We have all heard about homeopathy, and many of us know the benefits; but did you realize it’s a safe and gentle way to help treat the ailments of animals, as well as humans? If you are anything like me you would do anything to keep your pet healthy, or help them if they are sick. Could homeopathy be a complementary therapy that may help bring you and your furbaby to a better state of health? In this article, Kris White of Emerging In Health does a wonderful job not only describing homeopathy as a whole, but gives great examples of how she has successfully treated numerous animal clients.
Wishing you and your pets the best in health,
Cheryl Radford, BioMed Programs Coordinator
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Animal Homeopathy
by Kristina White, Educator, Certified Classical Homeopath, CCH
How do you take the animal’s case? How do you decide on the remedy and potency? How does the animal tell you what they need and how they are feeling? Before we address these questions let us touch on what Homeopathy is.
Homeopathy is a safe and gentle mode of complementary treatment available for acute and chronic health ailments. Homeopathic medicines are made from plants, minerals and natural resources and guide the body’s healing mechanism at its cellular level to bring about recovery. The holistic nature of Homeopathy means each person or animal is treated as a unique being and the body, mind, spirit and emotions are all considered in the management and prevention of disease.
Case taking for a person or an animal is about observation and listening to the “client”. Although animals can’t speak our language, many of us have a creature in our life and we clearly know and understand their individual patterns and personalities. We know when they are well and the shifts that occur when they are not! By learning to observe rather than jumping to a conclusion or diagnosis we can find the root cause and the best homeopathic solution. The beauty of animals is that they do not hide or improvise their complaints and answers. They also can’t be influenced by conjecture, so they continue to validate that Homeopathy is not a placebo. Like children, animals respond quickly and effectively to Homeopathy as they purely desire to feel better and get back to the present moment of enjoying their day!
The key to homeopathic care is to watch the symptoms and follow them with patience. It is very common that one remedy can resolve an acute case such as a bee sting, abrasion or sprain, however it is rare one remedy will resolve more complicated and chronic cases. These cases may require multiple doses, different potencies and ongoing observation, leading us to a second or third remedy. This principle holds true in all modalities of care and very often is one of the biggest challenges in our current state of wellness.
We tend to be impatient regarding our health and throw many things at our well-being and the health of our animals resulting in mixed results and short-term health respites. Most of us spend very little time observing and watching for patterns of behavior such as the impact from weather, time of season or day, symptoms triggered from foods, emotional events or a combination of all these things. These are clues to the root or source of the imbalance that generates the symptoms. We are finding more than ever people and animals are having difficulty remaining healthy due to the shifts in our weather, level of stress, food quality and selection.
As mentioned, in our work we use multiple remedies in various potencies to return the being to a state of balance. One remedy that we have come to find invaluable is Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea.
Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea is a powerful homeopathic remedy used to resolve a large span of health ailments with one of the common threads being infection and yellow discharge. Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea is classified as a mineral. It is prepared chemically by mixing sulfur flowers and powdered oyster shells together and subsequently heating the mixture in a hermetically sealed container. The blended powder is then liquefied in hot hydrochloric acid and subsequently processed by adding milk sugar or lactose by means of a pharmaceutical method of dilution known as trituration.
Some refer to it as the homeopathic antibiotic. It can be used as a safe, toxic free, affordable solution to be considered for non-emergency ailments involving minor infections, colds, flu, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, coughs and abscesses.
It is also a wonderful remedy to consider for chronic conditions when you find the the conventional solutions are not resolving the ailment permanently. Homeopathy works to resolves longstanding health challenges as it builds our overall vital force. It can mitigate the impact of ongoing external attacks such as infections commonly seen in our animals and typically treated with antibiotics. We are not suggesting that we replace the use of antibiotics or veterinary care, however we are seeing a growing increase in resistance in our pets and animals to antibiotics, so if we can ultimately reduce the cases in which they are provided antibiotics we will likely increase the success of the medicine when the animal truly needs it.
Over the last year we have successfully used Hepar Sulphuricum for sinus complaints, tooth abscess, hoof abscess, respiratory complaints and an eye infection. The use of Hepar Sulph in four very different cases speaks to the power that one remedy can provide us in our daily lives for people and animals. Interestingly, remedies do not differentiate between a person, animal or even a plant. Homeopathic remedies are simply matched by the symptoms. Remedy dosage is universal as the same dosage may be given to a child and to a 1700-pound horse! We look at intensity of symptoms, the vitality of the being and if the symptoms are on the physical, emotional or mental plane to determine dosage. Size, shape, weight, gender or type of being are not factored in when determining dosage. This is especially wonderful for all of us because it means a very small practical homeopathic kit can afford one many solutions for all the important beings in your family and community!
When considering Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea, you will have one or more of these symptoms; yellow discharge, sensitive to touch and cold, heat or fever, abscess, respiratory symptoms, and sensitive emotionally.
