Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Possibly works |
| Disadvantages: |
Animal can't tell you it's feeling better, only by observation |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I find it a bit strange writing about homeopathy for animals when I neither practice it, nor do I have a pet of any sort. For the sake of comprehensiveness in relation to the complementary therapies series I started a little while ago, I decided on researching this area.
I won't delve too deep into the principles of homeopathy in general, please refer to my previous more detailed op (shameless plug!) for more info. In short, homeopathy is the principle of treating 'like with like', thus if one, for example is suffering from hayfever symptoms, they take a homeopathic remedy that causes the exact symptoms, and should hopefully be relieved of those symptoms.
ANIMALS & HOMEOPATHY
There's a good response to homeopathy from animals. Species ranging from dogs to hamsters, parrots to horses, those with feathers, scales, fur, etc benefit from such therapy. The wonderful catch (even I feel caught out for not believing) is that animals cannot experience the 'placebo' effect - they cannot believe that by being given a tablet, they'll feel better, so effects of the remedy(ies) is (are) real.
Homeopathy relies heavily on the patient, and their personal make-up and characteristics, so one needs to know their pet very well in order for the treatment to work. Do they have a particular fondness of certain foods?, are they scared of fireworks noise/thunder?, is that scratching more aggressive in the morning, evening, or at night? . Knowing your pet's habbits can be of great assistance in choosing the right remedy, and treating the ailment rapidly and effectively.
Homeopathy is safe, non-toxic, and non-addictive, as the active ingredient is present in very low concentrations. Watch out for lactose intolerance, as many remedies contain lactose as an ingredient.
Homeopathy is being increasingly recognised by vets in the United Kingdom, the addresses of practising vet surgeons can be obtained from the British Homeopathic Association (London), or the British Asscoiation of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons.
POTENCIES, REACTIONS AND OTHER THINGS
the potency related to the number of times the mother tincture has benn diluted. The most common potencies used are 6C and 30C, and the more dilute a preparation, the more potent it is. As a rule of thumb, 6C potency is more suitable for acute and long-standing ailments, whereas the 30C potency is for emergencies and many chronic conditions, provided the corfect remedy has been chosen.
Upon commencing a treatment, a slight increase in symptoms might be observed. That is a sign that the body is starting its own natural healing process. If the above happens, stop giving the remedy until symptoms experienced subside then restart medication. If symptoms continue to worsen after stopping the remedy, the condition might actually be worsening, so seek professional advice.
To select the correct remedy, one has the option of seeking professional advice, be it your vet, a specialised outlet or simply referring to a publication covering the subject. A good reference book I found useful in my research is 'Homeopathy for your pets' by Wigmore Publications Ltd. The selection process is easily layed out in alphabetical order of symptoms and suggested treatment(s).
I can imagine it is quite hard at times to try and get your pet to swallow mediaction, from the very little experience i had with animals. The ideal option is obviously placing the tablet in the mouth, 30 minutes before feeding. If not an option, then crushing the tablet is OK. tablets can be mixed with some other foodstuffs like butter, margarine, and fish. Milk and water can also be used.
DOSAGE
-Acute problems - one tablet every five minutes for up to one hour.
-severe, less acute symptoms - one tablet every fifteen minutes for three hours, then one hourly for the rest of the day.
-Chronic symptoms - one tbalet three times daily for one week, then one tablet twice daily for two wekks.
The 6C potency is usually recommended for animals.
In all cases, stop treatment if symptoms worsen.
All other issues apply including; intreractions, storage, side-effects, etc and are covered in earlier op, so as mentioned before, I will not repeat here.
Hope your pet feels better soon. LOL to all.
