Wound healing, skin soothing, antibacterial agent, antioxidant, stimulating the immune system, anticancer and antitumour agent, skin cooling

Freshly pressed juice or aloe gel preparations are most common.

The main use of aloe is as a topical skin dressing, because it contains many nutrients to help promote healing of minor burns and wounds. Application of aloe can provide relief for fleabites, poison ivy rashes, sunburns and itchiness and tightening of surgical incisions.

Aloe may also help heal minor injuries and irritation of the digestive tract, when given internally.

Aloe contains acemannan, which has been shown to be effective against fibrosarcoma, feline leukaemia virus and cancerous tumours in dogs and rodents when injected intravenously. These formulations are available for use by veterinarians.

For external application, apply enough juice to cover the area and allow to dry. Prevent the animal from licking off the juice as much as possible. Apply liberally 1-2 times per day.

• Must be used with caution if used internally, because it can cause severe diarrhea and digestive distress.
• May be passed in the mother’s milk to nursing infants, so should not be used for lactating animals.

Wulff-Tilford, Mary, and Gregory L. Tilford. All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets. Irvine, CA: BowTie, 1999. Print.

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