I am looking for your opinions and experiences of homeopathic remedies alongside veterinary treatment. I have used herbal treatments before and am just starting to try homeopathy. Meg has a pulled cruciate which is taking a while to heal (well it feels like it anyway.) Shes on synoquin (glucosamine and chondroitin) from the vets, and was taking metacam for the pain, but she stopped that now as she isn't really suffering any. We are trying to rest her, but she is proving very stubborn in that department, and we are taking her swimming a every week. But progress seems slow although its only been 3 weeks since she did it. So i am trying a homeopathic remedy which is supposed to heal ligaments. Its from phytopet and it contains arnica, rhus tox, ruta grav and bryonia and i'm giving one tablet 4 times a day. Does anyone have any experiences of homeopathy working, or am i just clutching at straws?

Some people swear by it, others have found it of no use whatsoever. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones.

Talking of luck ;)  If you are going to opt for the homeopathic experience I think it has got to be via a practitioner.

I have used homeopathy with success. I had an old Labrador with a bad shoulder sprain. The Vet (my previous one I might add!) had her on Metacam. She was on Metacam for six months plus with no sign of any improvement.  One day at a Show I spoke to a lady selling Homeopathic treatments. She gave me Rhus Tox tablets and Arnica cream to rub in.  Within days there was a marked improvement. Two things about this, the dog isn't to know that the tablets are supposed to do them good, hence no placebo effect, and also Metacam long term can be detrimental to the Kidneys. However, I still go down the conventitonal route but am quite happy to try homeopathy for things like sprains, strains and bruising etc. One thing I must point out, are you aware that you are not supposed to touch the tablets as you can contaminate them. They should be placed on the mucal membrane by the person(dog) taking them i.e. put the tablet into the cap of the bottle and then pop them into dogs mouth. A friend of mine was advised by her Doctor that when she was going into hospital to have a knee replacement to take Arnica for a week before going in as it helps in the reduction of the bruising .

Was he recommended herbal or homeopathic arnica though?  It is always important to differentiate between the two as herbal drugs are generally supported with good scientific data of efficacy whereas homeopathy.................:)

I too was recommended by my consultant to take homeopathic arnica (50) I think - before having orthoscopy.  I didn't bruise too badly, and the swelling was down in 4 days & I was certanly moving around well within a week.

Margot

I use homoeopathic remedies in addition to conventional veterinary medicine for all my animals. (I must stress that, by myself,I do not use alternative medicine instead of seeking help from a vet, for anything more than minor ailments.)
My animals are also registered with a very well known Homoeopathic Vet, who, luckily for us, lives nearby, and unless you have studied homoeopathy for a number of years, you would probably be unable to choose the exact remedies which would be successful in your animal. Much of the selection of the right remedy, is based on treating the "whole animal", therefore the prescribing homoeopathic vet would need to make a complete case history with your help, to find out as much about the animal's "personality and make-up" as possible.
This is why, ideally, if you would like to try an alternative approach, I would say it's always best to ask your vet for a referal to a vet who is also qualified in homoeopathy.

That said, my 12 year old cavalier was given an extra 18 months of quality life, without conventional chemo or drugs or surgery,  by using my alternative vet, when she was diagnosed with leukaemia. She had homoeopathy,acupuncture,laser treatment and chiro.

As my "conventional" vet says...as long as everyone is working together in the best interests of the animal,you can often get very good results.
Regards
sami

Just remembered that when I was taking one of my girls to a Vet that carried out acupuncture and we were discussing Homeopathy, she said she was very impressed that a client of hers who did use Homeopathic treatments when possible had a dog that had such a terrible stomach that the Vet had run out of things to try.  She was on such a high dosage of antibiotics that she couldn't give anything else.  At this stage the client asked could she go to see a Homeopathic Vet to see what they could come up with.  The Vet was very impressed that the Homeopathic Vet had said that they would try to get the dog down to as low a dosage of antibiotics that they could but at first to remain on the dosage that the dog was already on.  Eventually the dosage came down to absolute minimum and as the Vet said at least when the dog has a bad bout they could then up the dosage for short periods of time.  She was impressed that they could work together to make this dogs live acceptable and comfortable.

Oh yes, i certainly wouldn't treat anything homeopathically without consulting my vet first. I only decided to try homeopathy as an add on to what my vet has prescribed. I did ask her about it and she suggested the remedies i am using, but whilst she trusts a lot of herbal stuff, shes a little dubious about homeopathy, although will occaisionaly reccommend arnica or rhus tox.

