Hi,
Our puppy had to have surgery to remove abnormal bone growth in his neck (which was compressing his spinal cord) at the end of March.  He hasn't made the recovery the vet hoped for, so they scanned him again and found that scar tissue from the original op is now compressing his spinal cord (consequently he is still unable to walk).  I had a look on the internet and there was an article which said that the use of arnica (taken orally as opposed to applied) post-op helps to minimise scar tissue forming.  However, I am unsure whether herbal remedies are safe to use in puppies/dogs.  Can anyone advise me? 
Thanks, Helen

I think it was probably referring to a homeopathic remedy. Arnica is only usually sold in homeopathic doses for oral use as it can be toxic when used as a herb.  Homeopathic remedies are safe for all animals and humans whatever age they are and even in pregnancy too. :) 

Kath.

Thanks Kath, and please excuse my ignorance!
Helen

Glad to help Helen, I hope your pup soon makes a full recovery. :)

Kath.x

Hello,

I use homeopathic remedies on my dogs when required for various conditions. And on reading in my book it does say that the tablets should not be handled, to use the cap of the bottle, any dropped accidentially should be thrown away.
Regarding Arnica (which is for trauma conditions) this is fast but short acting.  Giving Arnica every five to ten minutes for a short period of time is indicated where there is great pain or bleeding
Also for the most important part, remedies should not be administered within half an hour of eating or drinking.  However, if the animal resists, the remedy can be stuck to a thin slice of caramel or plain nougat, or the crushed remedy can be dissolved in a small amount of milk or drinking water.

Pat

Homeopathic remedies are safe because by definition they contain no active ingredients whatsoever. While people may be stupid enough to fall for this tripe, dogs are not!!

and there has been a very interesting study done by Exeter University on the placebo effect of arnica.  Don't let your dog read it!

Thanks for your replies everyone. If the scar tissue grows back again, there will be nothing they can do, so I'm prepared to try anything to get my boy better!
Helen

Good for you Helen, I know some folk are sceptical and they're entitled to their own opinion :) , my own opinion is that *nothing* is ever  guaranteed to work 100% of the time but homeopathy works most of the time for me and when it doesn't at least I know I haven't done any harm. :)  Yes, I've had failiures (maybe I chose the wrong remedy, who knows?) but I've used homeopathy for over 10 years and had some good results too. One was a calf who was too weak to even raise his head, the vet tried all he could think of then said he couldn't do anything more for it and it would most likely die. After waiting to see if the vet treatment would work (it didn't) I treated it homeopathically and it quickly recovered. 

The first year I began dosing the cows in preparation for calving we noticed a huge difference in the ease of calving which meant more natural births and less work for us (my husband used to be sceptical too, the calving is what made him change his mind). 

My husband who is diabetic, on Warfarin and bruises and bleeds very easily, got kicked by a cow last week. He put arnica cream on twice and had no bruise whatsoever (though he did have a lump and some pain).

Just a few examples, I hope it can help your pup Helen. :)

Kath.

If Homeopathy works, why doesn't your husband stop taking the warfarin and just rely on homeopathic remedies?

The warfarin is to stop his blood clotting &/or thin the blood not reduce bruises etc & will be needed for the underlying condition It has nothing to do with using homoeopathy along side convention medicines My GP & specializts are happy to use both together

I also go to a homoepathic as well as an allopathic vet; they can complement each other and have a synergistic effect in some cases or one can "mediate" the unwanted side effects of the other.

Chris, just because someone believes in Homeopathy doesn't mean they have to use it to the exclusion of everything else. Using it ourselves for self help and to compliment other treatments is totally different from using it exclusively to treat deep seated chronic disease. :)

Kath.

Fortunately dogs and other animals cannot read and therefore are not subject to the "placebo effect".  Homoeopathy, tailor made for one of my dogs probably gave him 18 more months of life than he would have had due to his severe behavioural problems.  The effect was so marked that I thought he was ill and others though he was a different dog!

Animals may not be subject to the placebo effect but their owners can be, for instance if we believe a treatment for a arthritic dog is beneficial we may treat the dog in a more 'upbeat' fashion which will in turn motivate the dog to be more active where previously we encouraged it to rest.