In the largest-ever study of its type, a 2010 Clinical Outcomes survey has identified a number of clinical conditions in dogs and cats that may be promising targets for future research in veterinary homeopathy.
Twenty-one homeopathic veterinary surgeons in the UK recorded data from their patients over a 12 month period and collected information from a total of 1500 dogs and 400 cats.*
The most commonly recorded canine conditions were dermatitis, arthritis, pyoderma, colitis and fear. By owners’ assessments, a moderate or major improvement was reported overall for 68% of dogs and 63% of cats.
Data from 400 cats comprised a total of 372 individual chronic problems, of which 270 had a follow up assessment. Data from 1504 dogs comprised a total of 1408 individual chronic problems, of which 1070 had a follow up assessment. In both species, 22% of the follow ups in chronic cases received conventional medicines concurrently.
In cats, 117 different chronic medical conditions in total were treated with homeopathy. Five of those conditions included ≥20 cases, in which owner-reported outcomes (in decreasing rank order of frequency) were:
dermatitis (69.6% patients with a favorable outcome, 0% patients with an unfavorable outcome);
renal failure (57.1%, 14.3%);
overgrooming (57.1%, 7.2%);
arthritis (80.0%, 0%);
hyperthyroidism (66.7%, 0%).
In dogs, of 301 different chronic medical conditions treated in total, those most commonly recorded (≥20 cases) were:
dermatitis (66.2% with a favorable outcome, 5.4% with an unfavorable outcome);
arthritis (80.2%, 0.8%);
pyoderma (75.8%, 0%);
colitis (85.2%, 0%);
fear (31.6%, 0%);
epilepsy (63.6%, 4.5%);
otitis externa (72.7%, 0%);
diarrhoea (68.2%, 0%);
urinary incontinence (73.7%, 0%);
aggression (57.1%, 0%);
spondylosis (81.0%, 0%);
lymphoma (40.0%, 6.7%).
Clearly, homeopathy is an effective treatment option in common chronic disease in pets. Hopefully, further research will follow.
* Mathie RT, Baitson ES, Hansen L, Elliott MF, Hoare J. Homeopathic prescribing for chronic conditions in feline and canine veterinary practice. Homeopathy. 2010 Oct;99(4):243-8.
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Our 2 year old male friend came last fall and had beautiful hair, not problems. But this fall and winter he’s fighting bad itching, licking so much he’s created raw spots. I’ve changed his diet to home cooked hamburger/rice/a little 7 grains/olive oil/ and string beans. It seems to help some. What do you recommend for me to do for him and his obessive stratching and biting?
I would feed a better diet. First, I would not feed olive oil or the grains. Those are the most obvious issues with the diet. I would add a high quality whole body fish oil and perhaps a good probiotic away from the food. To learn more about what to feed your dog, read http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-feeding-primer/
I would want to rule out mange and flea allergies as well…but would not treat either with chemicals because there are effective natural treatments. A full thyroid panel sent to Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet is an option but I would first consult with a good, classical homeopath first as these cases are often vaccine reactions and an anti-miasmatic remedy should help.