Page 3 - Autumn 15

Committee – BAHVS
President – Jane Keogh j.keogh5@btinternet.com
Senior Vice-President – Mark Elliott homeopathicvet@btinternet.com
Junior Vice-President – Chris Day cday-avmc@hotmail.co.uk
Hon. Secretary – Stuart Marston sec@bahvs.com
Treasurer – Wendy McGrandles wendy@glenbrae-vet.co.uk
Magazine Editor – Malene Jørgensen malene@laforcevitale.eu
Communications Officer – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
IAVH Representitive – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
Faculty Veterinary Representitive – John Saxton john.saxton@talk21.com
Mag distribution – Cheryl Sears cheryl.sears31@btinternet.com
Committee – IAVH
President – Edward de Beukelaer pg.ahimsa@virgin.net
Treasurer – Don Hamilton donhamiltondvm@gmail.com
General Secretary – Helene Widmann helene.widmann@chello.at
Coordinator subcommittee for education – Stefan Kohlrausch stefan.kohlrausch@arcor.de
Head of IAVH Office – Markus Mayer office@iavh.org
Newsletter subcommittee – Malene Jørgensen malene@laforcevitale.eu
IAVH Communications Officer – Nick Thompson nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
LIGA contact – Marc Bär info@homeopatte.ch
Confessions of a homeopathic vet –
Surrendering to the Incurable by Saranyu Pearson, Australia
As veterinary homeopaths, I think we are blessed to have new eyes with which to see health and disease in animals. The thing that has been brought home to me in recent times however, is the necessity to keep up with conventional veterinary methods and diagnostics, so that I can utilise a truly integrative approach to animal welfare. There are cases that do not cure with homeopathy.
This is a report of five difficult cases in dogs from which lessons have been learned that may
prove helpful to other budding homeopaths. I am certain I am not the only one to see cases considered to be incurable and cases that are confused, chronic and suppressed. It is often very difficult to see a way to open these cases and then equally difficult to interpret what the vital force is actually doing after we succeed, especially since many of these arrive at our doors already burdened by excessive or prolonged administration of antibiotics and/or cortisone and vaccine damage amongst other things.
The vast majority of my cases can and will be cured or palliated by homeopathy and good husbandry alone but the difficulties, I have faced in these cases, has been the dilemma of knowing, when to use antibiotics, cortisone or other medicines in the animals’ best interests. In my excitement of discovering and embracing a homeopathic approach I abandoned the majority of my conventional medicines. In fact in eight years of homeopathic practice I can count on the fingers of one hand, the total number of times that I have used antibiotic and cortisone to treat animals.
This article is a confession that I have possibly done the animals in these particular case studies a disservice by missing the indicators that conventional drugs have a place in their treatment plans. Fortunately through collaboration with my conventional colleagues in some cases we have been able to rectify this oversight and reflect here on some important lessons.
This article has been submitted primarily for those new to the healing art of homeopathy as an aid to choosing cases carefully rather than a guide to successfully repertorising them. The overarching motivation in all cases is “what is it that needs to be cured?” and “is it curable?”
Patchy (now deceased)
This dog was a cranky eleven-year-old spayed female fox terrier that was considered to have
had a congenital ectopic ureter. The owner believed this problem to be associated with what she referred to as ‘being raped’ and then spayed pregnant. I reflect now that I didn’t use Staphysagria and wonder what that may possibly have accomplished. Patchy was permanently urinary incontinent but could still urinate appropriately when necessary but as a result of the permanent wetness and leakage had multiple and almost permanent urinary tract infections over her lifetime. She was not a particularly likeable dog but I had no luck in identifying a constitutional medicine, since the owner’s description conflicted with my own observations. We had a mixture of loyal, sympathetic, communicative, with aloof, not overly friendly, distrustful, cranky (will bite when pushed), but I never pushed her to show that side and enjoyed a good relationship with the dog for two years. (Kicking myself now for not using Staph!).
The dog came to me originally to try different management from antibiotic therapy and intravenous fluids that were required periodically over many years. Long story, short, I concentrated on comfort, infection and touchiness and used Arnica LM 1-4 over a year and some Nux-v LM for detox along with improved diet with chewing raw meaty bones. She did very well for a whole year. She presented with cystitis with blood and pus and we used Cantharis and Causticum whilst continuing Arnica. I can see now that our success over the previous twelve months had lulled me into a false sense of security regarding complete discontinuation of antibiotic therapy.
Patchy went off her food shortly afterwards and I began kidney and liver support to which she continued on p2
The British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS) was formed in 1981, to advance the understanding, knowledge and practice of homeopathy. It aims to stimulate professional awareness of homeopathy and to encourage and to provide
for the training of veterinary surgeons in the practice of homeopathy.
It is an open forum for differing approaches to the subject of veterinary homeopathy and it’s application, allowing for constructive interchanges of ideas.
This publication is copyright. No part of it may be reproduced without the permission of the Editor. Material published does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the BAHVS or the Editor.
The BAHVS does not necessarily endorse products or the companies advertised. 1
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