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Cyst Remedies for Pets

| Modified on Sep 01, 2024
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Cysts in pets are not an uncommon problem. They can be caused by a variety of factors. Fortunately, natural remedies for cysts work very well for pets, including dogs, cats, and even rats. Home remedies for pet cysts include turmeric, castor oil, spring water and dietary changes.

Home Remedies for Cysts in Pets

Turmeric

Turmeric is a simple and inexpensive solution for cysts in pets. Turmeric can be used internally or externally to cure cysts in pets. More information about turmeric for pet cysts can be found on this page.

Castor Oil

Castor oil, the kind you will find on pharmacy shelves, can be applied topically to the cysts of your dog or cat.  

Spring Water

Giving your pet spring water instead of tap water may be the solution to his cyst problem. Tap water often contains chlorine, fluoride, and traces of many other chemicals. It is best to use a stainless steel bowl for your pet's food and water. Plastics can retain bacteria and leach chemicals into the water.

Essential Oils

Lavender or frankincense essential oils can be used for cysts in dogs, if your dog is not overly sensitive and if the essential oils are properly diluted. Essential oils should not be used on cats, kittens or puppies, as essential oils are too strong for them. Many consider essential oils to be toxic to felines. Use 5 drops of essential oil for each teaspoon of carrier oil (castor oil or coconut oil) and massage into the cyst twice a day.

Dietary Changes

Dietary changes can help pets with cysts and a variety of other ails. Commercial dog food often has fillers, msg, wheat and other ingredients that are not part of an animal's diet in the wild. Domesticated animals do will with a more natural diet. Substituting with a grain free and high quality kibble may work. For serious cyst problems it may be necessary to make your pet's food yourself.

Have you used a natural remedy to heal cysts in your dog or cat? Please send us some feedback!

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Coconut Oil and Turmeric

Posted by Maggie (Idaho) on 08/17/2017 36 posts

My 20# dog has a fat deposit the size of an egg by his stomach. I've read some of the threads and people are giving turmeric and coconut oil as a cure for fat deposits. I try to keep my dog on a low fat diet which is what I've read to do when a dog has a fat deposit. I would like to try coconut oil but I'm afraid it may make the fat deposit bigger since he'd be eating so much fat. Has anyone tried coconut oil and had the fat deposit get bigger? Does anyone know why coconut oil works even though it's a fat?

Replied by J
(Usa)
11/26/2017

Coconut oil is absorbed differently. That is why it became a health fad for people. Humans found they lost weight when they added coconut oil to their diets.

Low fat diet is not the way to go. Dogs need healthy fats just like humans. They NEED omega fatty acids. Keeping a dog on a low fat diet will give the dog heart disease and skin issues like itching and flaking.

You should really do more research on holistic remedies for dogs before you give your dog a heart problem.

Cotton Thread and Clear Nail Polish

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Posted by Marilyn (Greenwich) on 10/18/2018
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My 13 year old dog had a large skin tag the size of a quarter growing on her elbow. Though ugly, I didn't want to put her under the stress of anesthesia just to cut off a benign skin growth. I researched and found two methods on youtube which I used simultaneously.

First, I tied a cotton thread, wound twice as tightly as possible and then knotted off around the very base of the skin tag. Then I coated the skin tag with clear nail polish. If you go to youtube, you'll find a kindly man who has treated many dogs with these two methods (separate videos). Urls are below.

At the 3 day mark, I tied another piece of thread to ensure as the skin tag had shriveled considerably in size and you need it tight to cut off the blood supply to the skin tag. I also coated it again with clear nail polish.

It took a week before the large skin tag had completely shriveled up and turned black. I then sterilized some good scissors under a flame and then snipped the dried tag off at the base being careful not to snip her skin. She had no pain when I snipped it off and there was no blood. Also, it doesn't appear that tying a string around the skin tag caused any pain or discomfort at all. She didn't lick the skin tag once the whole week.

It can also work on other growths besides skin tags like cysts and tumors.

The videos I watched first before attempting this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Wi5Gn6cB4 (the string method)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9uzmYJvehA (clear nail polish method)

DMSO

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Posted by Bill Dalton (Kerrville, TX) on 04/13/2020
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Editor's Choice

Sebaceous Cysts in Dogs:

About a year ago I noticed a large 1 1/2 boil on the back of my German Shepard. I tried lots of natural remedies with no success. Some time later I took her to the vet and he looked at it and then took a small lance and popped it open and out came this pimply white poop. He said it was basically a clogged oil gland, like a large pimple. He left a small hole and gave me some antibiotic ointment to inject into the hole to clear it up. I did that for a while, but it didn't work. It kept filling up, but the hole was still there. Again, I tried all my natural anti infection remedies and I have lots...nothing working worked. It kept filling up again. Then I had a flash. What's happening is the gland is clogged and coagulated. It needs something to dissolve the gook that's blocking it. DMSO I thought...it's a solvent and presto...

