When it comes to supporting your dog or cat’s health, there are more options available today than ever before. Using homeopathic principles can help you decide what’s best for him.
Are you unsure which food is best for your dog or cat? Do you feel uneasy about your veterinarian’s insistence on flea chemicals? Do you desire deep and long-lasting health for your companion, rather than merely stopping symptoms? When it comes to caring for your dog or cat as holistically as possible, there are a lot of questions to consider, and finding the answers can sometimes be confusing. In this article, we’ll look at how using the principles of homeopathy can help guide you every step of the way.
Basic Homeopathic Principles
Homeopathy was established in the late 1700s by a German doctor named Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, and is based on the following principles:
- Each individual is born with one underlying energy field (vital force). This means each dog or cat is sensitive to different triggers. For instance, of 20 dogs in a play group exposed to kennel cough, only some will get symptoms. As another example, some cats thrive on chicken while others vomit after eating only a small amount.
- Symptoms are caused by an imbalanced vital force. Most symptoms, even serious ones, are not caused by the trigger (e.g. bee sting, virus, over-exertion). Usually, the trigger to which your animal is sensitive disturbs his energy template, which then tries to restore balance by producing symptoms. The goal of conventional health care approaches is to eliminate current symptoms rather than getting to the root of the issue.
- The totality of symptoms represents the energy template. These include all current and past symptoms, especially odd ones that clearly indicate each animal’s uniqueness. The EWS (Early Warning Signs) of internal imbalance give you more symptoms. For example, older dogs are often stiff and arthritic when the weather is cold and damp. If the dog is worse when the weather is hot and dry, this would point more clearly to a particular treatment.
- Treat the individual, not the disease (trigger). This is a very different approach than that taken by conventional medicine. Focusing on rebalancing the quantum pattern of the individual, and restoring natural vitality rather than merely eliminating symptoms, builds long-term health and resiliency. Avoiding the triggers is often only temporarily helpful. Not feeding a specific protein may resolve allergy symptoms, but if the vital force is not re-balanced, the animal will develop allergies to the new protein.
- Know the few ways every individual can respond to any treatment or lifestyle change.
- Cure happens when the animal feels better overall, with good BEAM for that individual (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, and Mood). The current symptoms slowly resolve and stay away. The EWS also begin to disappear.
- Palliation provides temporary help with no improvement in BEAM.
- Suppression resolves current symptoms but BEAM is worse and the animal becomes increasingly ill later.
Steps to Recognizing Imbalance
- Start now to evaluate your dog or cat’s vitality and balance. Focus first on quality-of-life symptoms (BEAM). Do not assume that age is causing lower energy, or that your recent move is responsible for your cat’s hissing and biting. Certainly, use common sense. If the animal’s appetite is off but everything else is fine, for example, explore possibilities such as dislike of a new food, or a change of ingredients in an existing food.
- Look at the EWS. If more signs are appearing, the balance is worse. For instance, if there used to be a little crud in your dog’s eye corners a few days a week, but now you have to wipe them several times a day, there’s an issue. Taking steps to build vitality and balance at this stage may prevent overt illness.
- Learn to do a physical exam on a regular basis at home. Look your dog or cat over for any signs of a problem, such as poor coat or skin condition, lumps or bumps, sore ears or mouth, etc.
If your dog or cat is currently ill, start keeping a journal and carefully record all the above along with a timeline of any problems that may have preceded the illness. Include any treatments of these or other symptoms; the treatments themselves may have led to the current problem. Think about other possible triggers and record them.
Steps to Restoring Balance
Begin with some lifestyle improvements:
- Feed the best possible diet, including a wide variety of fresh food, at least part of the time.
- Provide 24/7 access to clean, pure water.
- Avoid toxins, including flea and tick chemicals, excess vaccines, household cleaners, pesticides, etc.
- Stimulate his body and mind – even cats and older dogs can learn tricks.
- Learn energy modalities such as Reiki, Healing Touch for Animals, etc., and offer them daily.
If you have noticed some symptoms of concern, yet your dog or cat still has good BEAM, try adding in the following gentle approaches, one or two at a time. It’s always a good idea 
to consult with a holistic or integrative vet before starting any new therapies:
- Flower essences
- Acupressure
- Massage
- Essential oils (use only high quality therapeutic-grade oils)
- Herbs (use under the guidance of a holistic or integrative vet)
If his BEAM is not great, and you are concerned about his symptoms, take him for a veterinary exam.
If you focus on re-balancing your dog or cat’s energy field, his symptoms may naturally resolve. Don’t just stop the symptoms; build vitality instead. Many animals will heal on their own with gentle support. When your intuition nudges you and/or your companion’s BEAM is worsening, make an appointment with your holistic or integrative veterinarian.
The post Using Homeopathic Principles for a Healthy Dog or Cat appeared first on Animal Wellness Magazine.
Christina Chambreau, DVM, CVH
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