Therapy #5: Homeopathy
Curing like with like is the basis of homeopathy, which was developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in the early 1800s. Hahnemann believed that a disease could be cured by giving a patient a dose of medicine that produced similar symptoms in a healthy subject. For example, a dog who is experiencing nausea might be given a dilute dose (one part to one thousand) of ipecac, which induces vomiting if given to a healthy animal.
Homeopathic remedies are usually available in sugar tablets. If your pet won't eat tablets, you can dissolve them in 1 teaspoon of distilled water. Shake up the solution and use an eydropper to give orally. You can also crush the tablets onto a piece of paper and pour the powder into the animals cheek.
When determining a homeopathic approach to treating hip dysplasia, there is no one cookie-cutter recipe for all dogs. In order to choose the right homeopathic remedy, the mental, emotional, and physical signs (symptoms of the disease) and the owners fears must be considered. It is a highly individualistic modality; homeopathic remedies primarily are prescribed one at a time and are highly specific to each pet. Some common homeopathic remedies a pet owner might be asked to give his or her pet include calcium carbonate, calcium phosphorus, Rhus toxicodendron (poison ivy), traumeel, zeel, and colocynth.
In addition, homeopathic treatments may change as the animal changes. In cases in which a disease has many layers, the remedy may change as each new layer of the disease is exposed.
Though homeopathic remedies are so dilute as to be considered harmless by many practitioners, it is not recommended for people to attempt to treat their pets by themselves. Some practitioners warn that any treatment with the capability of changing the health of an animal for the better may also change the health of the animal for the worse if given inappropriately. If you want to use homeopathic remedies to treat your pets hip dysplasia, you should seek out a veterinarian trained in homeopathic remedies.
Next step: Herbs
Reprinted from The Essential Guide to Natural Pet Care for Dogs: Hip Dysplasia © 1999. Permission granted by BowTie Press.
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