I squeezed out as much as I could and then I soaked a Q tip with DMSO and applied it for a few days and it completely dried it out.

Many months later, I noticed another one closer to the tail. I tried popping it, but it wouldn't budge for me. I thought maybe it's something else. Coco went for her regular vet visit and I asked him to look at it. Again he lanced and drained it. When we got home, I squeezed out what was left and again applied DMSO with a Q-Tip and then poured a little over it and again it completely dried it up.

Just to clarify, this is not the more flat fatty tumors, which are more jelly like to touch. These are like round boils, but I'm sold on the DMSO for this.

DMSO, Hydrogen Peroxide

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Posted by Deirdre (CT) on 03/30/2021
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Just wanted to report PHENOMENAL results using DMSO and 12% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide on a skin tag/growth/mole on my 15 year old dog's head.

Thanks to whoever wrote in about DMSO and Peroxide combo in EC's pets section. Inspired me to try this remedy combo.

Note: I tested this out on myself first (and am still using it) to make sure there were no side effects like burning and am happy to report there aren't any side effects with this concentration other than white skin on fingertips if I hold a supersaturated H202 cotton ball to an area fon my body for over 8 minutes. This disappears an hour or two later.

The Remedy:

I simply added a few drops of DMSO to a small dish containing 12% FGH2O2 and applied with a qtip to the mole on the top of my dog's head the first night. The mole started to flake apart within a few hours after application.

The second night, I held a cotton ball doused in the same mixture on the spot for a minute.

To my utter amazement, the growth simply fell apart and off his head right then and there!

Now, the vet had frozen this same mole off his head last October and it caused him considerable pain at the time. It also took 3 weeks to disappear, during which time it bled from time to time. Then it grew back a few months after that.

So imagine my hoorah when this ugly looking thing just fell off after such a short time. No blood, no pain. So amazing. I should have taken pics, but I didn't think it would work that fast.

I continue to use this combo on another skin tag near his bottom lip and also on my other 15 year old dog who has a few benign cysts on her face and neck. Can't tell if it's going to work. They seem to have shrunk a bit but hard to say. However, definitely not the dramatic instant cure like the skin tag/mole. So the success of this remedy really depends on the type of growth it is.

P.S. Would 3% peroxide be strong enough to achieve an almost instantaneous cure OR just the peroxide on its own (without the DMSO)? Not sure about that. Try it and let us know. I'm happy with the 12% after testing it extensively on my own skin for 5-10 minutes at a time.

Replied by Cindy
(Illinois, USA)
03/30/2021
524 posts

Brilliant! That's very interesting. I recall just barely touching a horrible weeping hot spot on my dog's neck with a cotton ball with some apple cider vinegar on it before he bolted - wasn't even on it for a second - and how it had dried up by the next day.

Iodine

Posted by judith (USA) on 04/03/2024

Can I use providone iodine with DMSO on dog cyst or Lugol's iodine 5%? He had surgery to drain a cyst in same place last July - it was over $2k! So I am VERY interested in healing this at home. I tried turmeric and coconut oil and didn't see any results. I only used it internally as he is on all the furniture and rugs... ;) Right now I've been using DMSO and colloidal silver but though it has a surface opening, it's not draining. Any suggestions are appreciated :) Blessings everyone!

Replied by Katzie
(Cancun, Mexico)
04/10/2024

Diamotaceous Earth (aka fossil flour), is literally dirt cheap. Sprinkle some over the area! Another poster in a D.E. thread here mentioned to not use a metal spoon when handling D.E. as that would negate the charge. I can attest it sure feels that way when I rub D.E. on an infection of mine, ie tiny electrical discharges). When I found Dog#2, both shoulder blades had massive infection with large pus pockets. He was in agony. I could see small slits on each blade so I knew the D.E. would have them draining in 15-20 minutes, and I was right. I was able to sprinkle some D.E. on him and it was so light it didnt cause him additional pain. 20 mins later I could smell the pus just leaking down from the wounds. The dog was out of agony for about the cost of about 25cents. I haven't found that post again yet to thank that guy, but D.E. has saved me and my rescues from many different infections, sores & bites, burns, and alot of pain! D.E. contains silica, which is something our skin has/needs, but not for too many days in a row, as it can be drying to the skin. I only use it in the initial healing phase. Our bodies do heal themselves very well, if infection is kept out of the way. After infection is no longer a concern, you want to moisturize the area to aid in cellular turnover, which speeds healing.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Marilyn (Buffalo, NY) on 01/27/2023

Our 8 year old pit bull has a pea size bump on her upper back hind leg. It is firm, not squishy. She has no other health conditions. We have been giving her a 1/2 tsp of both turmeric and coconut oil twice daily internally. We have also been doing a hot compress, then spraying with colloidal silver and then applying a 50/50 mixture of DMSO and distilled water 2x daily. Originally the bump was flesh colored, it is now red. It has not changed in size, however it has gotten a tiny bit softer. Could these changes be reflective of it working its way to the surface and trying to heal? Or is this an indication something is irritating it further? Any input would be appreciated, this is our first time using these products.

