Hi there, I'm a new member

I have rats and one boy has bumblefoot (infection causes the heels of his feet to swell up, rupture, bleed, swell up even more, etc). This is hard to treat and he has seen the vet but treatment hasn't helped. He's been (and currently is) on antibiotics while having the bumbles cleaned with antiseptic solution and rubbed with antibiotic ointment twice daily. This has been going on for months now and they're getting really big and they affect his ability to walk

In the US they have a horse product called Blu-Kote, but I haven't been able to find that here in South Africa. Everyone seems to have great success with that because it kills off the bumble tissue.

So... is there anything homeopathic that will necrotize tissue? I'm all out of options so any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hello Viia,

Give your rat internally Echinacea 30c (or if not available a lower potency) , 3 times daily for 1 week and repeat after 1 week approx., but only if necessary.

External treatment is necessary as well. Apply 2-3 times a day Hypercal tincture, lotion or cream/ointment to the affected area(s) to promote healing and relieve pain. If the Hypercal isn`t available use Calendula instead.

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Oh Echinacea isn't an option lol the big lug is actually allergic! Makes him terribly itchy. Poor guy, it took me giving him Echinacea 3 times for me to realize that he's allergic to it... go figure.

Thanks for the suggestions! I will look for the Hypercal or Calendula. Are they ok to be used on nearly open wounds? Or should it be applied to the area around the wound (which is also swollen)? thanks again!

Hi Viia,

I suppose you gave Echinacea (mother) tincture and not Echinacea in a 30c potency (which contains not even 1 molecule of the actual substance !). I`ve never heard of any rat being allergic to this remedy in a 30c potency.

If the infection is a really nasty one you can give Hepar sulphuris 6c or 30c (or 6k or 30k), 3 times daily for 5-7 days instead.

Hypercal and Calendula can be applied on and around (nearly) open wounds, but Hypercal is first choice for rats.

Wim P.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Thanks for being so helpful

I gave echinacea in powdered form the first time (some insanely small amount of a capsule :P). I have no clue have potent that would be. What exactly does the 30c mean? The second time was tincture and third was an immune booster which had echinacea as one of the ingredients.

I went to a few stores today and they don't have Hypercal, but this nature store said they can mix hypericum and calendula creams for me. Would this be just as effective?

Thanks again for the help, the boys and I really appreciate it!

Hi Viia,

I think the allergic reaction was caused by a different ingredient in one of the concoctions you gave and not by the Echinacea in it !

Answers to your questions in a nutshell :

Hypercal is a combination of Hypericum and Calendula, hence the name Hypercal, and yes they can be mixed, which holds good for the mother tinctures (called Q or MT), ointments and creams.

A mother tincture isn`t actually a homeopathic remedy, but a term particular to homeopathy and means a water-alcohol solution of any substance which homeopathic remedies are made from.

Homeopathic remedies are made in different potencies by a process called potentizing and the potency of the remedy comes as a result of the succussion step in the remedy preparation process.

A 30c potency (also called 30 or 30th or 30ch, sometimes 30k) is a so called medium potency. The potency is the power, vitality, strength or dynamis which a homeopathic remedy possesses and all potencies are represented as numbers attached to the remedy names, either immediately before or after the remedy name. In my country (the Netherlands) the potency is mentioned before the remedy e.g. C30.

Potentization of remedies (also called dynamization) is the process of preparing a homeopathic remedy by repeated dilution with succussion (i.e. vigorously shaking). You can say that in this manner potentization involves the transfer of information from one substance to another.

C means centesimal (centesimal scale 1 : 100) and this is the scale which Dr. Hahnemann first developed.

Wim P. (William)

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Ah ok makes sense. This is all very interesting, I should do more reading on homeopathic medicines... but later, it's 3am here now :P

So the calendula and hypericum creams, do they also come in different potencies? If so, what should I opt for? Should it also be used 3 weeks, then 1 week break before using again?

Thanks Wim!

Hi Viia,

Creams are not actual homeopathic remedies, because they aren`t diluted and succussed etc. i.e. not prepared in the same manner as homeopathic remedies. So you can apply the Hypericum/Calendula cream/ointment as long as necessary.
Mother tinctures aren`t homeopathic remedies either but are the starting alcoholic liquid from which homeopathic potencies are made and that`s why the MT (=mother tincture also called Q) may also be used in therapeutically in material doses (i.e. drop doses), either internally or topically.
So any remedy, tincture etc. which isn`t made according to the homeopathic principles with dilution/succussions etc. can`t be called homeopathy, but e.g. phytotherapy (phyto=plant), but may nevertheless work very well too.
One day, if you keep asking the right questions, you`ll be a proper homeopath yourself ....haha !

Wim P. /William

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Thanks Wim! I'm having the cream mixed tomorrow and I'll make sure to update in a month or so to let you know how it goes

OK Viia....my pleasure !......Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)