(Buster’s Blog) Hot Dog – Hot Spots!

Hi! Buster, the Bad Office Dog, here!

I’ve had a lot going on since the last time I was able to write to you! You know Mom and Dad moved this year, so I’ve been busy exploring new walking trails, testing new corners for napping and sniffing a whole bunch of new things. (Sniffing takes up so much time.)

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about a friend of mine named Lilly. I think she’s beautiful! And I think she knows how I feel about her.

But sometimes, she gets withdrawn. She hangs back to herself and seems sad. She might have allergies ‘cause this flares up in the spring and fall. It broke her mom’s heart to see her suffer.

(Hey, come to think of it you might know her mom, Kate — the nice lady who does podcasts with my Mom, Joette.)

Kate had been treating Lilly’s allergies with Calc carb 200 and Bovista 200 to uproot Lilly’s chronic allergies. It’s been a huge success overall for Lilly (when her mom continues it long enough throughout the allergy season).

That protocol is from a blog post Mom wrote about human-people-allergies. Of course, homeopathy works in the exact same way for us furry people, too.

It even works for non-furry pets. I remember overhearing a podcast about a lady who treated her bearded dragon! (Although, speaking for dogs everywhere, I don’t understand why someone would want a bearded dragon.  Eww.

They aren’t fluffy at all.

But back to my story.

One day while Lilly’s groomer was giving her some pampering, she noticed a hot spot!

Do humans get hot spots? Well, they are acute areas of tender, raw irritation — red, hot sores we can’t leave alone even though you keep telling us, “No!” We can’t help it! THEY ITCH! So, we scratch, lick, nibble and gnaw on the spots until they get worse and worse — and become downright painful.

It suddenly clicked in Kate’s mind: she needed to reach for her homeopathy kit again — but this time for a remedy for an acute condition, not just a chronic.

Long ago, she had written down a remedy she had researched: Kali carbonicum 30C for hot spots. (Believe me, if I could keep notes — I mean, if pens didn’t slip through my paws — I would jot down every remedy I heard about. You never know when you might need those notes!)

Mom was proud of Kate’s successful research. Most people first think of Kali carb for respiratory issues. But, Boericke’s materia medica also mentions its association with burning in the skin “as in a mustard plaster” — which almost perfectly describes hot spots, right? Other materia medicas mention itching, hives, and sensitivities. So, it was a great remedy choice!

Kate followed the directions and gave four doses of Kali carb throughout the first day and then twice a day after that. She discontinued when the wound began to heal, and Lilly was no longer preoccupied with gnawing or licking the spot. (Naturally, just as with you humans, if Lilly had started picking at it again, then Kate would have simply resumed the remedy.)

Look! Is that a squirrel? Oh, sorry. I get distracted easily.

Anyway, Kate also knew to give Apis mellifica 30C which usually helped relieve Lilly’s terrible itching.

Apis might not be the first remedy that comes to your mind. (Okay, maybe not even the second!) There are several remedies that work well for itching. For instance, I generally take something else. (You might remember I wrote a blog about what Mom used when I had fleas).

But Mom says it’s always important to remember homeopathy is often symptom-specific — or in this case, dog-specific.

Kate had tried the various itching remedies and eventually found Lilly responded best to Apis, especially in a 30C potency. So, in addition to the Kali carb, she continued with the Apis 30 for Lilly’s itching — you know, just to get her through the “ruff” period.

So, don’t let your furry pets suffer from hot spots! Remember to use homeopathy for them, just as you do for your human family members. We’ll drink remedies if you dissolve them in our water or you can slide them between our cheeks and gums.

I lick my remedies right up off the floor when Mom puts them in front of me … but of course, I’m very talented.

Oops! Mom just caught me at her computer, and I really do think that was a squirrel. I’m going to check it out, and let Mom take over…

If you don’t have a materia medica in your homeopathy library, you should!

They are invaluable resources to guide you through your remedy choices. There are many good ones available. But, I’ve also written my own in easy-to-understand language, including my personal insights and experiences — the signs I’ve learned over the years that help me know when to use a particular remedy. I encourage you to own A Materia Medica: Practical Homeopathy® for Busy Families as a stellar foundation for your continuing homeopathy education.

Warmly,