Replied by Cindy
(Illinois, US)
01/28/2023
524 posts

Often, with tumors, dogs do well with some salt. Two water bowls, one with some salt and one plain. You could actually do 3 water bowls and check iodine levels at the same time.

Replied by Wendy
(Dublin, OH)
01/28/2023

Hi Marilyn,

My Golden Retriever had a similarly-sized cyst which grew. You don't say how long you've been using the turmeric & coconut oil, but I added these to my dog's food each time I fed her (2x/day) for 2 weeks. Make sure you're using Organic UNrefined Virgin Coconut Oil since unrefined VCO is best to ingest.

Here's the EC link to my post about my dog's cyst: https://www.earthclinic.com/turmeric-and-coconut-oil-for-cysts-in-pets.html?toc=Turmeric+and+Coconut+Oil&ratingvalue=5&sortby=latest

Replied by Rob
(Kentucky)
01/29/2023

Frankincense oil is very effective in clearing the excess sebum and unblocking the blocked sebaceous glands. It also helps in reducing the problem of inflammation and itching very effectively. Therefore it is advisable to apply some frankincense oil over the affected areas to get relief. Frankincense essential oil has been very helpful to my family for cysts. It is gentle and can be used on broken skin. I think Now Brand sells one that is 25% Frankincense so it is already diluted and ready to use. Turmeric and Coconut oil is good for internal medicine.

Sialocele Remedies

Posted by Lucus (Hyderabad, Telangana) on 04/07/2021

I have two puppies that are suffering from Sialocele. They both are young, and I don't want to have surgery for them so so kindly give me information about natural treatment for them.

EC: Definition: A sialocele is a cyst filled with a collection of mucoid saliva in the tissues surrounding a salivary gland.

Replied by Mama
(TN)
04/08/2021

Dear Lucus,

I would try massaging the cysts with a bit of castor oil a couple of times a day.

Also, see Earth Clinic's page about using turmeric for all sorts of things in pets, including cysts.

~Mama to Many~

Turmeric and Burdock Root

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Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 10/16/2023
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Turmeric and Burdock Root for Mystery Lump on Dog's Neck

I have an 8 month old German Shepherd Puppy. Over a month ago we noticed that she had a large lump under her neck, off to the side. It actually looked like she had a tennis ball under the skin. It did not seem to cause her pain and wasn't affecting her activity. I took her to the vet. The vet drew out some blood from the area and concluded it was a hematoma. This seemed odd to me, but given how much she wrestles with our older German Shepherd, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. The vet gave her a course of antibiotics. I went ahead and used them because I was about to go out of town and felt I needed to cover my bases. The swelling began improving and within a week or two she looked normal.

Another week or two passed and suddenly the lump was back! Again, it looked like she swallowed a tennis ball. It felt doughy. I am not convinced it was a hematoma, and oddly the antibiotic seemed to work. At the same time, it fit the description of a lipoma, though that seemed odd for a puppy.

I started giving her turmeric and burdock root twice daily. Each is in pill form. I fold them into half a piece of cheese and she takes it easily.

Within a few days the swelling was subsiding. I think something may have drained; she had some evidence of fluid on her neck. (But, then again, she is a farm dog and it could have been anything! )

I still do not know what she had. Infection? Lipoma? Something else?

I do know that next time there is a mystery lump, my first remedy with be turmeric and burdock root! (She is about 50lbs. I gave her one of each pill twice a day.)

~Mama to Many~

Vinegar + Coconut Oil

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Posted by AllieBee (Maine) on 08/28/2022
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Our lab mix had a pea-sized sebaceous cyst on her head, right by her "egg" bump. Paid $88 at the vet for him to barely even LOOK at it and say "definitely needs surgery" - which would have cost at least $400. My neighbor who's a vet at a different practice an hour away, said "That's crazy! It's literally just a pimple! It does not need surgery! " My dog had already half-popped it by chasing squirrels in the bushes. So I popped it again, as much as I could get out of it, and then kept cleaning it with apple cider vinegar and then put coconut oil on it (just 3-4 times a day). I kept the ACV in an old dropper bottle from liquid stevia and coconut oil in an old makeup squeeze tube, just to make it easy because she doesn't love the smell of ACV and she LOVES to eat coconut oil!

But within a week, the hair had grown back completely healthy and there was NO remaining bump. Previously, even after popping, it looked almost like a bit of a wart was left. Within a day or two that had fallen off and it was just a hole that we kept clean as we kept applying both 3ish times a day! I wish I had taken this route in the first place as we already knew it was just a simple sebaceous cyst.

Keep this in mind if your dog gets one! It worked wonders for ours! (FYI: Apple cider vinegar with the "mother" works best of course, but others will be fine. BUT the coconut oil MUST be unrefined or else it will just make things worse because it's basically fryolator oil if it's 'refined'! )



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