OBSTACLES TO CURE IN VETERINARY MEDICINE

From the July/August issue of Homeopathy Today

Veterinary Homeopathy
Before the Remedy
Obstacles to cure in Veterinary Medicine

by Michele Yasson, DVM

Hahnemann himself said in the Oregon, paragraph 261, "the most expedient regimen is based upon the removal of any ... obstacles to cure." In my practice I have found those obstacles that are most detrimental to the progress of a case to boil down to these three:

• Poor nutrition
• Vaccines
• Suppression or palliation of chronic illness by conventional treatment

These are three areas where pet owners can do much to correct problems before ever having to even lift a repertory. Not only can they do it, but they must in many cases to get any degree of success. This series of articles will examine all three areas, starting with nutrition.

Our pets, mainly dogs and cats, are our sweet sources of joy, and it may be difficult to imagine a pack of yorkies taking down deer or antelope in the backyard, but they are natural carnivores just the same. The closer you come to a diet of raw whole prey for them, the less likely it is fore poor nutrition to be a potential obstacle to cure. Short of setting mice loose in the living room for your kitties to scuffle with, here are some suggestions to approach that ideal in order of quality.

1. Semi-moist foods. Don’t even think about it. It’s like serving a twinkie with a vitamin on it.

2. Dry foods. A better choice by far but still detrimental, especially for cats. All mammals are meant to eat fresh, whole, natural foods not dehydrated foods. Beef jerky doesn’t have nearly the nutrition of fresh steak.

Within this category certainly the higher quality natural brands are preferred. Fortunately, these are becoming more available, not only at health food stores, but at general pet and feed supply outlets. Generally, I tell my clients to think of dry foods as being on the level of pizza and beer for us. Most folks can do it once in a while and not suffer at all. But as a mainstay it is going to cause problems.

3. Canned Foods. This is the minimal level of quality for healthy maintenance and for animals that need to do some healing. For dog owners with financial restrictions, feeding half dry and half canned might do if the dog is already fairly healthy and if the food is a good quality, natural type.

The same cannot be said for cats. Cats are a desert species originally. This means they have evolved water metabolism needs hat are met by the bodily fluids of their prey, not by an open source of water. When they are healthy and on a healthy diet (no dry food) they stop drinking water outside of a sip or two per week. They stop drinking water! Amazing, no?

I didn’t believe it myself until I watched it happen with my own cats. One might think that cats could compensate for the lack of water in dry food by drinking, or owners could compensate by adding water to the food, but a water soaked piece of jerky does not a filet mignon make. In my practice a good many problems are eliminated by taking cats off dry food and feeding canned food instead, including such things as feline urologic syndrome, dermatitis, arthritis, "kidney failure" (as diagnosed by conventional blood tests), and constipation.

4. Fresh prepared foods. This is the best choice just as it is for us. After all, a mammal is a mammal. The best rules of thumb that I know are as follows: for cats ½ meat, 1/4 grain, 1/4 vegetables (after all, carnivores most often choose herbivores as their prey and eat their intestinal contents which are predigested, or "cooked" vegetables), and 1/3 meat, 1/3 grain, 1/3 vegetables for dogs.

The very best book for full detail, flawless recipes is Dr Richard and Susan Pitcairn’s Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. This book is a wealth of all sorts of information for anyone interested in natural pet care. It is probably on the shelf at your local health food store, and it is certainly available through the Natural Center for Homeopathy at (703) 548-7790.

Many of my clients are busy New Yorkers who say they don’t have the time to prepare meals for their pets. If there is a serious illness to address there is no choice. However, if not, I like to tell my clients that virtually anything they are eating that is healthy for them is healthy for their pets, so share liberally, up to 50% of the total volume, that is, and only if the added foods are provided in variety to avoid creating imbalances.

I hope this provides a start for removing some of those obstacles to cure and getting your pet on the road to recovery or better health maintenance

BACK TO TOP