We love our dogs and treat them as family members, we take great care of them, they might even sleep in our beds, but let’s face it, dogs basically live a pretty dirty life. Their hobbies include roaming outside, digging in the dirt, eating things that are not food, chasing other animals. At some point your dog is very likely going to develop an infection of some kind.
When this happens, you are likely to run to your vet and he or she is going to prescribe oral antibiotics (which are immune system suppressors by nature and can lead to antibiotic resistance)…..but what if you could use a natural antibiotic for your dog instead. One very popular option for just this is colloidal silver for dogs.
Table of Contents
- What is Colloidal Silver?
- What Is Colloidal Silver Used for in Dogs?
- How to Use Colloidal Silver for Dogs
- Dosing Guidelines
- Choosing the Right Colloidal Silver Product
- Navigating the Use of Colloidal Silver for Dogs
- Disclaimer
What is Colloidal Silver?
Colloidal silver is a liquid antibiotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal that has been claimed to treat and prevent an array of conditions in both animals and humans. Colloidal silver has submicroscopic silver particles that are suspended in a liquid base. Particles of silver ions created with a micro-particle colloidal silver generator are small enough to penetrate on a molecular level and destroy all types of pathogens, such as bacteria, fungal spores, viruses, and parasites. The idea is that colloidal silver hinders a pathogen’s ability to breathe, and kills it within a few minutes.
What Is Colloidal Silver Used for in Dogs?
Colloidal silver is used for a variety of health concerns in dogs, leveraging its purported natural antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Here are some common uses:
- Fighting Infections: As a broad-spectrum pathogen warrior, colloidal silver is effective against viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, making it a must-have in your pet care arsenal.
- Ears: For dogs suffering from chronic ear or recurring infections, colloidal silver can provide relief, being safe for direct application in the ears to combat bacteria and yeast.
- Eyes: Colloidal silver can be used to treat eye problems, such as allergies, inflammation and infection, and even tear stains. It is painless so colloidal silver drops can be applied directly to your dog’s eyes.
- Skin: Colloidal silver can be used topically for burns, wounds, and infections such as ringworm. It has a soothing effect that repairs tissues.
- Lungs: When colloidal silver is turned into a mist by using a nebulizer, it can be used to treat certain respiratory problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma.
How to Use Colloidal Silver for Dogs
Colloidal silver can be applied in various ways, including topically, orally, or through nebulization, depending on the condition being treated. It’s crucial to follow dosing guidelines based on your dog’s size to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Topically
To administer colloidal silver topically, to treat insect bites and other skin conditions, you can use colloidal silver in a spray bottle to clean the infected area. For skin conditions, you can either spray the colloidal silver on or you could use it as a compress. It doesn’t sting or burn, so you don’t have to worry about causing discomfort to your pet.
Orally
To administer orally, simply drop the colloidal silver into your pet’s mouth multiple times per day for ten days. It tastes like regular drinking water, so it should be easy to dispense. A general guideline for oral dosing is five to 10 drops, two to three times per day. Many conditions are helped by both oral and direct application, an example of this is for ears – use as ear drops AND also use orally.
Nebulizer
Nebulizing colloidal silver can be used when you wish to treat the lungs. Nebulizing should be done for fifteen minutes.
Dosing Guidelines
Dosage varies with the size of the dog, from a tiny fraction of a teaspoon for smaller breeds to a teaspoonful or more for larger breeds.
For example:
2 to 10 pounds – 1/16 teaspoon to 25 pounds – 1/8 teaspoon to 40 pounds – 1/4 teaspoon to 55 pounds – 1/2 teaspoon to 80 pounds – 3/4 teaspoon to 100 pounds – 1 teaspoonful to 150 pounds – 1 1/4 teaspoonful to 200 pounds and over – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Note: colloidal silver, like human-made antibiotics, will reduce the amount of natural beneficial flora in the gut so it’s important to follow up with both pre and probiotics to help build up the good bacteria levels in your dog.
Choosing the Right Colloidal Silver Product
When shopping for colloidal silver, consider the “4 P’s”: Positive Charge, Purity, Particle Size, and PPM (Parts Per Million). These factors determine the effectiveness and safety of the colloidal silver product, ensuring you choose the best option for your pet.
Positive Charge
Positive Charge According to the scientific (peer-reviewed) literature, positively charged silver ions are the bio-active form of silver and are bioavailable. Therefore, make sure to look for a high ratio of positively charged silver – as close as possible to 100% in the silver supplement you buy.
Purity
Purity refers to how clean and pure the silver that is used to make the product is. Is it contaminated with other toxic heavy metals, or is silver the only detectable metal in it? Silver is not naturally 100% pure, but it can be refined up to 99.999% pure, so look for a product that uses 99.999% pure silver. You also want to be sure that pharmaceutical-grade purified water, meeting USP standards, is used in the manufacturing process. To guarantee purity, look for silver manufactured in a GMP Certified facility and bottled in dark amber glass.
Particle Size
The smaller the metal particle, the easier it is for it to be converted from an inactive reservoir of silver metal into positively charged bio-active silver during silver’s normal half-life in the body.* Additionally, the smaller the size of each individual particle of silver that is suspended in the liquid, the more surface area it has and the better it can be absorbed* which are both factors in being more effective.*
PPM (Parts Per Million)
Less is more with silver PPM. Technically, one PPM equates to 1 milligram per 1 liter of liquid. The label of all silver dietary supplements tells you the TOTAL silver concentration. Yet the BIO-ACTIVE silver concentration is the part that helps you (yes, the positively charged and smallest particles!).
When a silver product contains the most active species of silver, coupled with the smallest particle size and greatest amount of positively charged silver, then a safe low concentration of 10 PPM bio-active silver is all that you will ever need. Higher concentrations of total silver can lead to increasing risks for toxicity; therefore, you would want to look for a formula with the maximum bioactivity and thus lower concentration.
Be sure the manufacturer clearly identifies each of the “4 P’s” on the label before you chose a colloidal silver supplement and make a purchase!
Navigating the Use of Colloidal Silver for Dogs
While colloidal silver offers a natural alternative to traditional antibiotics, it’s important to consult with your veterinarian before starting any new treatment. Some vets fully endorse the use of colloidal silver, while others may prefer conventional antibiotics. Ultimately, colloidal silver is a powerful tool in fighting infections and keeping your dog healthy naturally.
Disclaimer
Colloidal silver for dogs is not actually an antibiotic, such as penicillin. For this reason, some vets totally support the use of colloidal silver, whereas some prefer to stick with human-made antibiotics. That being said, colloidal silver for dogs is a bacteria-killing machine! It can fight so many different infections without the use of a human-made chemical antibiotic.
