Homeopathy is one of those topics that elicits very different reactions from people. Some are convinced that homeopathic preparations have helped them. Others consider the entire approach a placebo with no real therapeutic effect.<\/p>\n
But for me, this discussion raises an interesting question: If a homeopathic pill is given to a dog who does not know what it contains or what disease it is supposed to treat, how can the possible cure be explained by simply believing in the cure?<\/strong><\/p>\n This question does not prove that homeopathy works. However, it deserves a more comprehensive answer than simply \u201cit\u2019s a placebo.\u201d<\/p>\n Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine created by Samuel Hahnemann more than 200 years ago. Its central principle is \u201clike cures like,\u201d the idea that a substance that causes certain symptoms in a healthy body could, in highly diluted form, help a sick body with similar symptoms.<\/p>\n Homeopathic preparations are prepared by repeatedly diluting and shaking the starting substance. In homeopathy, this process is considered essential to the effect of the preparation. However, at many high dilutions, it is unlikely that any molecules of the original substance remain in the preparation. Therefore, the claimed effects of homeopathy are not consistent with the conventional understanding of the relationship between the dose and the active substance in medicines.<\/p>\n There is one important distinction here: Homeopathy is not the same as herbal medicine.<\/strong> Herbal medicine uses biologically active substances found in plants. In homeopathy, the starting materials may come from plants, minerals, or animals, but the principle of preparing the preparations is different.<\/p>\n Integrative veterinary medicine also does not automatically mean homeopathy. Different methods must be evaluated on their own evidence.<\/p>\n Some integrative veterinarians also use homeopathy in their treatment of animals, and if a dog owner wants to learn more about this approach and its possible uses, it is worth discussing the topic with a veterinarian with relevant experience.<\/p>\n I haven’t always been a fan of homeopathy. I used to be rather skeptical until my sister suggested a homeopathic remedy for my very itchy mosquito bites. Ledum<\/em>. My own experience was that the itching subsided quickly.<\/p>\n Was it the effect of the preparation? Would the itching have gone away on its own? Did my expectations influence the experience? I can’t say for sure. But the experience intrigued me and I later started to research more about homeopathy. Among other things, I also tried Calcarea carbonica<\/em> for Faddu’s and Ossu’s joint problems.<\/p>\n This does not mean that I can confirm the therapeutic efficacy of homeopathy based on these experiences. However, I have begun to think about how we should evaluate the changes observed in animals.<\/p>\n People often talk about faith in healing, but dogs don’t know if they were given a homeopathic pill, a vitamin, or something else.<\/strong><\/p>\n The short answer is yes. But it may not work the same way as it does in humans.<\/p>\n A person’s placebo response may be based in part on a conscious expectation. For example, a person believes that a pill will reduce pain, and this expectation influences their experience of pain.<\/p>\n The dog does not need to know the name of the preparation or its claimed therapeutic effect. However, dogs are capable of learning connections between previous experiences and subsequent events.<\/p>\n In 2014, a study was published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science<\/em> that looked at the learned placebo response in dogs.<\/p>\n In the study, the administration of a sedative drug was associated with a specific situation. The dogs were then given a dummy drug. Dogs with prior drug experience showed some changes in separation-related behavior compared to controls. This suggests that the dog’s nervous system can learn to associate the drug-giving situation with its previous effects. The dog does not need to understand what drug was given to do this.<\/p>\n But there is an important limitation here: This study does not prove that homeopathy works and does not automatically explain the improvement that occurs after the first dose of a homeopathic remedy.<\/strong> The study looked at a reaction that developed based on previous drug experience.<\/p>\n The term caregiver placebo effect<\/em> is also used in veterinary medicine. This refers to a situation where the expectations of the owner or person assessing the animal’s condition influence their assessment of the treatment outcome.<\/p>\n A study published in 2012 looked at 58 dogs with lameness caused by osteoarthritis. Owner and veterinarian ratings were compared with objective gait analysis results. In the placebo group, there was a placebo effect indicating improvement in owner ratings in approximately 40% of cases, although objective measurements did not confirm an equivalent change on average.<\/p>\n This does not mean that the owner is lying or deliberately fabricating the improvement. If we expect treatment to help, we may unknowingly pay more attention to the moments when the dog moves better and less attention to the moments when the problem persists.