Shock, and Sinusitis (Duck)
Earlier this winter a farm duck was found lying by the pond after a coyote had managed to enter the area. We could not find any sign of injury however he was barely breathing and otherwise unresponsive. His symptoms pointed to shock. We were not confident he would survive but decided to bring him inside and his recovery journey began. The first remedy given was Aconite (30C) for shock. The duck became somewhat responsive within the first hour, but he was very weak and wheezing. We repeated the Aconite 30C. The next morning the duck’s eyes were more alert and responsive, but he was still wheezing and weak. Sinus and respiratory infections are common for the domestic duck. We also noticed his nostrils were crusty. A yellow discharge was present upon cleaning his bill. Following the symptom of yellow discharge, infection, and respiratory complaints, we selected Hepar Sulph (30C). The duck was not eating so we put the remedy in a water bowl. The next morning, water bowl was empty, and he was a little more responsive and interested in eating. We followed the protocol of Hepar Sulph (30C) daily in his water for seven days. The duck continued to recover and regain his strength. On approximately day ten we had warmer weather and moved the duck back into the barn and eventually back into the flock. He remains healthy today.
Tooth Abscess (Cat)
A cat with an abscessed tooth, lack of eating, yellow discharge and inflammation around the tooth. Upon completion of a veterinary evaluation, it was decided the tooth needed to be extracted as there was evidence of rotting beneath the surface. The next available appointment was a week away and the cat was not really eating. While waiting for the appointment, we gave the remedy Hepar Sulph 30C daily in water. Although we knew the tooth needed to be removed, we opted to use Hepar Sulph over antibiotics. Swelling, discharge and infectious odor all improved within two days and the cat returned to eating prior to surgery. The vet confirmed the remedy successful mitigated the infection and inflammation in the area of the tooth. After surgery, the cat received two days of low dose conventional pain killer and was given both Arnica and Hypericum 200C for inflammation, healing of the tissue, and nerve pain. In addition, we gave Hepar Sulph 30c in water for one week to avoid any return of infection.
Hoof Abscess (Horse)
A horse displaying symptoms of a brewing hoof abscess. Very often the abscess can’t be seen until it bursts through an area of the hoof. This can be extremely painful, the hoof is sensitive to touch, heat in the local area, and very irritable. This was the case with this horse. We provided it Hepar Sulph 30C three times daily for two days. By the end of the 2nd day the horse was standing square, there was no local heat and we were able to examine the hoof area and apply pressure. Because this horse is prone to an abscess in one hoof when the footing becomes too wet, we decided to provide him one dose of Hepar Sulph 30C in his water when we identify he is favoring the foot. Best practice states you do not treat homeopathically until symptoms are clear, however the horse’s patterns are very clear, and this is when observation is so valuable. We can’t control the weather and it is difficult to always provide dry footing, however, we can assist the animal by building a resistance to infection to avoid a larger potential problem. We have found this protocol has reduced the occurrence of abscesses in this horse drastically and our goal is to continue to strengthen the horse with Hepar Sulph and constitutional care to resolve the root cause. Currently, this horse also receives Silica 30C periodically to assist with the growth and health of his hoof.
Eye Infection (Pony)
A pony’s left eye displayed symptoms of yellow crusty discharge, inflammation, skin around the eye extremely pink and raw. The pony was very sensitive to touch in general and very irritable. Interestingly, the pony had been diagnosed with what is called moon blindness in the right eye and the condition had been progressing over the last two years. Conventional solutions had not been able to stop the progression of the condition. The client initially felt the infection in the left eye was unrelated to the current symptoms in the right eye. Homeopathically, we observe the being as a “whole.” Based on the symptoms of both eyes, we began with Hepar Sulph 30C two times daily for the first three days. Slowly the left eye started to open, and the redness and inflammation reduced. On day three the discharge changed from yellow to clear and was profuse. We stopped Hepar Sulph and waited. The clear discharge continued and on day five we shifted to a remedy called Kali Iodium. The discharge stopped, the eye inflammation and redness reduced. Interestingly the right eye, diagnosed with moon blindness was being to clear.
Although we used our observation skills to identify the remedies that matched the symptoms, we did locate research through Tim Couzen’s: Homeopathy for Horses (BVetMed, MRCVS, VetMFHom) that both Hepar Sulph and Kali Iodium have been used in cases of moon blindness. Being a recent chronic case, we are still working with the pony and we are patiently observing and selecting the next remedy based on the ongoing shifts in symptoms. The client is also committed to the process and feels quite positive his pony may keep his eyesight as he continues to age!
Final Thoughts
Consider Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea for your homeopathic Kit in 30C and 200C and you will be well armed to ward off the challenges related to minor infections if not even greater health challenges! We continue to be amazed and encouraged by the strength and diversity of this powerful remedy and the overall benefits of Homeopathy in our personal and professional lives.
Kristina White
Educator, Certified Classical Homeopath, CCH
Homeopathy for People, Pets and Plants
Emerging In Health
781.258.0618
Emerging In Health, LLC. and our Homeopaths are Not Medical Doctors, Physicians or Veterinarians and the relationship between Emerging In Health, LLC. and our clients is not of prescriber and patient but as educator and client. It is fully the client’s choice and responsibility whether to take advantage of the information the homeopathic consultants of Emerging In Health, LLC. present. Homeopathy doesn’t “treat” an illness; it addresses the entire person as a matter of wholeness that is an educational process, not a medical one.
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