 
General Guidelines
for Homeopathic Treatment
- Administration
- Storage
Response
to Treatment
- What to Look For
- How Long to Give the
Remedy
Instructions
for Homeopathic Treatment by the 50 Millesimel
(LM) System
General Guidelines for Homeopathic Treatment
Homeopathy is a unique form of medicine,
and homeopathic remedies are very different
from herbs, vitamins, or drugs. So, when
you are giving homeopathic remedies to your
dog or cat, there are certain guidelines
that must be followed carefully.
Administration
- How much to give: Each time you treat
your pet, give approximately 10-20 of
the tiny (#10) pellets in the amber glass
vial, or 3-7 of the larger (#20) pellets
in the blue plastic tube. You don't need
to count them out. In fact, the number
of pellets given per treatment makes no
difference whatsoever. It is the frequency
of treatment and the potency of the remedy
that is important. Giving more pellets
per treatment does not in any way affect
the body's response. The pellets need
not be swallowed, and it doesn't matter
if a few of them are spit out. Just get
a few pellets somewhere in the mouth,
then hold the mouth shut for 3 seconds.
- Do not touch the remedy. This may alter
or neutralize the remedy, and could possibly
affect you as if you had taken it yourself.
Use the cap of the glass vial or the inner
cap of the Unit Dose tube, and drop the
pellets into your pet's mouth. (*See alternate
method below.)
- When the tube or vial is open, be careful
not to expose the remedy to any strong
odors, such as perfumes, scented hand
lotions, incense, cigarette smoke, and
especially any form of camphor (tiger
balm, Vick's, White Flower, Ben-Gay, etc.).
Do not expose your pet to any form of
camphor while on homeopathic treatment.
- Give the remedy away from meals (at
least 1/2 hour before or after a meal).
- Be careful not to spill the remedy.
The pellets tend to go flying, and cannot
be used afterward.
[*Alternate method of administration: Rinse
a clean glass bowl in very hot water for
2-3 minutes. Let cool. Put 1/2 teaspoon
of milk or distilled water in the bowl,
and then add a few pellets of the remedy.
Swirl gently for 1 minute, and let your
pet lap it up, or give with a clean spoon
or syringe. This method is to be used only
if it is very difficult for you to administer
the remedy by the first method.]
Storage
It is important to store homeopathic remedies
in an appropriate location where they will
not be neutralized.
- Do not store remedies in the kitchen
or in a medicine cabinet. A good place
to keep remedies is in a dresser drawer
or linen closet.
- Keep away from strong electromagnetic
fields at all times. These would include
electrical appliances, stereo components,
fluorescent light fixtures, televisions,
microwave ovens, refrigerators, major
power lines, fuse boxes, and magnets.
The stronger the field, the farther away
the remedy should be kept. Six feet is
far enough from a refrigerator or microwave,
2-4 feet from smaller appliances, and
perhaps a foot from a clock radio.
- Keep away from extremely high temperatures
(over 120°F) and direct sunlight.
- Close the vial or tube tightly between
treatments.
Response to Treatment
What to Look For
It is crucial that you carefully observe
any changes in (1) the symptoms or their
patterns of occurrence, and (2) the general
behavior of your pet. The success of the
treatment depends heavily on the accuracy
and detail of your observations so that
I can correctly interpret your pet's response
to the remedy. I recommend that you keep
a written record of when and how often the
remedy was actually given, and your observations
of your pet's response. In particular, please
take note of:
- general energy and level of activity,
attitude; for example, lethargy, irritability,
restlessness;
- changes in any specific symptoms; for
example, vomiting, discharges, pain, stiffness,
etc.;
- whether a symptom seems to be better
or worse at a particular time of day,
in certain types of weather, or from rest/exercise,
warmth/coolness, eating, drinking, touch,
pressure, etc.;
- any general change in temperature preference,
water consumption, appetite, bowel movements,
urination, or other behavior.
Since homeopathic prescribing is based
on actual observable symptoms, try to be
as clear as possible in your observations.
For example, if your cat has a 'cold', note
whether there is a discharge from the nose,
and/or from the eyes; whether it is on both
sides or only on one side; the color and
consistency of the discharge; whether there
is sneezing, and so forth.
