Treatment with individualized homeopathic remedies unsuccessful

Dear Sir,

Our recent article (Can Vet J 2002;43:601–603) on the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis with a commercial homeopathic remedy certainly provoked a lot of commentary (1). One of the recurring criticisms of our study was that homeopathic veterinarians would not prescribe such a “combination cocktail” product, as all remedies must be individualized for each patient. To that effect, we think the readers of The Canadian Veterinary Journal will be interested in the results of a small follow-up study.

Our original intent was to carry out a 2-phase project on canine atopic dermatitis. Phase 1 was the placebo-controlled, blinded study in which the commercial remedy (Skin and Seborrhea Remedy; HomeoPet, West Hampton Beach, New York, USA) was used. The results of phase 1 have been published. In phase 2, dogs that had failed to benefit from the commercial remedy were then to be treated with specific, individualized homeopathic remedies. To this end, a homeopathic veterinarian, who is the veterinary consultant to HomeoPet, designed a 9-page, 87-question questionnaire that was filled out by the dog owners. The completed questionnaire — a lengthy, in-depth probing of each dog's health, environment, behavior, and so forth — was returned to the homeopathic veterinarian, who then prescribed a specific, individualized remedy(s) for each dog. Each remedy was administered orally as a single agent, for a 3-week period.a

Five dogs from our recent article (1) progressed on to phase 2:

• Case 1 received Mercury 30c

• Case 3 received Sulfur 6c, then Sulfur 6x

• Case 4 received Pulsatilla 30c, then Urtica urens 6c, then Lachesis 6c

• Case 5 received Natmur 30c

• Case 11 received Lycopodium

  No dog had any reduction in its level of pruritus.

Clearly, this is a small study. However, at least it is in print! Special, individualized homeopathic remedies — prescribed by a homeopathic veterinarian — were of no benefit to 5 dogs with atopic dermatitis.