Anaphylaxis. It’s one of the scariest events you can face as a dog owner.
It may be rare, but if it happens, it’s a true emergency and you need to know what to do – FAST – before it kills your dog.
Rushing to the emergency clinic may not be quick enough to save your dog’s life.
Picture This Situation
You take your dog to the vet for a rabies shot. You’re concerned about vaccine reactions and ask your vet about the risks.
She assures you that they’re rare – and says that if something does happen, it will probably be immediate, while you’re still in the vet’s office.
So you say OK, go ahead.
Yes, it can happen. Your dog may have a severe reaction, become unconscious, or drop dead within seconds or minutes of being injected. If it doesn’t happen that quickly, is it safe to assume it won’t happen at all?
Your dog seems fine and is mooching treats from the receptionist as you pay your bill. So far, so good. You drive home.
But a few hours later, your dog’s face swells up and he starts shaking his head. Pretty soon he’s having trouble breathing, his gums look pale … and suddenly he slumps on the floor, unconscious.
These are the most common symptoms of anaphylactic shock.
You know this is a very dangerous situation. But you’re a half hour drive from the emergency vet and there’s no time to waste in saving your dog’s life.
What can you do to rescue your dog from deadly anaphylactic shock?
Fortunately, there’s a solution that you can use at home, as long as you’ve taken the trouble to prepare yourself beforehand.
Here’s what you need.
3 Homeopathic Remedies
The following three homeopathic remedies are all applicable to the state of shock, both emotionally and physically. You will use them all together to address the symptoms of shock.
If I knew the cause of the shock, would I add the remedy/remedies to address it? Yes, of course, but this is not a predictable situation.
In Dr. Hahnemann’s complete medical system called Heilkunst, distinction is made between the remedies that address the cause and the remedies that address the symptoms. When you don’t know the cause, you must address the symptoms.
That’s why we base this particular formula on the predictable symptoms, and it will help your dog survive the immediate emergency.
Aconitum Napellus
Aconitum is a prime remedy for shock and fear or any illness or symptoms that come on very suddenly.
It’s also a great remedy for you to take yourself in an emergency like this with your dog, considering what you go through when your beloved pet is in danger!
Apis Mellifica
The remedy Apis is made from the honey bee. It’s a great remedy if your dog’s actually been stung by a bee (so it’s a good one to keep handy in summer months), but it also works for acute reactions that are similar to a sting.
If I had to choose only one remedy to rely on in case of anaphylaxis, it would be this one. Severe allergic reactions of any kind are almost identical to a bee sting reaction. In homeopathy the best results come from matching your dog’s symptoms to those that are typical for the remedy. This is known as the law of similars, or “like cures like.”
Arnica Montana
Arnica is not just for bruises. Its essence is physical shock and trauma, and the mind that shuts down in response – exactly what your dog would experience in case of anaphylaxis.
Buying The Remedies
You can buy these remedies at health stores (such as Whole Foods or Vitamin Shoppe) or at many places online, including through Amazon.
When purchasing homeopathic remedies, the first thing you have to choose is the potency. In health stores, you will likely find the 30C potency, and if that’s all you can get, it’s fine. Better to use what you have than to use nothing at all.
However, if you can find it, the higher potency 200C is better for this kind of trauma. Finding it online should be easy.
You’ll also need to buy an amber glass dropper bottle for your “Shock” formula. If you already have one at home, make sure it’s clean. And you’ll need a small amount of either vodka or brandy to preserve your remedy.
Homeopathic remedies come in pellets, granules, liquids, tablets, etc. It doesn’t matter which you buy, because you’re going to take a little bit of each one and put it all together in your amber glass dropper bottle.
(NOTE: You can reduce your risk of vaccine-related anaphylaxis by not over vaccinating. Click here to see if your dog is getting too many vaccines)
Preparation
Place 1 to 3 pellets (or 5 to 15 granules, a few drops or a tablet) of each remedy into your glass bottle.
Add equal amounts of vodka (or brandy) and pure water (don’t use unfiltered tap water) to fill the rest of the bottle, just leaving a little room at the top so the contents can be well shaken.
Note: Usually, less vodka or brandy is used when preparing liquid remedies, but because this one needs to stay fresh for years to be available in an emergency, it’s best to use more alcohol to preserve it. Check your remedy from time to time and if you ever notice cloudiness or specks inside the bottle or dropper, you should throw it away and make a new one.
Shake the mixture well by striking the bottom of the bottle against the palm of your hand about 20 to 30 times. Stick a label marked “Shock” on it, and put it in an easily accessible place so you can find it in an emergency. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
How Much To Give
A dose is a single drop placed into your dog’s mouth. An easy way to do this is to pull your dog’s lower lip out near the corner of his mouth, then squeeze the remedy onto his gums.
A few drops given at one time is still a single dose, so don’t worry if you accidentally empty a full dropper into your dog’s mouth.
So … if the exact amount of the dose isn’t that important, how do you increase the dose?
How Often To Dose
In homeopathy, the dose is increased by increasing the frequency of dosing rather than the amount of the remedy.
The frequency of dosing should match the intensity of the trauma.
So in an emergency, life-and-death situation like this, give the remedy every 15 seconds when the symptoms are most acute.
Then, let your dog be your guide. If your dog is starting to get better, you can space out the dose to once a minute or so.
But if you see him plateau or start to backslide, dose again right away.
If he’s clearly recovering well, you can stop dosing, but again, if the improvement stops or he starts to get worse again, give one more dose immediately.
When he’s back to normal, stop dosing.
In a scary emergency situation like this you may feel more comfortable heading to the vet. If that’s the case, get the first couple of doses into your dog then get him in the car and continue giving the remedy as directed above, on the way to the vet.
When you get there you may no longer need the vet’s help, in which case you can just come home … but first tell her how homeopathy saved your dog’s life!
This is how to save your dog’s life if he has an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine – or something else like a bee sting, an insect bite, or something he’s eaten.
Be prepared. It may not happen, but if it does, you’ll be ready.
