Fear, trauma, shock… these are three things we never want our pets to experience, but life happens.
And when it does, our immediate thought is to reduce those feelings! When our pets are scared or anxious, or if they’ve been hurt, of course we want to give them relief.
So, what can you reach for in an emergency situation – both for yourself and your pet?
Today we’re talking about one of the best known homeopathic remedies – aconite for pets – and why it should be in everyone’s animal first aid kit.
What is Aconite?
Aconite is a herbaceous plant that typically grows in mountain meadows and is recognized by the blue-purple flowers with the characteristic hood. Also called Monkshood or Wolfsbane, in its natural form, aconite is poisonous. BUT – and this is a big but – with the homeopathic remedy, that’s not something you need to be concerned about. Homeopathic aconite for pets is harmless while incredibly effective.
How is that? Well, with homeopathy, remedies are made by diluting them to minute numbers. Not once, not twice, but thousands of times. For example, aconite 30C has been diluted 3000 times! A stronger dose, 1M for example, is even more diluted. In fact, with homeopathy, the smaller the crude substance, the bigger the benefits.
Still worried? Chew on this: homeopathic aconite is so diluted that scientific analysis can’t actually detect any physical presence of the herb. Only the plant’s beneficial energies remain. Those energies are what make homeopathy so effective. They go to work at sub-physical, bioenergetic levels, stimulating the healing process without disrupting the physical structures of your pet’s body.
When to Reach for Aconite for Pets
When we think about aconite, the first thing we think about is fear. It’s a good go-to if animals tend to be very fearful, even terrified, or panic-stricken. It is very useful for traumatic conditions or frightening events like accidents, earthquakes, fires, dogfights, and fireworks. It is the first remedy to reach for for any event that is so scary that your heart pounds rapidly and you get sudden chills.
It’s also helpful for stressful situations like going to the vet or being left alone.
Animals needing aconite may pace frantically, tremble and look extremely anxious.
Here are the keynotes on aconite for pets:
- Sudden Onset
- Fear
- Fright
- Apprehension
- Panic
- Shock
- Trembling
- Fever
- Chills
How to Use Aconite for Pets
You can find homeopathic aconite for pets (it’s the same as for humans) online or at your local health food shop. It comes in a variety of different potencies. For those new to homeopathy, go with a 30C potency and look for the remedy in pellet form.
First things first – and this is important. Homeopathy is not like a drug. The dose isn’t based on weight, and it doesn’t matter if your animal has 2 pellets or 6. Again, hard to wrap your head around this one, but it’s just the way it works. As long as some of the remedy gets into your pet, the energy of the remedy will be able to get to work.
If your dog will take the pellets without issue by mouth, that’s an easy way to do it. They even have this perfect little pocket just inside their cheek that you can pop the remedy into. For cats, or pickier dogs, this might not be the easiest option, so you can also stir a few pellets into a small cup of water and give a teaspoon of the water to your animal. That works too.
Another option is to give something like our Your Go 2, which is a combination of aconite with another powerful remedy, arnica. It comes in a convenient pump bottle so you can just give a few pumps right into your pet’s mouth. Julie likes to call it “The ultimate homeopathic first aid kit in a bottle.”
Give the first dose of the remedy and watch for any signs of improvement. If, after 15-30 minutes or so, you haven’t noticed a change, give another dose. If, after that, you’re still not seeing a slight change, perhaps try a different remedy. If there is a slight improvement continue every 15- 30 min until they have settled or you have arrived at your veterinarian.
