Casper's Life Saved by Homeopathy

Casper is a sweet cat. He is blessed with a loving home and a devoted owner, who will go to great trouble and cost to give Casper the best possible care. In spite of this, Casper has suffered much in his life and at the age of six, when he should be in his prime, there is talk of putting him to sleep to end his suffering. The side effects of the medicine he has had to take for most of his life are becoming unbearable.Casper's owner, probably out of desperation, decided to try homeopathy before finally giving up. She has certainly already spent more than a small fortune on Casper's veterinary care over the years, so what has she got to lose?

Casper became my patient exactly a year ago when he was brought to me for homeopathic treatment. At that time he had been on increasing doses of steroids for five of his six years of life because of an excruciating skin complaint. Without daily steroid doses Casper would scratch himself till he was bleeding. Unfortunately prolonged steroid use meant he could only move with difficulty and now also his breathing was becoming affected.

I examined Casper, consulted his vet's notes and talked to his owner at length about all aspects of Casper's life and character.Casper was found in a dustbin at the age of only about five weeks old. He was skinny, riddled with fleas, suffering from cat flu and of course, far too young to be away from his mother. His condition was such that he was not expected to survive. He was taken in, nursed, loved and cared for and he developed into a sweet and beautiful cat. Casper was described by his owner as "a weed". He was shy, timid, quiet and known to keep his distance from guests to the house, cats in the garden or other perceived threats. All reservation melted away, however, where his owner was concerned. Casper relied on his owner in an almost obsessive manner. He would always stay near, following her as well as he could from room to room. When he was feeling particularly poorly, he would snuggle up on her chest, purring and staring at her intently. He would want to suck her neck in the manner of a suckling kitten in spite of being a six year old mature male. Casper never showed any aggression; he would merely withdraw in fear if approached by anybody other than his owner.

On the basis of Casper's history of early neglect, especially in the light of his life-long pattern of behaving like a timid, needy, suckling kitten, I prescribed the homeopathic remedy Lac felinum. The response was immediate: After about one week, Casper stopped rubbing, scratching and licking his sores. Now, one year down the line, his injuries are just a distant memory, no steroids have been given for months now, no other homeopathic remedies have been necessary - and Casper has never been better. Strikingly, his behaviour has changed as well. He is much less obsessively needy of his owner and he now interacts with other people. He is happier, healthier and much more confident than ever before, I would say that Casper has finally put his difficult childhood behind him and has grown up.

I am sharing this case for several reasons. Not just because it demonstrates the effectiveness of homeopathy for animals but also because it illustrates a couple of interesting points: First of all that illness from early psychological trauma doesn't just occur in humans. There can be many different roots to disease. Identifying this in each case is crucial for a real cure to take place. In my opinion, emotional and physical neglect early in life was at the heart of Casper's years of suffering.

Secondly, but not at all unusually, this is an example of the "TEETH" ("Tried Everything Else Try Homeopathy") -approach to homeopathic treatment. Think of the suffering that could have been avoided if Casper had had homeopathic treatment earlier in life. Too often homeopathy is used as a last resort where it really could be the first port of call. I look forward to the day when homeopathy is sought for absolutely any sick animal - at least starting with all those that are now prescribed steroids. Wouldn't that be an advance in animal health?

Lisa Hansen is a veterinary surgeon and a homeopath working in London.

You can contact Lisa via www.alternative-vet.co.uk

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