This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.
The Homoeopathic Treatment of Small Animals
by Christopher Day
C. W. Daniel, 1990, 203 pages, paperback
reviewed by Caroline Hayon
Caroline Hayon is an Associate Member from Southampton.
Christopher Day's book 'The Homoeopathic Treatment of Small Animals' is concerned with the treatment of small domestic pets, especially cats and dogs, including small anecdotes on how tortoises, lizards, fish and Cleo the reticulated python were treated homoeopathically.
Many people will remember seeing the vet Christopher Day on the QED television programme on homoeopathy which was broadcast in January 1991. He presented a very convincing case for the effectiveness of homoeopathy. He has a rural practice which treats both farm animals and domestic pets and has been actively involved in research into, and the furthering of, veterinary homoeopathy.
This book is an introductory work on homoeopathy for use by veterinary surgeons and pet owners. The first seven chapters discuss the philosophy and principles that underlie homoeopathy in general and veterinary homoeopaths in particular. They are mostly concise and cover everything from the story of Hahnemann through to the vital force and alternative methods of approaching treatment with a detailed discussion on how to take a case. The chapter on case management and potency is a brave attempt at one of the most complex issues in homoeopathy but may leave the new comer to homoeopathy dazed and confused.
The middle section of the book deals with the practical aspects of using homoeopathy on small animals. Due to the enormous amount of material which is covered in these chapters there is not nearly enough depth and if you wish to treat an animal you will need to refer to materia medicas and repertories. The content of the chapters is organized by ailment rather than by animal although there is a short chapter on diseases for specific animals. The reader is assumed to have a reasonable knowledge of the ailments before using this book.
Towards the end of the book there are some interesting chapters on homoeopathy in the prevention of disease and the use of nosodes as homoeopathic vaccinations. These chapters may prove especially useful to those who are already familiar with the philosophy and principles of homoeopathy, but again newcomers to homoeopathy may find these chapters confusing.
In the final part of the book there is a chapter of case histories and a short materia medica. Presumably due to restrictions of space the materia medica does not contain all of the remedies mentioned throughout the book, which reinforces the requirement that alternative materia medicas and repertories are needed in order for this book to be at all useful.
The Homoeopathic Treatment of Small Animals is an essential reference book for vets and pet owners to be used with other relevant books. Some sections of the book are perhaps beyond the scope of the pet owner and other sections may appear too obvious to a veterinary surgeon; this is perhaps inevitable in a book that attempts to cover so much ground in only 203 pages. We can only hope that one day Christopher Day will have the necessary time to expand this book to a volume of two or three times the size giving us the benefit of his vast experience of veterinary homoeopathy.
There are many interesting snippets of information throughout this book and at no time does it become dry or dense. The only shame is that in the appendix of useful addresses the Society of Homoeopaths is not mentioned, perhaps this could be corrected when this book is reprinted.
The Homoeopath Vol.11 No.3 1991