<\/p>\n However, not all changes observed by the owner can automatically be called such an error of judgment.<\/p>\n Dogs are exceptionally good at reading our emotions and behavior. They notice changes in our tone of voice, body language, movements, and even our scent. This raises another interesting question about homeopathy: what happens if I, as the owner, sincerely believe that a given preparation will help my dog \u200b\u200bheal?<\/p>\n Let’s say my dog \u200b\u200bis sick and I’m constantly worried about him. I start with a homeopathic remedy that I believe in, and I become calmer and more optimistic. My attitude, body language, and daily interactions with my dog \u200b\u200bmay change. The dog senses this and may also become calmer. If some of his ailments are stress-related or exacerbated by stress, his actual well-being may also improve as a result.<\/p>\n This is not an unreasonable line of reasoning. A 2019 study of 58 dog-owner pairs found a link between their long-term stress levels. A 2024 study found that even the scent of a stranger\u2019s stress can affect a dog\u2019s behavior and alertness. Other experiments have shown that dogs use their owners\u2019 positive and negative emotional cues to assess situations.<\/p>\n These studies do not prove that the owner’s belief in homeopathy causes the dog to recover. However, they do raise the possibility that changes in the owner’s expectations may actually affect the dog. In this case, it is not just the owner’s perception of recovery.<\/p>\n A similar mechanism may operate with a veterinarian. If the veterinarian believes in the treatment method used, he or she can interact with the dog more calmly and confidently. We know from research that the stress response in dogs can be influenced by the handling techniques used in the veterinary clinic.<\/p>\n But the vet’s influence can also be indirect. If the vet convincingly explains to the owner that the chosen treatment could help, the owner’s anxiety may decrease. The owner goes home more hopeful, communicates more calmly with their dog, and this in turn can affect the dog’s well-being.<\/p>\n However, there is another possibility to consider here. Studies have shown that the veterinarian’s own expectations can also influence his assessment of the animal’s recovery. Thus, both the actual changes in the dog and the subjective changes in the owner’s and veterinarian’s assessments can be at play.<\/p>\n The most interesting thing is that the effect that started with the owner’s or veterinarian’s expectations does not have to be just a perception. The dog’s well-being can also really improve through changes in the social environment and stress level, without this proving the specific therapeutic effect of the homeopathic preparation.<\/p>\n However, it is currently unknown whether or how much of the improvement observed after homeopathy is explained by this mechanism. Nor can it be concluded from the reduction in stress that the biological cause of the disease has been eliminated.<\/p>\n In my opinion, this is the most important question.<\/p>\n If your dog starts moving better, the itching decreases, or the skin lesions disappear, then the change may be real. However, actual improvement and determining the cause are two different things.<\/p>\n Diseases do not always progress in a straight line. Symptoms can fluctuate over days or weeks. Some conditions resolve on their own. In some cases, concurrent changes in diet, environment, care, or treatment affect the outcome.<\/p>\n For example, a study was published in 2010 that looked at dogs with epilepsy who were given a placebo. Of the 28 dogs who received the placebo, 22, or 79%, had a reduction in seizure frequency compared to before the study. Eight dogs had their seizure frequency reduced by at least half. This does not mean that the dummy treatment cured their epilepsy. The results can be affected by factors such as the natural course of the disease, the timing of entry into the study, and other factors.<\/p>\n However, the study clearly shows why a before-and-after comparison alone is not enough to prove the effectiveness of a drug.<\/p>\n If a dog gets better after being given a homeopathic remedy, it doesn’t automatically mean that the homeopathy worked. But it would be equally inaccurate to claim, without research, that the improvement was simply the owner’s imagination.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is more correct to acknowledge that the improvement and its cause require separate evaluation.<\/p>\n Studies on homeopathy have also been conducted on animals.<\/p>\n A 2014 systematic review by Robert Mathie and J\u00fcrgen Clausen examined 18 placebo-controlled studies of veterinary homeopathy, covering multiple animal species and conditions. Only two were judged to be sufficiently reliable and free of obvious conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n One study found a positive effect in preventing diarrhea in piglets. Another study, on bovine mastitis, found no significant benefit of homeopathy over placebo.<\/p>\n A 2015 meta-analysis found some evidence of a possible difference between homeopathy and placebo, but the authors emphasized that the small number of studies and quality issues prevented firm conclusions.