Surgery would have cost thousands of dollars, with no guarantee of success.

Not to mention the pain and suffering.

Something we didn’t want for a loveable two-year-old chihuahua.

Leg braces were also expensive and controversial.

With no guarantee of success.

But we had to do something.

Because Churro wasn’t able to walk outside.

We had long noticed a little skip during his walks.

Oftentimes this is the first sign your dog has a condition known as luxating patella.

This is very common in small breeds.

We weren’t that concerned.

The vet hadn’t even mentioned the fact his kneecaps were misaligned.

A recheck confirmed a “mild” case.

But she only saw him inside, in the exam room.

Outdoors was another story.

He could only walk a few steps without an obvious and painful-looking limp.

So on his walks we wheeling him in a doggie carriage.

He rode like a king. But this was no way for a young dog to go through life.

Even though the vet said his luxating patella was “mild,” it was severely limiting.

I’d hate to think of what would happen if it progressed.

So homeopathy to the rescue.

Luxating Patella Helped With Homeopathy

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I’m not an animal expert.

If I didn’t see progress within a month or two I would have reached out for help.

In the US there are very few veterinary homeopaths. I would have wanted to find one whose practice was at least 75 percent homeopathy. Or I could have hired a regular homeopath who specializes in animal healthcare.

But, first, I wanted to treat him myself.

As always I started with the etiology. (Or the potential etiology.)

Because bad health doesn’t just happen. It needs a trigger.

Yes, the dog was born with a slight defect.

But something made it worse.

Etiology is extremely important in any case. (Please ignore anyone who says it’s not.)

Churro began limping right after a puncture wound.

His paw pad became red and swollen immediately after a walk. If I remember correctly, there was also a little bit of blood. But no obvious opening.

Can You Treat Luxating Patella With Homeopathy?

Naturally, considering the etiology, I opened the case with Ledum.

I gave him one dose of Ledum 30C and waited.

Why did I wait?

Because it’s possible this remedy could have cured.

Because etiology can often overrule symptoms. (Despite the fact some homeopaths will argue otherwise.)

Even though he wasn’t putting out a Ledum picture, his limping started following a puncture wound. So why not see how far Ledum could take him?

Ledum did help. But only a little.

So we needed another remedy.

So I hit the Repertory.

I don’t have a good animal Repertory. So I used my trusty old Repertory and Materia Medica by Dr. Robin Murphy, ND. (I highly recommend these books for anyone who is serious about homeopathy. The older versions are very affordable and they still work.)

I looked in the Legs section, under limping.

Ruta and Causticum were in big bold letters.

The various modalities fit both remedies; worse from exertion and worse from cold and wind. (We only saw the limping during our outdoor walks and it was winter.)

So I had to look at the cause. It was probably overuse. The dog is owned by a relative and she had recently been walking him a lot more.

Causticum cases are often triggered by grief, sorrow, fright, worry and caring for loved ones. (If Ruta didn’t work my next choice was Causticum.)

So I gave him ONE dose of Ruta 6C and decided to watch and wait.

Can Homeopathy Help Luxating Patella?

This was a subacute condition, something he was born with. But it had flared up in the last couple of months.

I didn’t treat it right away because I didn’t have the owner’s permission. (Because she was on the fence about homeopathy.)

Since it was somewhere in the middle of chronic and acute, I decided to go low and slow.

Low potencies seem to act deeper. Also, there’s no need to hit every case with high potencies.

Plus, I saw no need for a fussy protocol.

This would have involved two or more remedies given on a rotating basis.

Why do that when you can just choose one well-selected remedy and let it work?

In addition, I couldn’t risk any sort of aggravation.

Since the owner hadn’t really bought in to homeopathy.

Nor could the dog tell us if the remedy made him feel worse.

So I gave three doses of 6C over the course of a few months.

A fourth dose was given six months after the last.

(With many human cases you can give 6C or LM potencies more often. But it requires communication. I didn’t always see the dog or its owner. The dog had no way to tell us about an aggravation.)

After the first dose Churro started walking more normally.

Slowly and gradually his gait improved.

Soon he was as good as new. With just a tiny skip here and there.

As with any case, it’s important to remove maintaining causes.

Churro’s walks outdoors are now shorter.

His owner also stopped dressing him in cute little pajamas, which interfered with his gait.

The picture of him on top is after he climbed on our kitchen counter, looking very defiant.

Now if I can only find a good remedy for bratty behavior.