CATS, Homeopathic remedies

Recensie

This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.
2 Artizan Road, Northampton NN1 4HU, United Kingdom.

CATS: HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES &
DOGS: HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES
both books by George MacLeod published by C.W. Daniel & Co.Ltd. Saffron Walden 1990
Reviewed by Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson RSHom, lives with Mereline, four dogs, assorted cats, some computers, and a busy practice, in Northampton.

Many of you will know that Mereline, my partner and I are very committed to animal welfare and have wide experience of using homoeopathic remedies in the treatment of small animals especially cats and dogs. George MacLeod MRCVS, DVCSM, is one of the UK's homoeopathic stalwarts and was for many years one of the few vets with very much experience of homoeopathy. In earlier years I recall vividly many telephone conversations that I have had with George asking his advice for particular animals ill at the time. He was not a young man then and with all the phone calls that we had he never seemed hurried or rushed, and was always very helpful in his typically dour Scottish manner.

Now there are quite a few books around on veterinary homoeopathy but ten years ago there was only Kay Sheppard's two books on dogs and cats, rather slim volumes, but it was all there was and they were surprisingly useful. Indeed I recall that if you were looking for something about a cat and it wasn't in the cat book you could often find it in the dog book instead; I think it was because the book on dogs was published a little later and has a few extra pages.

George MacLeod has already published books on the homoeopathic treatment of horses and cattle and I might mention he had previously given a long paper on the homoeopathic treatment of goats, in the VH Journal. I mention that because George is very popular and well respected in the homoeopathic goat keeping world. I have been fortunate to listen to George MacLeod speak on a couple of occasions and I can tell you he is usually at his best when answering questions, his experience and particularly interesting anecdote begin to sparkle.

Dogs: Homoeopathic Remedies was previously published as the Homoeopathic Treatment of Dogs by the Homoeopathic Development Foundation, and the new volume is virtually the same although I have not compared them word for word. It will help you to understand the arrangement of style of the book if you know something about the way George MacLeod prescribed. He is a great fan of Hughes and so tends to rely more on physical symptoms rather than psychological ones. The two books are very similar in their arrangement in that they take the various differences of the digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system, urinary tract, muscular skeletal system etc, and the various diseases found under each section. The general comment about the condition its aetiology, clinical signs and treatment. Under cystitis for example there are twelve remedies with a few fines on the indication of each.

I found these are both very useful books for serious prescribing for cats and dogs, together with helpful information for those not trained in veterinary medicine. I would not recommend the two books as the first books to buy on veterinary homoeopathy, for that I would suggest The Homoeopathic Treatment of Small Animals: Principles and Practice by Christopher Day, also published by C.W.Daniel & Co. Ltd., at 8.95 pounds. This is a much more general book and could be recommended to patients whose hobby is to treat their animals with homoeopathic medicines. George MacLeod's two books are not intended for beginners but they would be very useful for orthodox vets who are interested in using homoeopathy. A note of caution: although as homoeopaths we are allowed to treat two legged patients under common law, we arc not allowed to treat the four legged variety and especially I suggest that you do not charge fees for it.

These are useful additions to your library if you are at all involved in the treatment of cats and dogs as many of us are.

The Homoeopath Vol.11 No.4 1991

This book review is reprinted from the British Homoeopathic Journal Volume 79, Number 3, July 1990, with permission from Peter Fisher, Editor.

This book, like the others by George Macleod, is brim full of interesting and useful indications. The author's knowledge of an enormous number and variety of medicines is remarkable. There is no doubt that George Macleod is the Guru of veterinary homoeopathy and a great inspiration to all veterinary surgeons practising homoeopathy.

The materia medica section alone contains more than 200 medicines and is almost a book in itself, I am pleased to see the inclusion of Rescue Remedy (although this is not strictly homoeopathic in its preparation), because it is so useful for shock and trauma of any sort; like Arnica it should be in the medicine chest of every household for both human and animal use.

The format of the main text is similar to George Macleod's other books and deals with each system of the body in turn.

Cats are prone to a number of respiratory conditions including viral infections which do not necessarily respond well to conventional therapy and tend to recur, eventually becoming chronic and very difficult to clear up. The medicines suggested are therefore a useful guide to the treatment of these conditions, particularly sinusitis and tonsillitis. Many cats suffer in later life from nephritis and other urinary infections and the chapter on diseases of the urinary tract includes a number of prescriptions which can be very helpful in the older cat, used instead of ordinary drugs, or on a longer term basis perhaps to follow more conventional treatment and delay or obviate the relapses which often occur in such cases.

Allergic conditions seem to show themselves more and more frequently in all species of animals today and medicines to counteract these tiresome reactions to all sorts of stimuli are a welcome inclusion in the book.

Skin complaints are not so widespread in cats as they are in dogs, for instance, but miliary eczemas and alopecia, often associated with the neutering of either sex, can be difficult to treat. In the short term, conventional therapy with hormone-related products can bring about resolution, but in the chronic case increased appetite followed by overweight and lassitude can be undersirable side-effects. The more gentle approach of potentized hormonal preparations can be very beneficial in many instances.

The book finishes with a comprehensive chapter on specific diseases, most of which are viral in origin and diagnosed more frequently than they used to be with improved diagnostic techniques; most are extremely difficult to treat. At least with homoeopathy we have a number of medicines indicated on a symptomatic and 'like for like' basis, and George Macleod sets these out on a rational basis for each of the diseases mentioned.

There are not many books on the subject of veterinary homoeopathy and George Macleod has written five of those that are available and also a chapter on medicines for Goats which is included in Ken Biddis' book Homoeopathy in Veterinary Practice. This book on cats is therefore a welcome addition to the collection.

It will be of great interest to veterinary surgeons who practise homoeopathy and also of use to many cat breeders and boarding cattery proprietors who are conversant with homoeopathic medicine. In my opinion, because it is an authoritative work and could be considered almost a text book on the subject, it may be a little too detailed and involved for the average cat owner. However I have spoken to one or two clients who have cats and who have already purchased a copy of this book and they are pleased with it, finding it both interesting and helpful.

George Macleod is now a household name where animal homoeopathy is concerned and I have no doubt that the book will find itself on the shelf of many committed animal and homoeopathy lovers and be a valued and useful possession.

Name not given.

British Homoeopathic Journal
Volume 79, Number 3, July 1990