Safe Medicine for Pets

A Little Background
 

Homeopathic remedies are safe and free of side effects; they’re prepared using minute doses of natural substances that have been so diluted in water that even sophisticated equipment can no longer detect the original ingredient. Advocates point to centuries of successful use to show how a remedy imparts its own distinctive healing property. Some refer to this, poetically, as “the memory of water.” Others are just glad to see positive results.
 

Unlike allopathic medicine, homeopathy considers an individual’s set of symptoms holistically—taking into account the mental, emotional, and physical. Individual remedies are selected based on their similarity to a pattern of symptoms. (For example, homeopathic bee venom addresses skin redness and swelling.)

Practical Tips for Pets
 

Dosage is guided by size and weight but does not need to be exact; homeopathic dilution ensures that even small animals can safely take these remedies. According to Marge Roberts, RN, MSHP, DAHom, president and CEO of the American Academy of Clinical Homeopathy, the ideal way to offer this medicine to an animal is the same as for people: Drop it directly into an empty mouth to disperse. Then again, says Roberts, “There’s the ideal and then there’s the practical.” For chronic conditions or animals who simply won’t accept the remedy otherwise, adding it to food or water is also acceptable. Delivery often depends on the animal’s tolerance and one’s relationship to the animal.
 

Homeopathic medicines are available singly and in combination products designed for specific conditions. While products intended for humans can be appropriate for use in animals, some companies offer pet-specific formulas. Follow label instructions, and consult a homeopathically trained vet for more information. For help finding a practitioner, visit the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy website at www.theavh.org.

Specific Remedies
 

Consider the following homeopathic medicines for animals’ common concerns—especially during the summer months.
 

• Apis mellifica: hotspots, itching, and swelling
• Bryonia alba: multiple uses include detoxification, and joint discomfort
• Gelsemium: fear, including fear of thunderstorms
• Ledum palustre: bites and stings including flea bites and rash
• Rhus tox: arthritic conditions, sprains and strains
• Sulphur: mange and other skin parasites

More Homeopathic Solutions
 

In its diluted form, a homeopathic ingredient is believed to stimulate and speed the body’s natural healing response. Once you’ve chosen the medicine that best matches an animal’s set of symptoms, what are the next steps?

First deliver the remedy directly in the mouth or via food or water based on the recipient’s tolerance, and then carefully observe your pet. Specifically, consider energy level and mood, changes in symptoms, and the circumstances in which particular symptoms occur, as well as the animal’s appetite, waste elimination, and other behaviors. This will help you (and a qualified practitioner) evaluate the homeopathic remedy’s effectiveness.

Here are three additional solutions to consider for common behavioral and health concerns:
 

• Aconitum napellus: anxiety, overheating
• Belladonna: hotspots that appear quickly and are accompanied by restlessness
• Ignatia: fright, separation anxiety.