juice-heavy fibers you need.

      While there are a variety of dietary supplement companies that manufacture and market aloe vera juice to consumers, it's also possible to create your own juice for digestive treatments. Well Vet suggests that the succulent stalk-like leaves of the aloe vera plant can be squeezed to produce small amounts of juice from the tip or placed in a food processor to create a pulp for juice extraction. Well Vet also notes that organically grown aloe vera plants are the best candidates for juice extraction and treatment.

    Underlying Digestive Issues

    • Veterinarians at Vet Info discuss a variety of medical conditions that can cause digestive symptoms in dogs. In many cases, the underlying medical condition needs to be treated to eliminate the digestive symptoms. Treating conditions like a bowel obstruction or even a parasite with aloe vera juice does not address the medical condition causing the problem. Therefore, even if the aloe vera juice has no harmful side effects, it will be unable to cure the ailment.