ROLE OF VETERINARY HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE IN INCREASING LIVESTOCK FARMER’S INCOME

ROLE OF VETERINARY HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE IN INCREASING LIVESTOCK FARMER’S INCOME

Dr. Sudhanya Nath

PhD Scholar, Department of Animal Nutrition, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences (WBUAFS), Kolkata, West Bengal – 700037
Email ID – sudhanyanath@yahoo.com
Mobile No.: +91 9438672482

Abstract

The society’s need for complementary and alternative therapies has been increasing manifolds. The public is seeking access to a broad range of conventional and alternative treatments, thus, the best scenario is to make all therapies available, for there is a place and a need for all of them in the right situation. Homeopathy has been found one of the best holistic and safest treatments for many people and in veterinary medicine today. Homeopathy can be looked on as a method of individualizing a medicine for a patient; it is a system of finding a medicine that fits the totality of physical and psychological signs seen in a patient, in order to givea curing effect in a deep and lasting way. It is one of the well-known fields of medicine all over the world that works on combination of art and science. Working method of this system of medicine differs from all other systems and works on fixed principles.
A homoeopath should have a good knowledge about its field and more important the art of applying that knowledge’s best part on right case. The main goal of a veterinarian is to heal animals and provide the best care, so that animals can lead healthy productive lives. So, knowledge of non-invasive treatments like homeopathy with few or no side effects that have the potential to heal animals should be welcomed.

Keywords: Homeopathy, Holistic, Veterinary Medicine, Healthy, Non-invasive treatments

INTRODUCTION

Homeopathy is a medicinal system that was discovered and developed by a German physician called Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It is a full medical framework that adheres to a holistic theory. “Like Treats Like” is the core concept of Homeopathy, which suggests that any substance, which can produce symptoms in a healthy person, can cure similar symptoms in a sick person. Homeopathy works by stimulating the body to follow the natural healing process. Homeopathic remedies are prepared from mineral, plant and animal substances. Their elevated dilution makes them completely non-toxic. The curing force of these remedies is solely energetic, when a cure hits a certain dilution. Homeopathy for animals gives an excellent result especially in dogs, cats, and even cattle. Thus, it saves animals from the hazardous/harmful side effects of conventional/allopathic medicines and gives them a healthy lifestyle. A veterinary homeopathy is surely a great act of kindness that we can offer as homeopaths to the animals.

HISTORYAND EVOLUTION OF VETERINARY HOMEOPATHY

The word “homeopathy” is derived from the Greek words “homios” meaning “similar,” and “pathos” meaning “disease or suffering.”In practising homeopathy, the symptoms that an animal exhibits are all-important in choosing the appropriate remedy to stimulate a healing response. Whereas, in conventional medicine, the thinking may assume that symptoms or signs represent the disease itself and need to be controlled or eliminated, in homeopathy, a symptom or sign is seen, not as the disease itself, but as a signal of it. As a focal point for homoeopathic vets, the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS) was set up in 1982. The first veterinary courses commenced at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. The International Veterinary Homeopathy Association was established in Luxembourg in April 1986. The first test and certification in basic homoeopathy (first-year) was established in 2001. It was also the year in which the first Veterinary Repertory appeared. There is now, however, a flourishing UK homoeopathic vet community and a healthy international homoeopathic vet community that is similarly healthy. Every form of ailment that can be treated conventionally can also be solved with homoeopathy and without any side effects, according to the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. The recurrence rates are also minimum or negligible with homoeopathy. Today the veterinary homeopathy is highly developed from Hahnemann’s original, with much greater scope.

ADVANTAGES OF HOMEOPATHY IN VETERINARY CASES

The following points demonstrate the peculiarities of homoeopathy, which make it a very reasonable choice for animal treatment:

1. No or very fewer side effects than conventional medicines
2. No symptom suppression for the later, more vicious reappearance.
3. No reliance on diagnosis, but only reliance on observation of symptoms.
4. There is no need for animal laboratory tests to prove medicinal products.
5. Allowance and dependence upon the individuality of a patient.
6. Homoeopathy appears to be working to affect a cure with the body’s own disease-combating mechanisms, and this constitutes a most natural, humane and effective cure method.
7. No pollution to the environment.
8. Helps in boosting the natural immune system of the body.
9. Effective for both the prevention and treatment.
10. Treatment of a wide variety of conditions.

