Homepathic medicine question

Question
Hello,
I have consulted a homeopath for my 12 year old bunny, Buster, as he has arthritis and sometimes cannot move his limbs.  To your knowledge, is "Rhus toxicam" safe for rabbits ?

Answer
Dear Alissa,

In the molecular quantities touted by homeopaths, NOTHING in those little sugar pills is going to be dangerous.  They also will not be effective.  But it will not harm your bunny to try.

Rhus toxicam is an older synonym (almost; it's acutually supposed to be Rhus toxicodendron) for Toxicodendron radicans--poison ivy.  The idea behind the homeopathic remedy is supposedly to expose the body to minute (and I do mean minute, as in "essence") of a substance that's supposed to do something particular in large quantities, and thus sort of inoculate the body against that reaction.  So I guess "inoculating" with the essence of poison ivy is supposed to get the body to react to dampen pain.

In my opinion, homeopathic remedies are just silly.  But they won't hurt to try.

Good luck,

Dana