How
Long to Give the Remedy:
Low potencies: 6X - 18C
I'll tell you to give a remedy for an
approximate length of time before calling
me back with a progress report. This is
an approximate time frame, and may vary
depending on the response of your pet to
the remedy I've prescribed.
The response to a remedy generally falls
into one of three main categories:
Better: If there is general improvement,
you can continue giving the remedy until
there is no further improvement ('plateau'
stage), and then call me. There is usually
little benefit in continuing treatment with
a low potency daily beyond three or four
weeks.
No change: If you see no apparent
change, give the remedy for at least 7 days
before calling me to report. That is, of
course, unless the symptoms are so severe
as to require more immediate measures. We
must give the remedy a chance to work, and
it sometimes takes this long for a remedy
to produce visible improvement.
Worse: If there appears to be an
adverse reaction or 'aggravation' (worsening
of an existing symptom, or the development
of a new symptom) stop giving the remedy
and call me for clarification. (Don't worry-
this doesn't happen very often, and is usually
quite mild.)
High potencies: 30C to 10M
These are given in single doses, and only
repeated when circumstances warrant. High
potencies stimulate a deeper and more prolonged
response by the body, and time must be allowed
for the body to complete its response. Generally
speaking, the duration of response in chronic
problems should be 3 weeks for 30C, 6 weeks
for 200C, 2-3 months for 1M, and 3-6 months
for 10M. This is, of course, quite variable,
depending on the particular circumstances.
Unless I have instructed you to repeat a
remedy at a particular time, you should
consult with me before repeating a high
potency.
Of course, these are all general instructions
and would be superseded by any specific
instructions I give you.
Instructions for Homeopathic
Treatment by the 50 Millesimel (LM) System
Fifty millesimel (LM) potencies offer a
variety of advantages over decimal (C) potencies.
In certain cases, the daily repetition is
desirable, as is the degree of control of
dosage. They also tend to have a smoother
pattern of response than do C potencies.
On the other hand, it does take a bit more
time to prepare the dose each day.
The detailed instructions are given here,
but the basic procedure is simple:
- shake the remedy bottle,
- add a squirt of the remedy to
some distilled water, stir, and
- give some of this dilution to
your pet.
With each treatment, follow the 5-step
procedure below:
- Shake (succuss) the dropper bottle the
specified number of times by hitting it
sharply against a firm object: the heel
of your hand, a wooden counter, etc. The
liquid in the bottle should foam up for
a moment. With the bottle closed, squeeze
the dropper bulb a few times to flush
out the contents of the dropper itself
into the rest of the medicine in the bottle.
The usual protocol for a given potency
is to start with 6 succussions for 7 to
10 days, then do 12 succussions for another
7 to 10 days, and finally 18 succussions
for the final 7 to 10 days. I will advise
you as to specifics in your pet's case.
- Add approximately 1/2 dropperful of
the medicine in the dropper bottle to
1/4-1/2 cup of distilled water in a heavy
glass or ceramic mug which has been prepared
as described below.*
- Swirl or stir vigorously with a stainless
steel teaspoon* for about 30 seconds.
- Give a few drops of this dilution to
your pet by mouth, using the spoon or
a syringe.* No food is to be given for
15 minutes before or after the treatment.
If you have a lot of difficulty giving
the liquid medicine by teaspoon or syringe,
an alternative method is to add the dose
to a small amount of milk or half and
half. This can then be offered in a neutralized
bowl.*
- Discard the remaining contents of the
glass. You will be making a fresh dilution
for each treatment. Neutralize the glass
and spoon with hot water as described
below.
Remember: at each treatment, follow the
5-step procedure: (1) shake the bottle,
(2) make the dilution, (3) stir, (4) give
the dose, (5) cleanse the glass, spoon,
and syringe with hot water.
*Directions for preparing the glass,
and spoon, syringe, or bowl for use
After each treatment, the glass, spoon,
and syringe (if you're using one) need to
be 'neutralized' by getting them very hot
for a few minutes.
- Pour boiling water into the glass containing
the spoon and separated syringe.
- Let the water cool to room temperature.
- Empty the glass and turn it upside
down to drain on a clean cloth or paper
towel, along with the spoon and syringe.
Now everything is ready for the next treatment.
If, at any time, you are not sure that
your pet is responding favorably to the
treatment, please call for clarification.
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