<\/p>\n This is an important nuance. It would be inaccurate to say that veterinary homeopathy studies have never yielded positive results.<\/p>\n However, the current evidence is not strong and reproducible enough to consider homeopathy as a reliably effective treatment for canine diseases.<\/strong><\/p>\n And this must be taken into account even if some individual experience seems very convincing.<\/p>\n If any additional methods are used on a dog in addition to conventional treatment, it is worth assessing the changes as specifically as possible.<\/p>\n For example, in the case of joint problems, the length of walks, standing up, frequency of limping and veterinary movement analyses can be monitored. In the case of skin problems, the extent of the lesions, the frequency of itching and, if necessary, the results of the tests can be documented.<\/p>\n It is also useful to write down any other changes made at the same time. This way, the assessment is not based solely on the memory that \u201cit got better at some point.\u201d <\/p>\n And of course, necessary veterinary diagnostics or effective treatment should not be delayed in the hope of a possible cure. This is especially important for painful, rapidly worsening, and infectious diseases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A new Public Health Act entered into force in Estonia on 1 September 2025, one of the goals of which is to restrict the provision of substances and activities that are hazardous to human health for the purpose of improving health.<\/p>\n Section 15 of the Act prohibits, among other things, encouraging the public to use substances or mixtures hazardous to human health for certain health-related purposes. The Health Board supervises compliance with these requirements, and the Act also provides for financial penalties.<\/p>\n However, this does not mean that it is forbidden to talk about homeopathy, explain its principles, or discuss scientific research in Estonia. It is important to distinguish between sharing information and promoting dangerous treatments and advertising specific medicines.<\/p>\n In the case of dogs, the regulation of veterinary medicines must also be taken into account.<\/p>\n European Union Regulation 2019\/6 deals specifically with homeopathic veterinary medicinal products. Preparations that meet certain conditions can be registered under a simplified procedure, but the labelling and related information of preparations with such registration may not contain any therapeutic indications.<\/p>\n Registration therefore does not automatically mean that the therapeutic effect of the preparation has been proven in clinical trials.<\/p>\n I think it is important that there is a possibility to ask questions and discuss different treatment methods. At the same time, health claims must be substantiated and animal welfare must remain a priority.<\/p>\n Discussing homeopathy and placebo becomes more interesting in the case of animals precisely because a dog cannot consciously explain to itself what the homeopathic granule given to it is supposed to do.<\/p>\n This does not mean that a dog cannot experience learned placebo responses, nor does it rule out the influence of owner expectations on the assessment of treatment outcome. However, these are not universal explanations for every improvement observed.<\/p>\n For me, the most important question is not whether someone believes in homeopathy or not.<\/p>\n It is more important to ask: what did we actually observe, how did we measure it, and on what basis can we say what caused the change?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a question worth asking about every treatment method.<\/p>\n NCCIH: Homeopathy \u2013 principles, evidence, and safety of homeopathy<\/a><\/p>\n S\u00fcmegi, G\u00e1csi and Top\u00e1l (2014): Conditioned placebo effect in dogs decreases separation related behaviors<\/a><\/p>\n Conzemius and Evans (2012): Caregiver placebo effect for dogs with lameness from osteoarthritis<\/a><\/p>\n Mu\u00f1ana et al (2010): Placebo Effect in Canine Epilepsy Trials<\/a><\/p>\n Mathie and Clausen (2014): Veterinary homeopathy \u2013 systematic review<\/a><\/p>\n Mathie and Clausen (2015): Veterinary homeopathy \u2013 meta-analysis<\/a><\/p>\n Official Gazette: Public Health Act (especially \u00a7 15 and \u00a7 35)<\/a><\/p>\n European Union Regulation 2019\/6 on veterinary medicinal products (Articles 85-87)<\/a><\/p>\n Sundman et al. (2019): Relationships between long-term stress levels in dogs and owners<\/a><\/p>\n Parr-Cortes et al. (2024): The effect of human stress odor on dog behavior<\/a><\/p>\n Merola et al. (2012): Dogs’ responses to their owners’ emotional signals<\/a><\/p>\nWhat is homeopathy?<\/h2>\n
My experience with homeopathy<\/h2>\n
Can dogs even experience the placebo effect?<\/h2>\n
The dog’s learned placebo response<\/h3>\n
The owner’s placebo effect is not the same as the dog’s placebo response<\/h3>\n
Can an owner’s faith really affect a dog’s well-being?<\/h3>\n
Can a veterinarian’s faith also affect a dog?<\/h3>\n
But what if the dog’s condition actually improves?<\/h2>\n
What does research show about veterinary homeopathy?<\/h2>\n
How could a dog owner assess improvement?<\/h2>\n
Homeopathy in Estonia: can we even talk about it?<\/h2>\n
In conclusion<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h3>\n