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Part One: Homeopathy on the Homestead

Part One: Homeopathy on the Homestead

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by Courtney Ingham

 

Working for Joette has been such a blessing to my homestead here in Western New York. With kidding season under my belt for the year, a great moment of pause sweeps over our still wintery acreage, and I am thrilled to take this moment to share our philosophy on natural animal husbandry, along with some important homeopathic antidotes from Joette that have helped us resolve issues in our animals time and again.

We’ve long had an ear to natural wellness and living a nourished life here on our farm. But there was a time when finding the knowledge to address diseases and acute conditions was not at my fingertips, and we would succumb to the occasional expensive vet call. When I started working for Joette, I immediately began filing away protocols for helping my animals and family through rough patches.

Now, we nearly exclusively treat our animals with homeopathy, with the occasional use of some essential oils and a few choice herbs. I’m excited to share this information because I find homesteaders so open to homeopathy. It offers a level of self-sustainability that we resonate with, while ensuring health without the often detrimental side-effects. Homeopathy enables the immune system to function appropriately, while the overuse of chemical wormers and antibiotics causes resistant bacteria and parasites that are troublesome to resolve easily–and nothing that we want to be bothered with. We also choose homeopathy because we appreciate that the remedies offer a sustainable medicine which does not expire.

Essential oils certainly have their place on our farm, mostly for cleaning and occasional topical use. I’ve found homeopathy to be so curative that honestly, my little remedies scattered around the house and barn render other drugs unnecessary. What else do I appreciate about homeopathy? I like that we are usually never bothered by the ailment again. Even herbs can have side effects and often have to be used long-term to get results. There are also many herbs that I would never give to a pregnant doe or young kid. Homeopathy is gentle yet effective. It can be used on pregnant animals and kids without pause, and there is no need to discard milk when using them; another huge benefit.

Applying homeopathic remedies to animals is quite easy, as I’ve learned from Joette. Most protocols used to treat human conditions are interchangeable with animals. When treating our goats acutely, we usually administer remedies orally. Another way we offer remedies is in the goats’ drinking water.

If you are a homesteader, listen up: here is Part One of Homeopathy on the Homestead. We’ll cover parasites, eye and skin issues and anxiety issues here, and in Part Two, we’ll discuss joint and tendon problems, how to address Fowl Cholera, treating pneumonia and using homeopathy to address boils and abscesses in animals.

goats

Common Farm Animal Issues and Their Homeopathic Solutions:

Parasites:

We regularly examine the mouth and gums of our goats and compare them with the FEMACHA chart, and we also conduct fecal exams when necessary so we can stay ahead of the parasites. We do use an herbal wormer which I make myself, but I have found that the easiest and most effective solution for a worm load is Cina. Joette recommended that I use Cina 3x. I had a goat with an overwhelming Coccidia load when she was first purchased. Once I employed Cina however, I was quickly met with a goat who was better able to put on weight and in better general condition. We saw an improvement in her milk output immediately. We also offer diatomaceous earth to our ruminant friends, free choice, as it is high in minerals and also helps eliminate certain parasites.

Eye Issues:

Pink eye is common in farm animals. For several weeks I was using eyebright in tea form, an herb well known to help fight conjunctivitis, to no avail. When I wasn’t seeing the results I was looking for, I asked Joette for a remedy. She immediately came back with the recommendation that I try Euphrasia officinalis 30C, due to the clear and watery nature of the infection. Euphrasia is actually the homeopathic counterpart of Eyebright, potentized in the homeopathic method, making it more powerful yet gentle. Joette also suggested that I use Hepar sulph 30 every three hours until improvement while dropping a diluted (1:25) Euphrasia tincture directly into the eye. Within three days, a resistant case of pink eye was history.

Skin Issues:

There are so many skin issues that affect farm animals. Following are just a few of the more common ones for starters.

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak:

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak can affect farm animals in similar ways that it can humans. The most common remedy needed for this is Anacardium orientale 30c. You would want to begin with this remedy and only move on to another option if no improvement is evident after several doses. If you find you have an animal particularly sensitive to Poison Ivy that seems to acquire the rash when they are anywhere near the plant, it may be of benefit to use the remedy Rhus toxicodendron 30C prophylactically, one day per week for one month to minimize the intensity of the exposure.

Eczema:

An animal suffering from Eczema is offering important information about their gut health. Skin problems are a sign that the body is driving something away from the vital organs out through the skin. Interfering with that process can often drive the issue back inside, leading to more serious problems in the future, or at the very least, a relapse in symptoms. Instead, look to Petroleum 200c used once every three days, especially when the issue is present during the winter months.

Fleas:

Fleas can be a pesky nuisance and some animals are more prone to them than others. We’ve successfully treated our goats by giving them a shave, applying an essential oil blend of cedarwood, lavender, and lemon while administering Staphysagria, 30, twice a day.

Anxiety Issues:

If, like us, you have an animal afraid of thunderstorms or shy and overwhelmed by people, you may want to consider one of my all-time favorite remedies for animals: Ignatia. Giving my nervy goat Ignatia 200 twice a day for a few weeks completely changed her disposition as a shy and anxious animal, to a calmer, more trusting one. It can rain and thunderstorm all day and we don’t hear a peep out of her anymore. Nor does she shy away from the kids when snack time comes around.

I hope I have convinced you that homeopathy has an important place on the homestead. Stay tuned for Part Two of Homeopathic Animal Husbandry on the Homestead.


Yes, we know that homeopathy is effective, safe and gentle.  But many of you tell me it is too difficult to learn and be effective in treating your family’s simple emergencies.

