A DOG CURE


On going to his basket I saw a distracting sight; the poor we beastie was lying there practically unconscious, barely breathing, saliva was dribbling from his mouth, his body felt almost icy cold, even though he was bedded in a warm room; the skin was dry and harsh, the nose cold and dry, and very pale; no, or very little, pulse could be felt.


MANY years ago, at the end of a long and tiring day, I was greeted on arriving home with the news that my little puppy had suddenly been taken ill. On going to his basket I saw a distracting sight; the poor we beastie was lying there practically unconscious, barely breathing, saliva was dribbling from his mouth, his body felt almost icy cold, even though he was bedded in a warm room; the skin was dry and harsh, the nose cold and dry, and very pale; no, or very little, pulse could be felt.

I tried to cover him up, but was assured that he had crept away from the hot bottle and had refused to remain under the blanket. What was to be done? I knew practically nothing about canine diseases, I had heard about distemper vaguely; but what the symptoms were or the treatment, I had not the foggiest notion. But I had faith in my “we sweeties” and I said to myself: “Well, in a human being with these symptoms – sudden acute attacks, great coldness, and with it aversion to being covered up, great weakness, pallor – all this meant Camphor”; so why not give Camphor?.

I only had it very high, in the 200 th potency; would it act in a dog? It was easy to give; the little sweet powder was gently put on his tongue, and very anxiously we waited for a response. In a remarkably short time he opened his eyes and feebly tried to lick my fingers, which I had dipped in warm milk and drop doses of brandy. Joyfully he was fed with a little more milk and brandy, the first nourishment he had deigned to take for hours. Next morning quite a different spectacle met me; he had crawled out of his basket, and was lying in front of the fire; gaily wagging his tail as usual in the morning.

All his coldness had disappeared, there was no more diarrhoea, there were no further signs of collapse – was it distemper? I do not know. His illness only lasted for one short night, and he recovered as quickly as he was stricken down, after taking that one dose of Camphor.

It had another interesting after-effect. We could not teach the little beast to be clean before. No amount of coaxing, scolding or punishment made any impression on him. But after this illness and the quick improvement he changed completely. He became quite house-clean and quite an exemplary dog.

Was that his way of showing gratitude for being made well?.

Dorothy Shepherd
Dorothy Shepherd 1885 – 1952 - British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy. Graduated from Hering College in Chicago. She was a pupil of J.T.Kent. Author of Magic of the Minimum Dose, More Magic of the Minimum Dose, A Physician's Posy, Homeopathy in Epidemic Diseases.