Over the last several years, alternative types of veterinary care have become more sought after by pet owners throughout the country. You've probably seen or heard about dogs and cats undergoing acupuncture or chiropractic care. These holistic procedures, along with massage therapy, nutritional therapy, herbal medicines and homeopathy are ways in which to treat pets outside the realm of what's considered "mainstream" veterinary medicine.
Homeopathy is a medical discipline based on the law of similars. What this means is, if a substance given to a healthy animal or human (in a normal dose) can cause a symptom then by using that same substance, but in a much smaller and diluted amount, it can stimulate the body to fight off that same symptom.
"All we're doing is stimulating the body to heal itself." explains Dr. Robin Cannizzaro, who's a certified practitioner of veterinary homeopathy in St. Petersburg. "That's the critical difference between homeopathy remedies and (conventional) medications which just cover up symptoms but really don't address the underlying imbalance that has caused the condition to surface to begin with."
Homeopathic remedies are prepared in a very specific manner. The original substance, usually from a natural source like plants or minerals, is taken and diluted. The substance is then "energized" by violent shaking at each step until the final remedy, often theoretically, contains none of the original substance.
"If you use it correctly there really are not any side effects." says Cannizzaro, who only uses holistic remedies in her practice. "Many cases you can treat strictly homeopathically, even acute cases, but it depends on the severity"
In chronic cases, like epilepsy, where animals experience seizures, some pets can come completely off their anticonvulsive medication or can at least be weaned down to the lowest possible dose through homeopathy. Inherited and genetic diseases can also be curable, but not all, warns Cannizzaro. Animals born with severe heart conditions, for example, can not be cured. Even when this is the case, she believes pets can still benefit from homeopathy. Cannizzro says she's rarely had a case that hasn't been improved on substantially at some level.
Cannizzaro has seen an increase in her practice of pet owners who want alternative medical care for their animals. "People are getting a little frustrated and fed up." she says. "They want different solutions for their animal's health."
Holistic care for pets has mainly come about because owners have been using alternative forms of medicine for themselves.
For the past 17 years, Hobon, a Naples based company, has been producing homeopathic formulas for humans. "My pet formulas are human tested " jokes Pharmacist, Allen Kratz. His new line for pets, HomeoVetix, is available only through veterinarians.
The ideas of homeopathy have been slow in working their way into mainstream veterinary practices because the two can conflict at times, admits Cannizzaro. "If I'm telling my patients to come off antibiotics or steroids as I'm treating with homeopathic medicine, that's obvious in direct conflict with what their other veterinarian might be saying. But that doesn't mean that people shouldn't have a choice between the two."
To Learn More. . .
Call: American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (410) 569-0795
Dr. Robin Cannizzaro (813) 528-0298
read: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Care for Dogs and Cats. Rodale Press, 1995.
Natural Pet, a monthly magazine
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