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Homeopathic Medicine for Rats


This article is based on information is from Marg Smith, who, with the help of Shirley Casey, her homeopathic teacher, has had phenomenal results using homeopathy with the wildlife she has rehabilitated.


Homeopathic medicine has been used successfully for 200 years.  Homeopathic remedies work quite differently from the medicines we are used to.  In homeopathic medicine, the remedies are made from tiny quantities of substances that when given in larger amounts will cause specific symptoms.  You choose the homeopathic remedy that most closely matches the kinds of symptoms you are observing.  The amount of a homeopathic remedy given is not enough to directly change the physiology of the body.  Instead it acts somewhat like a vaccination to teach the body how to counteract the disease on its own.  As Marg said, the purpose of a homeopathic remedy is “to start the car.”  Marg’s teacher, Shirley, explained that the “car” is a metaphor for the body’s healing system. Once the healing system is started by the correct homeopathic remedy, the body keeps it running.  Typically only one or two doses are necessary if it is the correct remedy.  One of the main principles of homeopathic medicine is that of the minimum dose.


When a homeopathic remedy is made, they take a certain amount of the original substance and mix it into a certain amount of purified water or alcohol.  Then the bottle is strongly pounded or shaken (called succussion) to mix it.  This mixture is then diluted 100 times, taking 1 drop of the mixture and adding it to 100 drops of purified water or alcohol.  The concentration of this mixture is called 1C.  This mixture is succussed and then diluted 100 times again creating a 2C concentration. This procedure is followed until the desired strength of the remedy is obtained.  Small globules made from sugar are then saturated with the liquid dilution and the little pellets are what you buy.  Some pellets are about the size of a bb, and others are like a grain of sand.  There are also combination homeopathic remedies that come in the form of a liquid or tablet, but the pure forms come as pellets.


The most common strength used in humans is 30C.  Another, less common, strength is 200C.  A much more powerful strength is 1M which is used with severe, acute illness. The amazing thing about homeopathic remedies is that the more dilute they are, the stronger they are.  In fact, in most homeopathic remedies, the original substance has been diluted so much it can no longer be detected chemically.  The theory is that the molecules in the water take on the energy signature of the substance.  This is right out of quantum mechanics!


Some people don’t believe in homeopathic medicine, thinking that when it works it is only in the person’s head (the placebo effect), but homeopathic remedies have been proven to work in animals, infants and in unconscious people. The key for it to work is choosing the correct remedy based on the symptoms. A few remedies are almost foolproof, such as the ones recommended below for surgery, but choosing most remedies is an art that takes dedicated study. Homeopathic doctors spend many years learning how to select the correct remedy that will address the part of the body’s healing system that has “stalled.”

 

You can only give one homeopathic remedy at a time. You must wait at least 10-15 minutes before giving another remedy.  It is also best if the patient not take anything else by mouth for at least 10-15 minutes before and after giving a homeopathic remedy.


Preparing a Homeopathic Remedy
Here is how Marg taught me to give rats homeopathic remedies.  The key is to make sure anything the homeopathic pellets or mixture touches is absolutely clean. Any dirt or oils will ruin them and any strong smells, like cigarette smoke, bleach, coffee, or tea tree oil, will also deactivate them. You cannot touch the remedy with your hand. Store remedies in a cool, dark place in a room that doesn’t have a microwave oven.

 

Different homeopathic remedies will also interfere with each other. Only open one remedy at a time. Before using any equipment, it must be soaked in boiling water until it cools to cancel out any energy signatures on them.


You need a small ceramic dish. Get a sponge soapy with dish soap. Under warm running water, wash the surface of the dish and rinse in the water really well. Be very careful not to touch the washed surfaces with your hand during or after washing them as that will contaminate them and ruin the remedy. Shake all the water off and put it inside another container.


Take a small syringes (1 cc or insulin syringe) and wash it with the soapy sponge and warm water. Squeeze the sponge so the soapy water goes inside the syringe.  Wash the plunger well with the sponge. Again, do not touch the working end of the plunger or the tip of the syringe with your fingers. Rinse them very well with the warm water, shake all the water out and place them on the dish. Pour boiling water over the syringes and dish and let the water cool to room temperature.

 

Carefully lift the dish, shake off excess water and place on the counter, being careful not to touch the top of the dish. Carefully pick up the syringes so you don’t touch the tips of the syringes or the plungers put them together.  Place one on a clean piece of plastic wrap and cover. Fill one syringe with warm water by holding the tip under the stream of water from the faucet and drawing the water in. Squirt this water into the dish and rest the syringe on the dish. Do not touch the tip of the syringe to any other object.

 

Remedies for Surgery
The two remedies I recommend for surgery to remove a large mammary tumor are aconite 1M and arnica 30 c.  Aconite is for shock and arnica is for tissue damage. When preparing the equipment, prepare 2 dishes and 2 syringes. Remember to only have one remedy open at a time.

 

Prepare the first remedy.  If the homeopathic remedy you are using is the tiny pinhead pellets, shake about 10-15 into the dish, being very careful not to touch them.  If any bounce out, they are ruined and must be discarded.  If you are using a remedy made of the larger pellets, shake out 3.  Let them sit in the water for at least 60 seconds. Then you draw the water back up into the syringe.  It is now ready to dose your rat. Wrap this syringe carefully in fresh plastic wrap to keep it clean.  Be sure the tip of the syringe is covered. Be sure the first remedy bottle is closed before you open the second one.

 

Prepare the second remedy in the same way.

 

It is best to give the arnica twice, once about 15-30 minutes before the surgery, and one afterwards.  You only need to put a few drops of the remedy in the rat’s mouth.  After giving the arnica before the surgery, wrap the syringe back up in the plastic wrap for later use.  If you are using aconite for shock, as soon as the rat wakes up after the surgery, give the dose of aconite.  15 minutes later give a second dose of arnica.

 

If you can only do one remedy, do the aconite.  With a large tumor, the biggest danger after the surgery is shock.


This article is meant to be only an introduction to homeopathic medicine.  If you are interested in learning more I encourage you to find a local expert to learn from, and to invest in some good books.

 

 

Aconite is for sudden onset, like the first sneeze of a cold. Its main use with animals is for shock accompanied by fear, so it addresses some physical, but more of the emotional component.  It is a very short-acting remedy...about 30 minutes max, and is a great post-surgical remedy if shock is a possibility. Give it as soon as the rat comes out of anesthetic. Aconite is given only once ... never twice.

Arnica is for physical (not emotional) trauma, pain and shock, whether these happened in the past or just happened, so it’s the first choice for surgery.  It generally is given at a lower potency (usually 30c) about 15-20 minutes before the surgery and then at a higher potency (usually 1m) about 15 minutes after the surgery.  Arnica also is great for head trauma and, I’ve just learned is specific for mammary tumors.

Bellis is specific for deep trauma to the pelvis or abdomen and works like Arnica in these areas. It is good instead of arnica for spays and neuters and any tumor removal which involves the penetration of the abdomen or any abdominal organ (the testicles are included here). Bellis helps with pain and promotes healing like Arnica, but is less specific for shock.

 


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