Page 5 - Summer 22

response ability as we go, so that the fateful day, of stiff legs we can help not more, can be put off? Let’s play a game of Hazard Perception and see how we go.
Prelude
Before we get to the puppy in front of us, let’s just think where it has come from. We have the parents and how they were looked after. We have the mating, the pregnancy, and the birth. It is commonly said that a child will take on the remedy state of the mother during pregnancy. And certainly, birth itself can go smoothly or otherwise. Remedies can be so useful around birth – and usually best when thought out in advance (that’s a whole other article).
Then the puppy pops out, along with brothers and sisters, into an eight-week adventure before it goes to the new owner. There is feeding the mother who creates the milk, there is weaning the pups on to puppy food, there is the handling of the pups, there are the games they play. Then of course the possible routine microchip, parasite treatment and even early vaccination.
Phew. Spot some hazards? Thought of some not mentioned? And what might you prescribe to help the pup get through the worming, flea treatment and vaccines as best as possible?
Now, if the breeder is equipped with a remedy kit and is trained how to use it, there is many an opportunity to pop in a remedy to help keep everything ticking over well. Not every hazard is automatically going to lead to a dog dying an early death with arthritis. None the less we are thinking holistically and long term. The aim is to build up a strong, vibrant vital force that can manage the challenges of life to come.
The Growing Pup
Let’s trust that the pup arrives healthily into its new home. Perhaps with a round of Ignatia to help it on its way. Here is an opportunity to borrow form Dr Chattejee’s great work and invent Lifestyle Medicine for dogs. How is this little pup going to Eat, Sleep, Relax and Move? Will it have a well-balanced, good quality BARF diet from an owner who knows how to do this well? Will it be set up for good quality regenerating sleep? Will it relax in the safety of being ok just to be a puppy with well thought out play, training and socialisation? Will it have appropriate types of exercise as it goes through its development phase?
I recall George Macloed noting that all young things should have a few doses of Calc Phos through their growing period. For most dogs it takes a year (give or take) to complete skeletal development. To be able to remind the vital force to do this well with a few doses of remedies feels like a good investment. Joint development problems often peak between 5 and 11 months. So, to pay attention to possible remedy input before and during this period makes total sense. Don’t wait till it goes lame or needs referral for OCD surgery.
Of course, Calc Phos isn’t the only potential useful remedy to support development. The Schussler Tissue salts give a lovely range of possibilities to be given as singles or groups by the considered or a combination of all twelve by the lazy. Further if we reflect on the common polychrests we see in adult dogs with arthritis, it is often possible to detect that same polychrest picture in young dogs – albeit without the arthritis. A dose or two of a well-chosen constitutional remedy through the development phase can help keep the vital force working well.
I don’t think you need to be too clever with your choices, especially in young dogs. Often the pathology hasn’t got
that deep. Paul Herscu, working classically, finds 80% of the children he treats respond well to one of eight key polychrests (the other 20% may be weird and wonderful!). Observing over the years I feel the same is true with dogs. I gather Victorian homeopaths would give a dose of a constitutional remedy a couple of times a year even if the patient was symptom free. Grand plan!
Neutering often comes up as a management choice as the pup gets older. Various studies are coming out looking at how future joint issues may link in with neutering, so something to be considered and again remedies to re- balance may have their role to play. Beyond a doubt is that being overweight is the commonest side effect of neutering that I come across. Which, of course, can take its toll on joints. Good education can go a long way here.
The Adult Phase
The pup has made it to adulthood. Definitions vary and I reckon it takes a couple of years for a dog to mature physically, emotionally and mentally. Always assuming that there are no residual issues to be worked on from the development phase, we have several years ahead of us when everything should tick over well.
As ever, paying attention to the dog’s lifestyle is important. The single biggest mobility issue during these years tends to be trauma. This could be dramatic, such as a road accident with broken limbs, or more commonly what I classify as a “sports injury” where the dog has chased a bit too hard and fast after a deer or done one too many zoomy loops around the garden.
Paying attention to these early stages of trauma can save so much heart ache down the line. Even, and especially, if the poor dog needs surgery. Remedies given alongside the conventional support will help the recovery be more
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