Problem solved: Watch this short video I’ve produce, because what I am about to show you is like nothing I have ever talked about, offered, or shared with you before.


24 Responses to Part One: Homeopathy on the Homestead

  1. How often do you give the Cina 3X for parasites in goats? Is the dsoage based on size? Just one pellet? Is this remedy only for treatment or does it work as a preventative, too?

    Thanks!

    • Homeopathy is not supplementary. It does support. It is medicine that treats and corrects. The dosage is according to the bottle. If it says 4 pills is a dose that is the dosage to follow. As to frequency it’s twice daily.

    • I’ve just recently had great success with this remedy this year with our goats. We have had a terrible time with Coccidiosis overgrowth with our baby goats due to our damp and shady environment the last couple of years. They would get the stinky diarrhea and be gone in two days despite conventional vet treatment. The vet said that they had never seen such a high load of coccidiosis in a stool sample. We found that for most (80% of them) that the Cina 3X did the trick but one of them got the “runny butt” despite that and we added Teucrium 6C that Joette taught in one of her classes. Cleared it up in 1 day ! I just put the remedies in their water bucket and then changed the water each day and added the remedies again. I know that these remedies were supposed to be given separately but I took the easier path of the water bucket since catching all 8 of them to dose them individually was too hard and I couldn’t see how to get them to reliably drink out of two different water buckets twice a day.

  2. Hi. Really appreciate all your information here, thank you! Can you tell me how you administer the Cina 3x for parasite control? Amount and frequency? I plan to do the FEMACHA chart to judge each of my goats’ parasite load and send in samples, so I will have that information soon but am anticipating that I will need to administer the remedy and would like to better understand how to use it.

    Thanks!

    • Follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. The frequency is twice daily.

  3. Hi Joette, I’ve always been interested and very open to homeopathy, I’m in the process of starting a kit for my daughter who lives in Central Brazil on a farm with her 2 dogs. Do youhave any suggestions for remedies applicable to Brazil. Sorry to be so cheeky! Kind Regards Joan

  4. Have a success story to share. Based on the info above, we gave our rabbit Staphysagria 30c when he contracted a mite that caused itching and hair being pulled out. After one week of putting it in his drinking water daily, the hair is growing back on the top of his hind feet! I believe the medical condition he had is called Cheyletiella Parasitovorax, but I choose this remedy based on the symptoms of it being an insect that caused itching, same as fleas would. Thank you Courtney!

  5. My horse has small raised bumps under his skin, I believe from horse fly bites. Since this is not an itchy condition, I wouldn’t think Staphysagria would be correct. What remedy would you recommend? I’m thinking Apis due to it being an insect bite that causes swelling.

  6. This is a great post. Thank you so much. I am devouring Joette’s website! I am wondering if you can make a suggestion as to a good remedy for pure bred border collie puppy sisters who were taken from their mom too early (5 weeks) and developed signs of aggression following their vaccinations at 7 weeks. They (they belong to my daughter and husband)only gave them minimal vaccinations, but they definitely became more aggressive and unsettled following that. My research made me believe Thuja would be good for the next vaccines – given immediately after the vaccine. Is that correct? What would be good to balance their little systems from the first ones? They are giving colostrum for their immune system since taken from mom so young. The breeder should have known better! Thank you in advance for your expert opinion.

    • While I don’t have experience w/ the vaccination issue, I can definately say that they need Ignatia for their grief separation from mom. I have used Ignatia on many animals (& myself) with great success. The protocol I follow is 200c twice a day, until the animal’s behavior is back to normal, which may mean less crying, less searching, more bonding with people. Aggression could be from the vaccine, or could be from anxiety and not knowing how to handle themselves with grief.

      • Thank you, Sherri. I will try that. I have one of the pups and am observing her closely. It seems she is quite social but definitely wants to be in someone’s presence every waking moment. I also observe that she gets hyperactive and can’t calm. That is when she gets aggressive. She is the sweetest little girl, yet when she gets “cranked up”, she gets exhausted but has a hard time settling. I am very new to homeopathy and still trying to figure how to match the symptoms to the correct remedies. There is so much to learn and it is fascinating. I am open to any suggestions for our little ones. We had to split them between my daughter and me due to the littermate syndrome but want very much to let them be raised together. They were to be my daughter and husband’s hiking trail buddies. Right now they can’t be together without fighting severely every waking moment. It breaks our hearts. Thanks to anyone for any helpful tips.

        • Another thought Rose, but off topic. We have recently been watching video’s of Cesar Millan, who is a dog whisperer. He does incredible work on dogs w/ issues like this exactly. We found a video at our public library, but also a ton on u-tube. Even my son has caught on to his techniques.

  7. Any chance that part 2 is in the works? I just started a flock of chickens and I am eager to learn more. Thank you

    • I will pass your request on and see what is in the works. Thank you. We have had a flock of chickens for over 20 years. The first few hens even had names, now they just produce beautiful eggs.

  8. Hello,
    I know this is an old article. I hope I get some more info. we just got a dog and at her first vet visit today they said they found round worm in her stool. Would the Cina 3x work for this situation? Or would I give her the Diatomaceous also?
    Since I know Homeopathy can be used with Allopathy should I use both? I don’t feel rebellious enough to just do homeopathy (I know I have to acquire more knowledge to build my confidence).

    • Robin,
      While that material is covered in the Survival Guide. If you Google Joette ear mites likely you will find an article she has written.
      – Joette’s Team

  9. I have a sick goat kid and only have Cina 30c on hand,CA I use this in place of the Cina 3x? Less dosage or the 5 pellets it says in the bottle? Thanks!

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