I originally tried to post this in the article section regarding OTC meds, etc.: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/otc-medications-safe-for-cats. Let's just say I got a little "long winded" in my comment, so I couldn't post it there.
I just wanted to comment on #9, Homeopathic Medicines. While it is true that when a remedy is prepared, whoever (person or company) is preparing it first extracts the medicinal constituents using alcohol, this produces what is called the 'mother tincture.' This is only the first step. Mother tinctures should never directly be used for kitties. Next it must be diluted with purified water to get the desired potency.
The mother tincture is diluted at various levels to prepare remedies. For example, a dilution of 9 drops of water to 1 drop of mother tincture makes a 1X potency. For a 2X potency, 1 drop of the 1X liquid is diluted with 9 drops of water. (A 1 to 9 ratio.)
What we actually want to use with kitties is a 'C' potency. C potency's are 1 drop of mother tincture diluted with 99 drops of water. (A 1 to 99 ratio) This would give you a 1C potency. That being said, for kitties a 30C potency should be used in most acute cases. A 30C potency is diluted 1 to 130 times (you're repeating the process 30 times). Kind of confusing, but hope this makes sense.
The higher the potency, the more dilutions required.
Once these [diluted] C potencies are prepared, the liquid (which is a good part water, which has effectively diluted the amount of alcohol from the extracting done for the mother tincture preparation), is added to tiny sugar pellets, pills, or pillules. They are literally the tiniest pills I've ever seen or used.
Kitties can be given the actual tiny pellet under the tongue called "dry dosing" (no easy feat!) or dissolve the little pellet in a dropper bottle (liquid dosing) with a dropper of filtered water and administer from this bottle with the dropper.
With my kitties (and it is recommended), I dose 1 time. Wait 20-30 minutes and if no improvement, give another dose. Wait 20 minutes, and if no improvement, give another dose of that same remedy. If after the third dose, and no improvement, I do NOT use this remedy again for the problem I'm using it for. I search for a different remedy that fits the symptoms. A great site that helps me in this regard is: http://abchomeopathy.com/detail.htm. I use their Online Remedy Finder to find a remedy that may fit my particular kitty's symptoms (it's for humans, but still useful for me to extrapolate info
).
Note that you should not touch the pellet (it is said that this can render it ineffective). Instead use a clean piece of paper to drop the pellet onto and then transfer it to the dropper bottle from the paper.
It is very important to work with someone **well-versed** in Homeopathy to ensure you are getting the best remedy for your kitty. Homeopathy is not benign--if the wrong remedy is given it can make things worse, so having a well-versed Homeopath is a must! It will take, on average, an hour+ with a reputable Homeopath to fully take your kitty's history (called taking their "case"). Homeopathy can be a very effective way to treat kitties, but one must be very judicious in choosing a Homeopath.
I'm not a fan of so-called combo remedies or already prepared OTC liquid remedies. <==Because they may aggravate a condition and are a one-size-fits-all approach--each kitty is unique. Also, these remedies might not be prepared as in true Homeopathy. Always, always have a homeopath take your kitty's case! I get the little jars of single remedies in pill form and do the liquid dosing technique above. The only exception I've made is in the use of Traumeel, a combo remedy in pill form. I always purchase remedies from a reputable source that sells only homeopathic remedies as single remedies, not combo remedies--and never liquid ones, always pillule form.
Hope this helps a bit to clarify on the use of alcohol (it is used to extract the constituents)--and it is only used in the mother tincture, which should never be given to kitties. By the time you have a 30C potency, the alcohol content is infinitesimal.
I didn't go into the process of "successing," but hopefully the above helped a bit.
See why this didn't fit in the comments section of the original article?
I just wanted to comment on #9, Homeopathic Medicines. While it is true that when a remedy is prepared, whoever (person or company) is preparing it first extracts the medicinal constituents using alcohol, this produces what is called the 'mother tincture.' This is only the first step. Mother tinctures should never directly be used for kitties. Next it must be diluted with purified water to get the desired potency.
The mother tincture is diluted at various levels to prepare remedies. For example, a dilution of 9 drops of water to 1 drop of mother tincture makes a 1X potency. For a 2X potency, 1 drop of the 1X liquid is diluted with 9 drops of water. (A 1 to 9 ratio.)
What we actually want to use with kitties is a 'C' potency. C potency's are 1 drop of mother tincture diluted with 99 drops of water. (A 1 to 99 ratio) This would give you a 1C potency. That being said, for kitties a 30C potency should be used in most acute cases. A 30C potency is diluted 1 to 130 times (you're repeating the process 30 times). Kind of confusing, but hope this makes sense.
Once these [diluted] C potencies are prepared, the liquid (which is a good part water, which has effectively diluted the amount of alcohol from the extracting done for the mother tincture preparation), is added to tiny sugar pellets, pills, or pillules. They are literally the tiniest pills I've ever seen or used.
Kitties can be given the actual tiny pellet under the tongue called "dry dosing" (no easy feat!) or dissolve the little pellet in a dropper bottle (liquid dosing) with a dropper of filtered water and administer from this bottle with the dropper.
With my kitties (and it is recommended), I dose 1 time. Wait 20-30 minutes and if no improvement, give another dose. Wait 20 minutes, and if no improvement, give another dose of that same remedy. If after the third dose, and no improvement, I do NOT use this remedy again for the problem I'm using it for. I search for a different remedy that fits the symptoms. A great site that helps me in this regard is: http://abchomeopathy.com/detail.htm. I use their Online Remedy Finder to find a remedy that may fit my particular kitty's symptoms (it's for humans, but still useful for me to extrapolate info
Note that you should not touch the pellet (it is said that this can render it ineffective). Instead use a clean piece of paper to drop the pellet onto and then transfer it to the dropper bottle from the paper.
It is very important to work with someone **well-versed** in Homeopathy to ensure you are getting the best remedy for your kitty. Homeopathy is not benign--if the wrong remedy is given it can make things worse, so having a well-versed Homeopath is a must! It will take, on average, an hour+ with a reputable Homeopath to fully take your kitty's history (called taking their "case"). Homeopathy can be a very effective way to treat kitties, but one must be very judicious in choosing a Homeopath.
I'm not a fan of so-called combo remedies or already prepared OTC liquid remedies. <==Because they may aggravate a condition and are a one-size-fits-all approach--each kitty is unique. Also, these remedies might not be prepared as in true Homeopathy. Always, always have a homeopath take your kitty's case! I get the little jars of single remedies in pill form and do the liquid dosing technique above. The only exception I've made is in the use of Traumeel, a combo remedy in pill form. I always purchase remedies from a reputable source that sells only homeopathic remedies as single remedies, not combo remedies--and never liquid ones, always pillule form.
Hope this helps a bit to clarify on the use of alcohol (it is used to extract the constituents)--and it is only used in the mother tincture, which should never be given to kitties. By the time you have a 30C potency, the alcohol content is infinitesimal.
I didn't go into the process of "successing," but hopefully the above helped a bit.
See why this didn't fit in the comments section of the original article?
