Here’s how homeopathy can treat your dog or cat’s ear infections by addressing the root cause. These natural remedies ease symptoms and help promote lasting health.
Does your dog or cat get frequent ear infections? Resolving the issue with conventional medicine is often difficult. The problem frequently returns once treatment stops. Let’s look at the benefits of homeopathy for dogs and cats with ear infections. With its focus on treating patients rather than disease, homeopathy gets to the root of the problem.
Understanding “otitis externa”
Veterinarians use the medical term “otitis externa” for ear infections. This condition involves inflammation, pruritus (itching), and pain in the outer ear canal. It may sometimes be accompanied by a bacterial or yeast infection.
Although otitis externa affects the ears, we classify it as a dermatological problem. In other words, ear troubles often occur as part of an allergic skin condition.
We classify most ear infections as chronic. Allopathic drug therapies, such as ointments or pills, usually address the active infection and inflammation but not the underlying cause. If the cause is unresolved, the condition recurs after drug therapy ends. This creates a frustrating cycle for animals and their people.
Homeopathy as an effective approach to ear infections
Although we are focusing on a specific condition in this article, it is important to understand that homeopathy treats patients with disease, rather than the disease itself.
Hippocrates understood this concept when he wrote: “It is far more important to know what person has the disease than what disease the person has.
Did you know? In homeopathy, it is more important to know how a dog or cat with a disease looks, feels, and acts, rather than diagnosing them with a certain condition.
Homeopathy tailors treatment to each animal’s unique presentation of illness. It focuses on the individual rather than the disease category. For example, ten dogs diagnosed with otitis externa may each receive a different homeopathic remedy. The treatment depends on how otitis externa affects each dog individually.
Homeopathy is a form of “root cause” medicine, meaning that treatment seeks to resolve the underlying cause of symptoms and clinical signs, rather than chasing the symptoms of disease.
Did you know? Homeopathy is a holistic approach to healing that respects the body’s innate ability to heal.
In health, the vital force (Qi or Chi in Chinese medicine) effectively heals the body from illness or injury. However, it can sometimes get “stuck,” repeating the same healing attempts without resolution.
To help the vital force become unstuck and re-establish its ability to heal, a homeopath selects a single remedy that matches the patient’s mental, emotional, and physical symptoms, based on the Law of Similars – like treats like.
Homeopathic remedies for otitis externa
Chronic skin problems, including otitis externa, rank among the most common health issues veterinarians encounter. People often turn to homeopathic veterinarians after months or years of unsuccessful allopathic drug therapy. But how do we know which homeopathic remedy to choose?
If we focus solely on ear inflammation, we have more than 160 homeopathic remedies to select from. But by individualizing each case — finding out what is unique about all the symptoms the dog or cat is facing on both a physical and emotional level — we can narrow down the remedy choice to fewer than ten.
At that point, a well-trained homeopathic vet can identify the best remedy for the patient. This decision is based on the dog or cat’s “totality of symptoms,” not just one specific condition.
Treating acute and chronic conditions differs primarily in the frequency of remedy repetition:
- For acute flares of otitis externa, Chamomilla, Pulsatilla, and Hepar sulphur are the remedies often needed. For acute cases, a patient may receive a 30C dose (two or three pellets by mouth) two or three times daily for a few days. As they heal, the interval between doses gradually expands.
- For chronic cases, the remedy is often given once or twice in C potency then followed with a daily LM dose – a highly diluted form that acts as a gentle daily reminder for the body to heal.
Did you know? Repeating remedies too often or at too high a potency can cause aggravations.
The dog or cat needing Chamomilla is more easily identified by the way their personality changes with illness than with the symptoms of otitis externa. Physical signs may include increased earwax and redness, but the dog or cat becomes nearly frantic with ear pain.
If the infection deepens to otitis media, they may also develop a fever. These animals are exceedingly irritable and very oversensitive to pain. They feel better only if they are carried. They are generally worse in bed, at night, in open air and cold wind, and feel better with warmth.
This is another remedy that can treat acute and chronic conditions of the ear. As with Chamomilla patients, the pain in the ear is out of proportionthe actual pain. The animal is extremely sensitive to the ear being touched.
This remedy is most indicated when ear discharge is thick and foul-smelling. The discharge may also be white, cheesy or bloody. Hepar patients are very chilly, and feel better with warmth and warm compresses, and worse with cold air.
This remedy also helps treat painful otitis externa, and the associated behavior changes in illness. The dog or cat may often experience violent pain in the ears, and the meatus is red and swollen. Discharge may be thick and yellow-green in color. These animals tend to be less thirsty when unwell, even if they have a fever.
The emotional picture of Pulsatilla is opposite to Chamomilla in nearly every way. Pulsatilla patients are timid and fearful, mild and gentle. They are better with consolation (think snuggling and petting rather than carrying). They also prefer cold or open air and cold compresses, even though they are chilly.
Homeopathy is highly effective at treating the root cause of disease. It can heal dogs and cats suffering from conditions such as otitis externa. While any of the three remedies highlighted in this article can be tried in a flare up, it’s always best to seek the guidance of a trained veterinary homeopath.
Remember that ear hygiene is important
Regularly cleaning and maintaining your dog or cat’s ears helps prevent and manage infections. At home, try mixing 50/50 parts organic apple cider vinegar and water and use this as an ear wash.
You can also buy ear cleaning products for pets but be sure to choose one recommended by your holistic or integrative veterinarian. For example, Vet’s Best (vetsbest.com) offers alcohol-free, herb-based products for cleaning and drying your dog or cat’s ears. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully.
Otitis externa use and effect
While otitis extrna often features an overgrowth of bacteria and/or yeast, this is not usually the root cause, but rather the product of an unhealthy ear. In a state of health, ears have small populations of bacteria and yeast that are important to the skin.
When the ear is unhealthy and inflammation or itching occurs, these populations grow out of control. However, they are not the true cause of the problem. By addressing the root cause of inflammation and restoring the patient’s health, the bacteria and yeast populations normalize. This happens without the need for antibiotics, antifungals, or ointments.
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Veterinarian Dr. Lisa Melling graduated from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. In 2007, she co-founded Best Friends Pet Wellness, a house call practice serving the Ann Arbor area. She enrolled in Dr. Pitcairn’s Professional Course in Veterinary Homeopathy, and was recognized as a Certified Veterinary Homeopath by the AVH in 2011. She presents at the Annual Meeting in Veterinary Homeopathy, and was a speaker at the 2014 AVH Conference.