HOW DO YOU GIVE A HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY?

General Directions for All Remedies:

• Make sure to give the remedy in a NEUTRAL MOUTH – 15 minutes before or after food.
• Do not worry about how many pills or how many drops to give.  It does not matter.
• Frequency is most important, which is how often the remedy is given.  Homeopathic remedies are not like antibiotics that have a milligram dosage. The homeopathic remedy’s strength is based upon the ‘potency’ (e.g. 6x, 30c, 1M) not the number of pills or drops.
• If you use perfumes, essential oils, scented candles and/or shampoos, this may antidote your animal's remedy - please be aware of this.

 
Administering Liquids:
*  Place one or two pills in a clean dropper bottle (do not use bottles that had herbal tinctures in
   them), fill with distilled, reverse osmosis or spring water.  Let the pills dissolve.  Succuss the
   remedy (hit the bottom of the bottle against your palm) 10 times - do this each time you give the
   remedy.  Then give a few drops (it doesn't matter how many) directly into the animal's mouth.
*  If you touch the dropper on the mouth of your pet or on yourself you can contaminate the 
   remedy.  Rinse it under hot water for a few seconds before returning it to the bottle.

*  OR place one or two pills in about 1/8 cup of water or milk (cow or goat) or half and half.  Stir
   vigorously for 15-30 seconds, then give a few drops or let your pet drink the mixture.
*  When pills are added to water or milk and mixed vigorously, the imprint of the remedy goes into the
    water/milk.  It is not necessary nor is it harmful to drink large amount of this mixture
 
Administering Pills:
*  Do not touch the pills.
*  Do not worry about how many pills to give.
*  Place one or two pills directly into the cap, open the animal’s mouth and pop them in. 
   Hold your pet’s mouth shut (gently) for a few seconds.
*  If the pills are large, place pellets in between a piece of folded paper, crush them with a
   rolling pin and then funnel them into the animal’s mouth (they cannot spit out the fine
   granules).
 
HOW TO HANDLE REMEDIES:
*  DO NOT store near electrical fields such as stereos, microwaves, electrical outlets or computers.
*  DO NOT store in the refrigerator or areas of excess cold.
*  DO NOT store in the sunlight or in areas of excessive heat.
*  DO NOT store next to herbs, spices or other substances with strong odors such as camphor.
*  DO NOT store in hot or cold automobiles.
*  DO STORE IN NEUTRAL CABINET OR DRAWER!

Homeopathic treatment:  

the need for patience and attentiveness


When instituting homeopathic medical treatment, it is important to remember that we are looking for true, long-term cures, not the masking of symptoms.  We see all symptoms as being interconnected, not separate diseases.  Therefore diarrhea in a young animal is connected to ear problems as the animal gets older.  If a disease has been an ongoing, long standing process it is rare for healing to occur overnight.

How does this affect our expectations and behavior during treatment?  We must realize that one of the most important (and most difficult) tasks is having the patience to wait for the body to begin the healing process.  We all have a desire to keep out pets from suffering.  However, expression of symptoms is a necessary step in allowing disease to move out of the body.  You may be used to conventional veterinary treatments in which powerful drugs stop symptoms quickly.  While this appears to be good, these treatments may actually be only masking the symptoms while the disease continues to progress, often more quickly and on a deeper level because the immune system has been weakened.  Your pet appears to be better, while the disease remains.  This typically causes animals to become resistant to conventional medications, and thus require higher, more frequent doses or stronger medications to keep symptoms from resurfacing.  In using homeopathic medications, our intent is to aid the body in eliminating the disease using the animal's own immune system.  Symptoms often return before a cure can happen, though the expression of those symptoms should be neither severe nor long lasting.  We refer to this intensification of symptoms as aggravations or healing crisis.  An appropriate aggravation will usually last 24 to 48 hours (occasionally longer), and will then lead to overall improvement in health.  Your pet will often feel better even as symptoms worsen slightly.  This is a good sign.  If the aggravation continues or your pet's spirits deteriorate, the remedy should be changed and we will need to re-evaluate the condition.  Our 'cure timeframe' is somewhat longer than the almost immediate changes seen with conventional treatment.  You need to be patient and allow your pet the time required to heal.  This will vary from situation to situation.  The result of this patient approach is the overall better health of your animal without the need for repetitive, strong drug treatment.

During the time of treatment, I ask that you pay close attention to your pet's health and habits.  Watch for changes in behavior, eating and drinking habits, urination, defecation, any discharges, coughing, sneezing, changes in habits or personality ... in short, everything.   Keeping a diary or notebook would be helpful.  I may not need all of the information you gather, but patterns may begin to appear.  Homeopathic prescriptions are based upon the overall 'picture' of the individual's reaction to disease.  Therefore this information is essential.  Without your observation, we may not find the appropriate remedy.

It is helpful to realize that improvement often occurs in stages or cycles, and thus symptoms may get better for awhile and then get worse, followed by another cycle of improvement.  It is sort of a 'two steps forward, one step back' situation.  True healing occurs slowly, with overall improvements in vitality as well as symptoms.