Now I'm going to put my head above the Parapet yet again...I must like it there!!

I wouldn't give my anilmals or take Homeopathic remedies purely because of the origins of it, i.e Spells and Alchemy. So barge pole and touch come to mind! As many have said before me, and not just on this forum...there is NO scientific proof that Homeopathy works! Now Herbalists are a different thing altogether and I would use Herbs and Herbalists.

Alison, it  might have been the therapeutic massage that you gave every time you rubbed the cream in!!! 

All the best, Dawn

Newfiedreams have ever tried homeopathy on yourself or your animals?

I dont particularly care where it's origins are from,although i've never heard of spells and alchemy being associated with it.Not that i'm doubting you,i've just never heard about that side of it.As long as it works,which it has for my animals,then thats all that  matters :)

Dont knock what you've never tried ;)

I've tried homoeopathy on myself (using a homoeopathic doctor) and on my animals (using a homoeopathic vet) and neither made any discernable difference to my own health or that of my dogs, so IME it's not worth bothering about. But other people have been luckier. ;)

But then JG, there must be many people who have used the same medical drugs on themselves or their dogs and some have had miraculous results and some have seen little if any change so I personally don't feel that just because something doesn't work for you it doesn't necessarily mean the remedy is no good, as I'm sure you will agree. :)

The thread title asks for opinions. I gave my opinion - that it doesn't work. As I said, others have found different, so a person may want to try it (unless of course they're diabetic, as the homoepathic doctor I consulted said that the tablets should be avoided by diabetics) and see if they're one of the lucky ones. I'm not a natural gambler though, and I'm not saying that people shouldn't try it if that's what they want. But there are no guarantees of results. :)

I feel exactly the same about conventional doctors.  The last 3 times that I've visited (over a 5 year period), Having given a full case history and  carried out their instructions/medication to the letter, had no respite of symptoms at all! :(  But with a little research myself, the help of Ainsworths and a consultation with the homoeopathic GP in the practice (who started with conventional training and then decided that he could do more good with an open mind), sorted out all 3 relatively minor problems quickly and cheaper than the money that I wasted on the "made no difference" doctors' prescriptions.  I'll go back to my 'normal' GP if I need surgery again. :D
I feel very fortunate to have a mixed practice. :)

The homoeopathic doctor is part of our NHS GP practice too. But her prescriptions were no more effective than the Immodium I was told to take by the conventional doctor. Time and Lucozade are the best medicine for salmonella! ;) :D

Ktee, Newfiedreams wasn't "knocking" homeophathy.  But she has beliefs and follows them.  She is aware of the origin of how they came about and she doesn't believe in that so why should she believe in homeopherpy?

I personally do believe in it and although it isn't 100% proven, unlike bio medicins it still has success rates.  HOWEVER in life or death situations I would choose Drugs insted of homeopathic remidies and this point of time. :) That goes for both myself and my dogs :)

Didn't they used to burn herbalists as witches many years ago?

Are we getting a tad confused here??
( I quote)

Homeopathy is a system of therapy based on the concept that disease can be treated with drugs (in minute doses) thought capable of producing the same symptoms in healthy people as the disease itself.

Homeopathy was invented by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was both refined and popularized by the American physician James Tyler Kent. Homeopathy is based on the theory that each naturally occurring element, plant, and mineral compound will, when ingested or applied, result in certain symptoms. Hahnemann believed that, by diluting these substances in a standardized manner, one could reach the true essence of that substance. Hahnemann described this process of dilution as "potentizing" (German: "potenziert") the substance. These dilute amounts could then be used to treat the very symptoms they were known to produce.

. It is also suggested that the gentle approach of homeopathy was a reaction to the violent forms of medicine of the day, which included techniques such as bleeding.

I got 54,300 hits when i googled 'herbalists witches' . On first impression it does seem witches are heavily involved in herbalism

Yes I use it, but for anything other than minor ailments I consult a h/pathic vet or Dr :)

http://www.homeoint.org/morrell/british/index.htm

http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/level2/complementarymedicine_herbalmedicine.shtml#What%20are%20the%20origins%20of%20herbal%20medicine?

Herbalists were the early chemists - the ones who discovered that a willow-bark infusion helped lower fevers, for example. Later, when such things could be analysed, it became known as 'aspirin' .... herbalism is a true science.