POTENCIES AND ITS WORKING

‘X’ Potency = Substance is diluted at a 1/10 (decimal) dilutions.

‘C’ Potency = Substance is diluted 1/100 (centesimal) dilutions.

‘M’ Potency = Substance is diluted at a 1/1000

E.g.,   a).12X potency = 1 in 10 twelve times diluted, or 10^-12 times diluted with each stage of succession (shaking).

b). 30C potency = 1 in 100 thirty times diluted, with succussion (every phase shaking).

MODE OF ADMINISTRATION OF REMEDIES  

Dispense the remedy into the vial cap, and then to one of the below methods:-

1. Direct Dosing: The easiest way to administer remedies to an animal is giving them by hands, if they will take willingly. Animals that never had remedies before, may at first refuse them, but will willingly take them in the future once they realise what they are.
2. In Food and Water: One dose should be administered in meals or treats at recommended intervals in the following ways:

• It is best to use when an animal needs a remedy and a veterinarian is not available to administer it at recommended intervals, or if the animal is unwilling to take pellets from hand.
• It should be used only with lower to medium potencies, and for a limited period of time.
• One dose (2-3 pellets) should be put in their water bowl filled with clean water.
• A second bowl of water should be offered so that they may choose to take the remedy or not. They will dose themselves.
• For 2-3 minutes, a clean glass bowl should be rinsed in very hot water to let it cool. 1/2 teaspoon of milk or distilled water should be put in the bowl, and then a few pellets of the remedy should be added and swirled gently for 1 minute, and animal should be allowed to lap it up, or a clean spoon or syringe can be used to give the remedy directly in mouth or on nostrils.
• The leftover remedy should be refrigerated with a cap, stirring briskly before next dosage is extracted with syringe.
• The syringe should be labelled properly with Remedy name and potency. It should not be used for any other remedy.
• Unconscious animals should not be given remedy because they can’t swallow.
• Avoid choking by inserting only 1 or 2 drops of the remedy in their mouth between the lip and gums.
• Mode of administration of the medicine may be in the form of globules or in liquid form, placing 4 – 5 globules of 30 no. size or 4 – 5 drops in 3 – 5 ml of water, this medicated water should be drawn with a syringe or sprayer and inserted directly on tongue or nasal or mucous membrane of the pet’s vagina.

3. Biochemic remedy: It is always given in luke warm water / fresh water. 8 – 10 tablets are dissolved in 5 to 10 ml luke warm / fresh water and this medicated water is drawn with syringe and put directly in mouth.

DOSING OF REMEDIES

• Acute Care should be taken for 3-4 hours of dosing every 20 minutes to 1 hour. Dose frequency should be reduced as symptoms improve.
• If no sign of improvement is observed, the animal might be provided with wrong remedy.
• To pick another treatment, the symptoms should be checked again properly.
• 200C should be given, if improvement is seen but fails to hold.
• A remedy which shows some efficacy should not be left.
• Dosing: Medium and Low Potencies (6C, 12C, 30C, 200C) 2-3 pills per dose is all that’s needed. The more severe the symptoms, the more frequent the dose is given in Acute Care First Aid Ailments.
• Higher the potency, less frequently the remedy is given. Remedy frequency should always be adjusted (up or down) according to the symptoms.
• Foundation dosage level should be in compliance with symptom intensity.

STORAGE OF REMEDIES

The homeopathic remedies should be:

1) Away from the extremes of temperature,

2) Away from direct sunlight,

3) Away from heavy chemical odors,

4) Away from strong electromagnetic influences (on top of the television set, inside the microwave, etc.),

5) Store them in an organised fashion so that they can be found and kept clean easily.

