Editorials

Animals in Homeopathy

schutt july image
Written by Katja Schuett

Animals in Homeopathy

Life without animals is nearly impossible to imagine. They have always been an intricate part of our life which they impact by being our companions, faithful comrades and friends, benefactors, protectors, comforters, and more. They provide joy and laughter to our lives and can teach us great lessons of faithfulness and love.

Animals are a great way to teach a child caretaking skills and to instill a sense of compassion along with responsibility. They are used in sport and leisure activities and even for rehabilitation. Throughout history they have helped by working for humans and providing for their livelihood. Whether they are house pets, working or therapeutic animals, they are very important to us and we need them as much as they need us.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Gandhi

To enjoy their benefits we also have to accept the responsibility for keeping them healthy and happy. That’s where species-appropriate husbandry and nutrition play a significant role as well as the appropriate treatment and prevention of diseases.

Homeopathy offers the possibility to cure diseases rapidly, gently and permanently, also in animals. It has demonstrated it’s effectiveness in the prevention of diseases for more than 200 years and offers efficient alternatives to vaccines which have caused much suffering in humans and animals.

The history of veterinary homeopathy also begins with it’s founder. Hahnemann wrote in his article “The homeopathic healing art of domestic animals” that “animals are certainly as curable with homeopathy as humans“. He suggested making provings on animals to build a reliable materia medica of true positive actions of drugs based on nature and experience. He wrote that animals indicate their diseases with symptoms as sure and good as humans do. “They might not speak a language, but the amount of noticeable changes in their appearance, their behavior, and the accomplishment of natural, animal and live functions fully serves to replace the language.” Their displayed symptoms are the true expression of the disease, as animals neither dissimulate nor exaggerate pain like humans, nor hide their feelings or lie about their ailments. Hahnemann emphasized that for veterinary homeopathy the same laws and principles apply, as with the treatment of humans. And, “the more the similarity between the morbid symptoms of the remedy and the diseased animal, the more rapidly and permanently the animal will be cured, with a security which borders on mathematical certainty.”

Hahnemann criticized the veterinary practice of the old school and opined that the usual veterinarian will resist any new and better method just because it is new and suggests something other than the known path. “Much resignation, modesty, impartiality, and disbelief in the old books is necessary to open the mind for the new and sure homeopathic healing method for the benefit of the animals.”

Although homeopathy was already used for animals by some of the old masters like Boenninghausen, veterinary homeopathy only became popular during the last decades. It is now extensively used by animal owners and veterinarians worldwide and more animal lovers and owners are becoming interested in homeopathy. Last but not, least their homeopathic cure proves that the impact of homeopathy is not due to imagination or suggestion.

Having said this we are pleased to present to you a special Hpathy issue on animals in homeopathy and hope that you enjoy the variety of articles. Explore them and let us know your thoughts and feedback at [email protected].

Katja Schütt
Editor
Homeopathy for Everyone

References

  1. Samuel Hahnemann, Gesammelte kleine Schriften, Homoeopathische Heilkunde der Haustiere, p.891, Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, 2001

About the author

Katja Schuett

Katja Schutt, Msc, HP, DHM, PGHom, DVetHom, has studied homeopathy with several schools, amongst which David Little’s advanced course stands out as it offers a really deep insight into homeopathic philosophy and materia medica (simillimum.com). Her current focus lies in working with animals and studying history, the old masters, and research.

8 Comments

  • Hello Katja,
    how much can I say? You know the close relation between my Dog Yak and I, and we have discussed a lot, and I hope we still have plenty of academical discussions in the coming years. Homeopathy is one of the best alternatives for animals, and I must confess that as an allopath I was never able to cure a cat. Now, we are exploring new horizons (with or wihtout Randis), and I am sure that we will have a great incidence in animal health and husbandry.
    Greetings from Mexico,

    Nacho Cabrera Larios

    • Thanks, Nacho, Hahnemann can be proud to have you amongst his followers and practitioners ! Give Yak a hug !! Katja

  • Good Evening Katja
    A fine and interesting article, but You certainly know that our colleague Dr Wilhelm Lux from Leipzig (Germany), began healing animals homeopathically and had some discussions with Hahnemann himself when he invented Isotherapy and used the very first nosodes in cattle …
    With best greetings
    Jacques

    • Dear Jaques,
      Wilhelm Lux was a strong proponent of isopathy and proclaimed that „all infectious diseases contain in their infectious matter the remedy to cure themselves“. He argued that the toxins formed in the body, properly attenuated, are capable of curing the very diseases that give rise to them and that every disease is supposed to have within itself its own antidote. Therefore, he advised that every species of contagium should be potentized and preserved for use in its respective disease. He coined the term „isopathy“ referring to the therapeutic method by sameness and identicals, whereby an infectious substance, diluted and dynamized, is capable of healing the same contagious disease that it causes. Yes, his approach predated Hahnemann’s, but it cannot be called HOMEOPATHY just because his medicines were potentized. With his medical approach he missed to meet the basic Hahnemannian principles to be called homeopathy: proving on healthy individuals and prescribing according to the laws of similars. Each remedy, also potentized disease products, are only curative when their prescription is based on the law of similars. However, the mechanical application of remedies based on isopathic principles and allopathic concepts of etiology and antidotal medicine carries the risk of suppression, overmedication and disruption of the natural disease picture. Already Hering pointed this out when introducing isopathic remedies into homeopathy (which have been partially proven meanwhile).

      To be correct his method must be called isopathy with potentized remedies but not homeopathy. It is only truly curative if the remedy is, accidentally, the simillimum.

      Kind regards,
      Katja

  • …..and so said Kent …..

    ” You never have to ask a horse or dog where he feels pain , because he will always tell by his motions . ”

    Homeovet

    • Strange ! I am practicing veterinary homeopathy for more than twenty years no one asked me not to do so and prescribe .

  • Hello Dr. Katja,
    My 1 1/2 yr old Border collie, Rain, has been diagnosed , about a month ago, with a yeast infection in her ears.
    She is a very intelligent girl, loves to “sing” with me, does all the normal tricks ( shake a paw, roll over, etc ). She knows the basic herding commands : her one fault is that she likes to move the animals too fast and I will have to work hard at getting her to slow down: and loves to play ball or frisbee.
    She shakes her head several times a day and has a small discharge in the corner of her eyes each day.
    She is on a raw food diet with no grains or sugars, and is a picky eater.

    She wants to be with me all the time, but I am the boss. She is fairly timid, so I have to be very careful with any corrrections.
    I hope that this gives you enough information to prescribe a remedy for her.
    Kindly,
    Jean Vergouwen

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