Homeopathy is a system of medicine that consists of treating the individual with highly diluted substances in order to activate the body’s own natural healing system.
As someone who strives to live a natural, toxic-free lifestyle as much as possible, I find homeopathy and other holistic therapies extremely valuable in the first aid and corrective care of my rats.
Homeopathy is based on the energetic principle that “like” treats “like”. So, for example, if an animal has ingested a poison, it is actually a small amount of that poison that acts as an antidote.
In homeopathy, individual personality traits and constitution are very important considerations when the homeopath / caregiver diagnoses or chooses a suitable remedy.
Having a detailed Materia Medica, which is like a homeopathic dictionary, helps to match the key characteristics of the patient with the right remedy for him.
It helps to have one of the homeopathic first aid kits now available on the market. They contain around 36 to 42 remedies for common ailments, usually with a detailed booklet to help you choose the correct remedy.
Homeopathy comes in various “potencies” that are based on the strength of the necessary remedy. They can be in 6c, 12c, 30c, 200c and so on.
For my rats, I will generally start with 6c or 30c depending on the severity of the symptoms.
In general I usually administer 30c once a day for 3 days observing the effects before any repetition. If it is for an ongoing chronic case, 6c may be required several times a day. The pills can be crushed into a piece of pear or cherry and given to the rat, but it is best eaten directly away from food.
It is worth mentioning that homeopathy can also be used as a preventive aid to maintain the health of the individual by matching the remedy to your pet’s characteristic ‘profile’. Homeopathy used in this way can actually help keep certain imbalances in check and can help boost immunity in general.
Some common useful remedies for rats are: –
Aconite: fear, fright, shock, as a tranquilizer for a distressed animal or before veterinary visits / nail trimming
Antimonium Tartaricum – breath sounds rales, shortness of breath
Arnica: as first aid in case of injuries, pain and postoperative healing.
Carbo Vegetalis: collapse, weak, blue and lifeless, trapped wind
Hepar Sulph: boils and disappears with pain and discharge.
Hypericum: nerve injury, postoperative pain