What is homeopathy and how does it work?
Homeopathy is a medical practice, also used in the veterinary field, which consists in administering to the dog a medicinal substance in a diluted and dynamized form and whose effects on a he althy individual would be the same as the symptoms which are treated in the patient (law of similarity).
The medicinal substances used in homeopathy are varied. They may come from:
- toxic plants (Aconitum, Belladona), common plants (Chamomilla) or food plants (Allium cepa),
- of insect venom or whole insect (Apis Mellifica),
- of minerals (Sulfur),
- etc.
The soluble substances are extracted from a mother tincture by alcoholic maceration and the insoluble substances are used in their pure state before being very strongly diluted, most often according to the Hahnemannian technique, then dynamized.
The dynamization designates all the agitations imposed on the solution, at each stage of the dilution. It is what gives the homeopathic remedy its therapeutic properties by transmitting energy information to the patient via water molecules.
Understanding homeopathic dilutions
In homeopathy, the most common dilutions are Hahnemannian dilutions.
The DH and CH dilutions are respectively decimal and centesimal Hahnemannian dilutions.To make a Hahnemannian dilution, we take a drop of mother tincture which is diluted in 99 drops of alcohol to obtain the first Hahnemannian centesimal dilution (or 1CH). When you take a drop of the 1CH solution and dilute it again in 99 drops of alcohol, you get a 2CH dilution and so on. We can thus go up to a dilution of 30CH. The Hahnemannian decimals are obtained according to the same principles but by diluting the drop of mother tincture in 9 drops of alcohol instead of 99 drops. We can go from 1DH to 60DH.
We generally use low (5 to 7 CH) to medium dilutions (7 or 9 CH) for acute conditions and/or localized to a single organ and high dilutions (15 to 30 CH) for chronic conditions and which have repercussions on the behavior of the animal. However, there are many exceptions to this general principle.
According to the law of individuality on which homeopathy is also based, this practice considers the patient as an organism taken as a whole.It therefore does not treat the symptoms but the individual who presents the symptoms by taking an interest in them all, including those which do not seem at first sight to be related to the disease from which the dog suffers.
The different practices of homeopathy in dogs
There are, in dogs as in humans, different ways of practicing homeopathy among unicist, pluralistic or complex homeopathy.
Unique homeopathy
Unique homeopathy is a practice of administering only one remedy to a dog in a given pathological situation. The remedy must correspond to a large number of clinical signs exhibited by the dog. It assumes a great knowledge of homeopathic remedies and a very fine observation of the symptoms developed in the dog. This type of practice of homeopathy is generally reserved for specialized veterinarians.
Pluralistic homeopathy
Pluralistic homeopathy is the most practiced by homeopaths. It consists of prescribing several (most often between two and four) homeopathic remedies that cover all the symptoms presented by the dog.
Complexism
Complexism uses combinations of ready-to-use homeopathic remedies containing 3 to 12 homeopathic substances in low or very low dilutions and covering all the symptoms of a condition.
Homeopathic remedies have no side or undesirable effects due to the significant dilutions of the substances used. Their use, especially in self-medication, should never replace a consultation with the veterinarian, nor delay the implementation of a conventional treatment necessary for the dog.
The different forms of homeopathic remedies for dogs
Homeopathic remedies that can be used in dogs come in several forms.
We find:
- standard granules available in tubes,
- micro-granules available in doses, also called dose-globules,
- remedies in drops,
- remedies in trituration (rarer), presented in powder form.
There are products for veterinary use, although most homeopathic remedies formulated for humans can also be used for dogs.
How to administer homeopathy to a dog?
All homeopathic remedies, regardless of their form, must be diluted and dynamized in water before giving them to the dog. To do this, use weakly mineralized spring water (Montcalm, Mont Roucous) and dilute the remedies in a small bottle with a cap. Count at least 30 minutes of dilution in water for standard granules.
Then energize the solution by shaking the bottle and making it do at least 15 rotations on itself before administering it to the dog directly in his mouth using a pipette or syringe (without the needle!) or by mixing the remedy in its drinking water.
Some useful homeopathic remedies for dogs
| To | Give |
|---|---|
| 3 granules of Cocculus or Tabacum 9CH the day before the trip or 3 granules of Cocculus or Tabacum 5CH just before the trip then every 2 hours during the trip | |
| 5 granules of Causticum 7CH per day for 2 months then 5 granules every 2 days for maintenance + a dose of Folliculinum 5CH every week for 6 months + a dose of Sepia 7CH per week for 2 months. | |
| 5 granules of Baryta carbonica 5CH every evening for three months, then space out to five granules every two evenings, then every three evenings. | |
| 1 dose of Orchitinum 30CH per month during the months when females are in heat | |
| 1 dose of Ovarinum or Folliculinum 30CH during heat | |
| 5 granules of Urtica urens 5CH and Apis 5CH every 2 hours for 2 days then 3 times a day for 3 days | |
| 5 granules of Apis mellifica 5CH every 2 hours + 2 granules of Vipera redi 4CH morning and evening until symptoms cease | |
| 2 granules of Belladonna 5CH every 2 hours until improvement | |
| 2 granules of Arnica 5CH or Arnica D6 immediately after the shock |
These disorders must be diagnosed by a veterinarian. Homeopathy won't help if your dog's incontinence is caused by a disease. The use of homeopathy should not replace or delay a consultation with your veterinarian.