My Great Grandfather and Grandfather used natural remedies with great success with their dogs, in remote Northern Norway they had little other option (often miles and days away from help, whilst out hunting)
     As a child I remember a dog ripping open its chest on a sheet of metal embedded in sand (brought in with driftwood from the sea) My Grampy waded out and collected Sea Kelp and showed me how to pack the wound.
    Last year my OH had a cyst removed from under his arm and in Farnborough NHS hospital they packed the hole left in his side with a bandaging that was treated with seaweed! I shouldve just taken him to my Grampy's! :D

An excellent treatment! Seaweed is very high in iodine - a natural antiseptic and disinfectant. :)

Herbal remedies are very popular and accepted in Poland, and all the chemists stock them.

For example for allergies the most popular thing (I know it isn't herbal) is calcium that fizzes in hot water, and it works (just wish I know what kind of calcium it is).  My daughter had a reaction to my Friends cockatoo (you know the white dust that comes off their plumage) and it settled her immediately.

Stomach drops are popular, either a yucky tasting herbal mix, or concentrated Mint taken in water or on some sugar are standard treatments for upset stomach/indigestion.

Yep & conventional medicine came last of all :D

I never gave my opinion so will now :)

I`ve seen h/pathy successfully used on both humans & animals. I`ve seen conventional medicine succeed and fail.

I`ll use h/pathy firstly, if it didn`t work I`d move onto conventional meds but always leave them to last.

No I'm not confused HG (well no more than usual anyway! :))  I was just referring to your mention of not wanting to use homeopathy because you believe it has roots in alchemy/spells and wryly remarking that women who used herbs to treat illnesses were often believed to be witches in times gone by.

well now youve got me confused then Annie..as I catagorically have NOT stated wryly or otherwise that,that is my view.... (or was that a universal you??? even though only one person has stated it as 'their' opinion. :rolleyes:)

Oops very sorry HG, my mistake!  Must be the heat getting to my brain.

Annie, I think you'll find that was Newfiedreams who said that, not HG. ;)

Thanks JG, oh dear I seem to be upsetting people this morning - definitely not my intention!

dont worry Annie...Just untie me from this 'Ducking stool' you put me on!...and we'll say no more about it ;)
( you can see how the witch hunts villifiled innocent people now through inacurate village gossip and hot brains ;) )

Can I take your place please, wouldn't mind a good cooling off! :D

What's so wrong with witches? I thought not all witches were bad?
In my mind you have nothing to lose if using it in conjunction with conventional medicine, or if conventional medicine has nothing to offer, but all opinions are welcome!
THis is quite interesting.

How can peoples successful accounts with homeopathy be passed off as 'luck'?

Usually when a remedy doesnt work within 24-48 hrs then it's the wrong one!I've seen them work within a few hours. You need to find a vet who is finely tuned into their patients and who will get it right the first time!

Not all witches are bad, there is white magic which is said to be helpful and never used for personal gain or against someone in a bad way.

It can't possibly be just luck when the herbal/natural medications work so well. :) If one dosnt work, its just maybe a tweak in ingrediants that will make another work, as in some conventional meds ;) I'm all for herbals, and alternative treatments, because they have worked on me.

You're confusing herbal and homoeopathic treatments, calmstorm. ;) Herbal treatments have been scientifically proved to work ... ;)

OH....thanks JG for pointing that out....C/S skuttles off to read up on the difference......;) :D

Homoeopathy
Herbalism.

Another little story. In my youth I lived in a village in the depths of the country, an area that produced Hops, fruit, spuds etc etc and the romany gypsies came round and camped on the local farmers field as they worked the circut picking. They were wonderful people. we had a horse that coughed, despite the vets best treatments (he was a fantastic man) each time we tried to gently get her back into work the cough started. The old gypsey told my mum to bring her down, so he could listen to her. We did, and I ran her up for him, and he listened to the cough, and ran his hands over her chest area. he told us to come back tomorrow. We did, and he gave us a bag of whitish powder and instructions on how much and when to give it, and how to bring her back into work. She never coughed again! I have no idea what was in it, but all of the conventional meds did no good at all.

I thought not all witches were bad?

That's reminded me that I was at a party once when someone announced that they were a witch!  They were asked "Are you a black witch or a white witch?"  The reply was "A witch is a witch.  It just depends just how much you p*ss me off!" :D

The reply was "A witch is a witch.  It just depends just how much you p*ss me off!"

Charmed, I'm sure ;)

Sounds about right LOL

LOL love your sig Dawn.
;)

ROFL thought you might...sad thing is...it's TRUE!!! :P (poor thing!)

LOL sad but true LOL

You said it :P :P  (poor thing you) ;)