Outcomes from homeopathic prescribing in veterinary practice: a prospective, research-targeted, pilot study.

The paper elaborates on a pilot study that analyzes results from using homeopathic treatment in veterinary practice. The study was conducted over a 6-month period with 8 Faculty of Homeopathy veterinarians recording data related to homeopathic treatments administered to different species, including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, goats, cows, and tortoises.

Methodology of the Study

• The data collection process was technologically aided through a specifically designed Excel spreadsheet, which allowed the recording of various kinds of information such as the date, patient details (anonymously), species of the patient, medical condition or complaint treated, diagnosis details, whether the case was chronic or acute, new or a follow-up, the homeopathic medicine/s prescribed, and any other medication used for the condition/complaint.
• This provided a comprehensive view of the treatment process and allowed a structured and systematic collection of clinical information.
• The involved practitioners submitted these spreadsheets via email every month to the project organizers for data verification, compilation, and analysis.

Results of the Study

• The data was regularly and timely submitted by the practitioners, with most fields in the spreadsheet being properly filled out.
• In total, 767 individual patients were treated during the study, constituting a variety of animals.
• Outcomes after two or more homeopathic appointments were assessed in 539 cases. It was found that around 80% showed improvement, 6.1% showed deterioration, 11.7% showed no change while in 2.4% of follow-ups outcome was not recorded.
• Particularly effective results (+2 or +3 scores) were seen in conditions like arthritis and epilepsy in dogs and, to a lesser extent, in atopic dermatitis, gingivitis and hyperthyroidism in cats.

Conclusions of the Study

• The paper concludes that a systematic method of data recording in clinical veterinary practice is both attainable and beneficial in generating insights for future research in the field of veterinary homeopathy.
• A refined and improved version of the used spreadsheet could prove to be a valuable tool in larger-scale data collection projects targeted at research in veterinary homeopathy.