I find it rather a sad reflection of humanity, that people mess around so badly with animal breeds, creating weaknesses in the name of sport, entertainment, profit, tradition and other non-essential aspects. Perhaps the Dachshund is a typical example.
Initially bred to go down small holes to catch burrowing animals, the breed is still very much alive today, with all the same inherent weaknesses that come from a long back.
Rex, a 6 year old Dachshund had already undergone one back operation, costing thousands of dollars, He had suffered badly afterwards, whimpering and crying, showing pain and distress. His people vowed never to do the same again, even if they could afford it.
But, as often happens a year or two after an operation, the problem returned.
This time, they had some experience of what homeopathic treatment could do, so they brought him to see me.
Some aspects of the problem were obvious and easy to treat. But only having an objective viewpoint of the problems can be challenging for a homeopath. So I tend to rely a lot on the animal’s reaction to a remedy, to decide whether or not it is needed. Some dogs really get into this, and clearly show their preferences. Others are either more closed or more excited. Rex was the latter, always excited to come and see me, eagerly taking in all the exciting new smells and scents, perhaps enjoying the energy the stock of remedies give out.
So he wasn’t much help to me. I’d often have to guess what he might be experiencing, send him home with a selection of remedies and wait for him to show his people what he needed.
Initially he experienced acute pain, a complete paralysis of his back, no reaction to stimulus of his back feet, dragging his back legs to get around, with a painful spot on his back.
The first thing that he needed help with was the pain. This settled back to virtually nothing within 24 hours.
Then we had to get on to the paralysis. Rex loved his remedy for this and took it enthusiastically, but progress was slow. However, Rex was happy, eating well and comfortable.
He made it absolutely clear he desperately needed the remedy for damaged tendons, by getting excited at the mere mention of the remedy’s name.
Despite the slow progress, things were progressing. Rex’s family were brilliant, providing him with love, massage, a support sling to get about and encouragement, ingredients essential to any restoration of health.
For my part, I spent a lot of time researching and reading. This amount of after hours attention is not uncommon in homeopaths..
After just one dose of the last remedy, he got up, and started to walk all by himself, on all four legs. He was, not surprisingly, very wobbly. His muscles needed to regain their strength, but he was walking,
This was a phone call I had been eagerly awaiting, and it called for celebration. However, it was not unexpected. His people were happy to put in the time I needed to cover all angles. Often this aspect is not given to us homeopaths, which is a pity. It’s not always easy to see the way forward, but it becomes clearer with time.
The cost of the treatment to Rex was simply the inconvenience of not getting around for a few weeks. The cost of his homeopathic treatment to his people amounted to 5% of the cost of the earlier operation.
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