GIving Homeopathic Medications To Dogs & Cats

Homeopathics aren't being prescribed for dogs and cats
As useful as they are, homeopathics are under-prescribed for dogs and cats. I think there are 3 main reasons for this:

• Veterinarians aren’t knowledgeable
• Homeopathic meds are difficult to administer to dogs and cats
• If homeopathic meds are not given correctly they don’t work, and when they don’t work, they get a reputation as being useless.

Finding an educated veterinarian
Veterinarians learn about homeopathics by reading, taking formal courses, or working with trained homeopaths, but none of these methods educates a veterinarian as much as prescribing them does. A good veterinarian will be prescribing homeopathic meds as often as they are prescribing herbs and conventional medications.

Difficulty in administering homeopathics

Homeopathic meds work best when absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth rather than when they are swallowed and absorbed in the stomach. It’s easy to crush pellets or tablets between two spoons, sliding the powder from the spoon between the lip and gum.

Homeopathic meds must be given by themselves, which is unlike herbs and conventional meds that can be given with food and can be given with other herbs and meds. It is ideal to give homeopathics half an hour before meals or an hour after meals when the mouth is empty.

Homoeopathic medications are like the smell of a rose, profound, but subtle.

It helps to understand why homeopathics are given in an empty mouth if you think of their healing ability to be profound yet subtle, rather like the scent of a rose. In a busy kitchen full of smells, the scent of a rose won’t be perceived; it’s just too subtle. In a locker room, the smell of a rose would be lost. In a slaughter house, even the word rose seems lost, and the concept of the smell of a rose, ridiculous. In a pet’s mouth, when it is full of food, the profound yet subtle effects of homeopathic meds don’t stand a chance.

For homeopathic meds to be effective, they need to be given in isolation. Thus, homeopathics are usually given half an hour before meals or at least an hour after, but these are just guidelines. What’s really important is what does the mouth smell like?. Here’s a human example: if we brush our teeth with a strong toothpaste or gargle with a strong mouthwash the smell will last much longer than if we drank some green tea. Thus, we’d wait longer after brushing our teeth to take a homeopathic than we’d need to wait after drinking green tea.

For dogs and cats, if we feed sardines, it will take longer for their mouths to be clear of the fish essence than if they have consumed only light broth.

Medicating sick dogs and cats

Many ill pets are fed only a light broth, and this makes giving homeopathic meds easy because we don’t have to wait long after meals to medicate them. As pets recover and receive regular diets, we have to wait longer after meals before we can give homeopathic meds. Thus, in terms of how much time we have to spend medicating dogs and cats, it’s often easier to use homeopathics for really sick pets than it is to use them in normal pets.

Frequency of administration

With an acute problem, give homeopathic meds frequently and in low doses. For example, if a pet is hit by car, give Traumeel every 10 or 15 min for the first hour, then increase the interval between doses. Thus, the acutely ill pet might receive a homeopathic medication ten times the first day, 6 times the second day, twice the third day as the condition becomes less acute. In contrast, pets with chronic illness are given homeopathics less frequently but in higher dose. For example, a cat with cancer might be given Thuja 1M once a week for one month, then once a month. A dog with chronic aggression and skin disease might be given sulphur 1M once a month.

Liquid homeopathics contain alcohol

I don’t recommend liquid homeopathic meds for pets—they are preserved with alcohol. Pets dislike alcohol. Occasionally you’ll find a horse or a rare dog that drinks beer, but no cats and most dogs don’t like alcohol.

Also, I can’t understand the wisdom of surrounding a homeopathic med with alcohol. This is a medication whose benefit is, afterall, as subtle as the smell of a rose.

Injectable homeopathics

Injectable homeopathic meds come in 1-2 ml vials. Injectables are balanced with saline so they don’t sting when injected. In addition to being able to be injected, homeopathics in vials can be given orally. To give them orally, pop the glass vial open, pulled up the contents with a needle and syringe, remove the needle and put drops directly from the syringe into the pet’s mouth, ideally into the space between the lip and gum. Injectable, saline-balanced homeopathic meds are well tolerated orally, even by cats.

If the vial contained 1 ml of medication, it may last 2-3 days when given every few hours, a drop at a time.

Injectable homeopathic meds can be given SQ and can be mixed with SQ fluids. They can be injected into acupuncture points. For example, Neuralgarheum can be injected at SI 3 to treat pinched cervical nerves that lead to front leg lameness and neck pain.

My two favourite homeopathic meds are combination medications, Traumeel and Zeel

Traumeel and Zeel are lifesavers for dogs & cats. Traumeel is used when a pet has a trauma—fall down stairs, surgery, broken tooth, etc. Zeel is used when a dog or cat has arthritis. Traumeel and Zeel are combination homeopathics. Combination products tend to be more like traditional Chinese herbal formulas in that they include many herbs balanced to solve problems and prevent side effects.

Traumeel contains Aconitum napellus, Arnica Montana, Belladonna, Bellis perennis, Calendula officinalis, Chamomile,

Echinacea purpurea, Hamamelis virginiana, Hepar sulfuris, Hypericum perforatum, Mercuris solubilis, Millefolium, and Symphytum officinale. This combination of homeopathic ingredients helps with many aspects of trauma including pain, bleeding, bruising, inflammation, and anxiety.

Zeel contains Arnica Montana, Rhus tox, Sanguinaria canadensis, Dulcamara, and Sulfur.

 

Unfortunately, many classically trained homeopaths are only familiar with single remedies and don’t prescribe combination remedies. What a pity.

 

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