APPLICATION OF HOMEOPATHIC VETERINARY REMEDIES AND ITS ROLE IN INCREASING LIVESTOCK FARMER’S INCOME

• Homeopathy remedies cure “Acute ailments” like cold, cough, fever, sore throat etc. (e.g.: Belladona, FerrumPhos), work wonders in “Chronic cases” , wherein it brings about complete cure in patients by eradicating the root cause of the ailments, when the right Simillimum remedy is chosen.
• Homeopathy may serve as prophylactic, i.e. homoeopathic treatments may be used to prevent diseases. E.g. Borax 200 in FMD. In some cases, homoeopathic remedies may be of great use in minimising the need for surgery, while in other times remedies are invaluable in fastening the wound healing process after the surgery. Medications: Arnica, Staphisgeria, Hypericum, and Complimentary medicines.
• Homeopathy is a gentle yet powerful form of therapy, which can easily treat dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, goats, llamas, cattle, pigs, sheep and sensitive species like birds, wholly without risk of side effects.
• Organic farmers rely upon homoeopathic medicine as it is an inexpensive, natural medication that does not give rise to drug residues in poultry, milk or eggs. Conventional farmers make use of its advantages as well.
• Without the use of antibiotics, hormones and other medicines, people run new intensive farms with veterinary homoeopathy, proving its true capabilities. Among its other advantages, the fact that it cannot provoke ‘antibiotic resistance’ in bacterial species is of particular significance in farm animals.
• Homeopathic drugs are preferred by a veterinarian due to their ability to improve the animal patient’s normal healing mechanisms.
• Many chronic and refractory diseases in an individual animal might respond well to homoeopathic therapy, where traditional medicine would have failed.
• Provision of in-water medicine in group of sick animals can be effective as at a same time vast numbers of animals can be handled quickly and conveniently.
• Conditions which are frequently treated by homeopathy remedies include arthritis, lameness, cruciate rupture, chronic diarrhoea, atopy, allergy, autoimmune disorders, periodic ophthalmia, head shaking, hip/elbow dysplasia, corneal ulcer, bone cysts, pasteurellosis, chlamydia, cryptosporidia, pneumonia, meningitis, mastitis, ringworm, epilepsy, dermatitis, rodent ulcer, kidney problems, liver problems, cystitis, etc.
• With the help of homeopathy, mastitis can be treated more efficiently, without side effects and lower costs.
• In the intensive poultry farming, the use of homeopathy reduces the mortality of over 50%.
• Homeopathy pharma companies have started approaching cooperative dairies and veterinary clinics to make the homoeopathic treatment popular for cattle. At a time, when a recent Livestock Census data showed encouraging growth in livestock population in the state of Gujarat at about 15.36% against a drop of 3.33% in national average, homoeopathic remedy in veterinary has found big potential.
• Educating farmers about benefits of homeopathy for their milch cattle with cost effectiveness is very important.

Following Table enlists some homeopathic remedies and their uses:

CONCLUSION

Veterinary homoeopathy is being used by many veterinarians across the world and is gaining popularity. Owing to the recurrent and persistent existence of certain illnesses in animals, most veterinarians prefer homoeopathy. The concept behind the use of homoeopathy is to improve the animals’ immunity and to cure the illness from the roots. Every condition that can be handled conventionally can be fixed with homoeopathy and without any side effects, according to the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. With homoeopathy, recurrence rates are also almost marginal or zero. Skin allergy, ear infections, asthma, IBD, epilepsy and many other diseases are examples of illnesses in animals that respond very well to homoeopathy. Homeopathy remedies can also treat acute conditions such as traumatic injuries, infections, and poisonings. Thus, veterinary homeopathic medicine plays a major role in increasing livestock farmer’s income which can’t be unnoticed.

REFERENCES

• http://www.vethomopath.com/hpathyimportance.htm
• https://hompath.com/blog/homeopathy-animals/
• https://www.drthindhomeopathy.com/homeopathic-veterinary/
• Vockeroth, W. G. (1999). Veterinary homeopathy: an overview. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 40(8), 592.
• Doehring, C., & Sundrum, A. (2016). Efficacy of homeopathy in livestock according to peer-reviewed publications from 1981 to 2014. The Veterinary Record, 179(24), 628. doi: 10.1136/vr.103779

APPLICATION OF HOMEOPATHY IN VETERINARY PRACTICES

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