Page 12 - Spring 22

Indispositions
How would a wild or exotic animal normally behave, or present in the moment, or in the real world free ranging situation? How might captivity influence the non- domestic animal’s interactions and experiences to produce symptoms and indispositions? How will stress and obstacles affect the symptoms that are produced? How will the symptoms be expressed, or be perceived by the caretaker? In other words, what factors will affect the normal disposition of any creature and produce the many faces of its indisposition.
The indisposition is that state, where the organism is affected in some manner and produces the symptoms in its unique individual way. We have trouble defining sensations of all kinds, real to the animal but which we as veterinarians cannot elicit from our patients except in very general ways.
States of lethargy, malaise, inactivity, are all very common and all too commonly seen in exotics. Common as well, are cases of mild upper respiratory or gastrointestinal upset due to a variety of causes.
Mostly, mild or major food and water toxicities, and mild injuries have minimal impact, are self-limiting, and do not
normally require treatment. This is to say that the animal’s life principle aids the body to recover in a minimal amount of time and without any help. How many of you have seen exotics or birds, and heard the caretaker or guardian comment that the animal was sick, or only off for a short time, and then spontaneously recovered? This is the realm of indisposition. Most do not require treatment, but indeed many of these are presented for treatment by caring owners. It is very difficult at first to know if this is temporary, or part of that “cover up and look good” scenario that has previously been described. It may be the beginning of decline. History is sketchy, and there are not enough characteristic symptoms to decide on a prescription. It is hard to know if the presentation is merely acute, or a part of chronic disease. The discussion and treatment may be only academic. I often don’t spend too much time with the prescription or treatment, unless it is very obvious that there truly is an acute situation requiring more care.
The blending of chronic and/or acute for me in exotics, and captive wildlife, except in obvious injury, is very much a part of the nature of the ecology of the various species with whom I have chosen to work. As has been said before, the majority of the symptoms are hidden as a means of survival, even though the species as a whole may have been in captivity or domesticated for many generations. It is an adaptation almost as old as the geology itself. What appears as a minor indisposition, noticed by caretakers or by wildlife hospital staff, may be the beginning of the last stages of breakdown in the animal’s ability to cope. The rapid cascade of decline can be just around the corner unless the homeopath is acutely aware of subtle changes, and while observing, be able to interpret what these changes mean in terms of symptoms that can elicit a remedy picture in the mind.
Homeopathic books are full of wonderfully written
symptoms, well categorized for humans or in some cases domestic animals. There are a few general ideas one can glean from these books when working with exotics, birds, or wildlife. The homeopathic repertorization process ends up being somewhat intuitive, while still attempting to be scientific, when prescribing for these species. As has been said, but bears repeating, free roaming wildlife prior to their injury or capture due to illness or being orphaned, are usually robust and in the peak of health, unfettered by the common chronic disease states that are encountered in long term captive avians and exotic pets.
Obstacles to Cure
Obstacles to cure are literally those parameters that stand in the way of a patient being able to mount a healing response or to maintain that response long enough for the body and mind to cure itself. These obstacles prevent the cure no matter what homeopathic medicine is administered, or how well selected or similar that medicine is to the parameters of the case condition.
The main obstacle far outweighing all others is intense and continual mental/emotional stress. Situations that elicit primal emotions in a continuous way will antidote even a good response to a well-indicated homeopathic medicine. I can speak very well to this scenario from my own responses to mental and physical stress over the last three months of personal battles with my own health, all at the same time as having to undergo a forced and rapid move of location from a 29-year-old veterinary practice building. Talk about a major amount of unwanted change! It was like sitting over a vat of warm camphor while receiving an i.v. drip of Starbuck’s best coffee. Scores of well selected homeopathic medicines had minimal change or no effect due to the beast called the muddled, maximally stressed mind. Strong negative emotions such as anger, depression, or fear that are not allowed to subside, because of the various captivity stressors, or an abusive or
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