After Surgery

The following medications are helpful for animals recovering from surgery.

Arnica 30c
For any form of pain, especially after surgery or trauma. Regardless of the size of the animal, give 1-3 globules 2 to 3 times per day.

Calendula 30c
Only for soft tissue surgery, i.e., exploratory surgery, bladder, intestinal, or spay surgery. Dilute 3 pellets in 1 glass of water. Mix well. Give by mouth:

• For animals weighing up to 20 lbs., 1/2 tsp. (about 1 cc.) 3-4 times daily.
• For animals weighing more than 20 lbs., 1 tsp. (2.5 cc.) 3-4 times daily.

Discard liquid after 3 days.

Indigestion, Acute Diarrhea

After a dietary indiscretion (i.e., your dog gets into the garbage or eats a new food or treat that produces diarrhea), administer the following:

Nux Vomica 30c
Dilute 3 pellets in 1 glass of water. Mix well. Give by mouth:

• For animals up to 20 lbs., 1/2 tsp. (about 1 cc.) 3-4 times daily.
• For animals more than 20 lbs., 1 tsp. (2.5 cc.) 3-4 times daily.

Treat for no more than 3 days.

In addition to administering the medication, withhold food for 24 hours, but continue to offer water. After 24 hours, start with a blended diet of boiled, white meat chicken (no bones, skin, salt, or spices) and rice. Feed this for 3 days, then gradually reintroduce regular food.

NOTE: If your pet is having diarrhea more than 4 to 5 times daily, or if he/she is vomiting or lethargic, take the animal to your local veterinarian immediately, as these may be signs of serious illness such as toxicity or pancreatitis, and medical treatment should be started right away.

Broken Bones

Often the only treatment for a broken bone is surgical repair or stabilization with a cast. However, the following homeopathic medication will help your pet heal that bone faster.

Symphytum 30c
Dilute 3 pellets in 1 glass of water. Mix well. Give by mouth:

• For animals up to 20 lbs., 1/2 tsp. (about 1 cc.) twice daily.
• For animals more than 20 lbs., 1 tsp. (2.5 cc.) twice daily.

Make a new preparation of liquid every 3 days; discard old preparation. Continue for 3 weeks.

Motion Sickness

If your pet gets sick when riding in the car, get Cocculus Indicus 30c. Give 2 pellets before getting in the car. Repeat hourly as needed until you reach your destination.

Bee Stings and Insect Bites

If an insect bite results in local swelling, give Apis Mellifica 30c or Ledum 30c.
Administer 3 pellets every half-hour for a total of 3 doses.
If your pet is not feeling well or if swelling is around the neck and/or causing difficulty breathing, contact your veterinarian immediately.

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These are a few tips for you to follow at home, but remember, if your pet seems to be ill, consult with your veterinarian.

Having lived in both Ecuador, where most people do not vaccinate their pets, and in the USA, where most people do, I have a unique advantage in evaluating the response to vaccines.

First, what is a vaccine: a vaccine is made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its parts. When injected into the body, it produces an immune response that protects the body if exposed to the real disease.

We do not use homeopathic vaccines (nosodes) for prevention of disease; in this matter we agree with one of the best known human homeopathic doctors in the world, Dr. George Vithoulkas: “the concept of prevention in homeopathy is not a valid one. The reason being, a remedy will act if you have the symptoms of the remedy”. If there are no symptoms of disease what would the remedy do? Using nosodes for prevention will at best do nothing, and at worst the patient may prove the remedy.

In this instance, prove means to develop the symptoms of the remedy. Homeopathic medications are developed by administering a medication to a group of healthy individuals (usually humans) and recording the symptoms the medication produces in these individuals. This is called a proving of a remedy.

In Ecuador – where only a minority of the canine population is vaccinated – dogs with parvovirus and distemper are hospitalized on a daily basis. Sadly, most of these pets die, despite aggressive traditional and holistic treatment.

An example of proper vaccination: vaccinating only healthy animals, vaccinating at the appropriate age, and with the appropriate vaccine schedule. This procedure is effective, and does protect against the particular disease the vaccine is made for.

During my ten years of practicing in the United States, I have seen about five times the number of confirmed (by test) parvovirus cases in unvaccinated dogs, or dogs that had only received one vaccine.

I have yet to see here a pet with distemper. What used to be a daily concern in Ecuador is almost nonexistent in my practice in Iowa. This is due to over 90% of the pets receiving regular vaccinations.

The notion that vaccines are ineffective is invalid. Vaccines are effective but may come at a price.

Dr. Vithoulkas states: “the experience of astute homeopathic observers has shown conclusively that in a high percentage of cases, vaccination has a profoundly disturbing effect on the health of an individual, particularly in the relation to chronic disease”.

The adverse effects of vaccines and reactions make for a lengthy discussion; they are well documented by Dr. Jean Dodds at hemopet.org.

It is my belief – and that of most homeopathic doctors – that many chronic illnesses are the result of over vaccination. Having said that, however, I would prefer to treat a pet with chronic skin allergies than one with parvovirus or distemper. Someone who answers otherwise probably hasn’t had a patient that did not respond to any form of treatment and had a seizure that resulted in death, all from a disease that could have been easily prevented with vaccination.

To summarize, vaccines allow us to protect companion animals effectively against serious disease, but that protection comes at a price. To minimize the price, we recommend a vaccination schedule that is customized to our patient’s situation. One size does not fit all.

For protecting pets we evaluate the risk to an individual patient, recommend a cautious use of vaccines, and use vaccine titers, so we vaccinate only when needed.

References:

Dodds, J. (2009, August 6). Treating Adverse Vaccine Reactions [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/08/06/treating-adverse-vaccine-reactions-by-jean-dodds-dvm/

Dodds, J. (2010). Vaccine Protocol 2010 http://www.dogs4dogs.com/puppy-shots.htm

Hahnemann, S. (1982). Organon of Medicine. ‘s Organon, § 121, 126, 141, 143.

Pitcairn, Richard H. (1995). Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, 2nd ed., Rodale Press, INC Emmaus, Pennsylvania, pp. 321-326

Vithoulkas.com/content videos, 2^nd video. http://www.vithoulkas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1693