My little mutt, Petunia, likes to curl up around my feet. About two months ago, she was sleeping like this when I noticed that her heartbeat wasn’t going in a predictable rhythm. There was a random spasm in the mix. I took her to the vet, a conventional dog doctor, and he confirmed that she does have a mild arrhythmia. I asked the dog doctor if it would be okay to make Petunia some hawthorn medicine and give it to her myself, and he said “Yes, dogs can take all those herbal medicines people can take.”
Hawthorn, Crataegus spp., is a traditional heart medicine for people. The spring twigs and autumn berries can be made into an alcohol or glycerin tincture that, if taken regularly over time, will strengthen the heart, steady the heartbeat and lower blood pressure.