WHAT SHOULD I BE AWARE OF WHEN MY PET IS BEING TREATED HOMEOPATHICALLY?
Homeopathic preparations are extremely safe because of their highly diluted form. Nonetheless, frequent repetition of a dose without the advice of a professional is not recommended.
- Remedies should not be taken together with food because this will interfere with their action. Give them at least one hour before or after feeding.
- Do not handle the remedy. Open the vial or envelope and shake the pill(s) directly onto the back of your pet’s tongue. If necessary, the remedy can be mixed with a small amount of water or milk and administered with a dropper.
- Do not put remedy back in the container once you’ve touched it.
- Keep all homeopathic remedies away from sunlight, magnets, heat sources, electronics, including batteries, microwaves, cell phones, laptops, tvs, etc.
- If it runs on electricity or batteries, then store your remedies away from it!
Sometimes a worsening of your pet’s symptoms may occur (this is known as a healing crisis). This initial aggravation is usually a good sign and indicates that the body is responding to the remedy. Although the physical symptoms might get worse for a short period of time, in general your pet as a whole should start to feel better almost immediately. The homeopathic aggravation will subside quickly followed by recovery.
Do Not give any other medications unless your veterinary homeopath has approved them. This includes topical salves (for the ears, skin or eyes) because they may suppress important symptoms and interfere with the remedy. Bach flower remedies, natural vitamins, some herbs, and chiropractic care work well with homeopathy. It is also extremely important that your pet have a fresh, natural diet and sufficient exercise.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT?
- Your pet may experience an immediate and perhaps dramatic improvement within hours-days.
- Your pet may experience gradual improvement over time weeks-months (the speed of recovery depends in part on how long your pet has been sick).
- Your pet may not have any, or only a partial improvement and may require a different potency or remedy.
AFTER TAKING THE REMEDY
Homeopathy is a safe form of treatment in that there are no chemicals or drugs in the remedies so, there are no side effects. As mentioned previously, there may be temporary aggravations after taking the remedy. While these might seem uncomfortable for your pet at the time, they are generally a very positive sign and are only a temporary part of the healing process. It is best to let them run their course as this leads to the quickest cure.
There may be a discharge or other change as part of the healing process. This is particularly common where there has been some form of suppression in the past. The problem may be physical, e.g. diarrhea, eye, ear, nasal or skin discharge, or it may be behavioral, e.g. change in sleeping location, new fears etc. This is healthy and is a sign that your pet is getting rid of accumulated “toxins”. It may be difficult to watch, but please interfere with it as little as possible.
After successful therapy, the body often goes back and “cleans up” old problems that have never been properly resolved. Old complaints may resurface briefly, in reverse order from which they appeared, e.g. there may be a brief episode of straining to urinate if your pet had cystitis at some point in the past. It is very important not to interfere with these symptoms. Doing so will stop the curative process.