Background Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common cardiopathy in middle-aged dogs. When the dog is asymptomatic and has an enlarged left atrium, treatment is beneficial; however, some allopathic drugs are very costly and may produce side effects. To extend the duration of this asymptomatic phase, complementary therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy are available. Although herbal therapy with extract of Crataegus oxyacantha is beneficial, there is a risk of adverse reactions—unlike with homeopathy, where the risk is minimized with the administration of ultra-diluted doses. Objective This study evaluated the efficacy of Crataegus oxyacantha, as mother tincture (MT) and in 6 cH homeopathic formulation, in treating the initial phase of heart failure due to MMVD in a veterinary clinic setting. Methods A total of 30 dogs with MMVD, 7 years or older and weighing up to 10 kg, were randomized into three groups as follows: Crataegus 6 cH, Crataegus MT, and hydroalcoholic solution (placebo). Animals were evaluated through echocardiography parameters, laboratory blood tests, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after initiation of therapy, for statistical analysis and monitoring of the blinded study. Results Patients who received Crataegus 6 cH showed a reduction in SBP 60 days after treatment, while those receiving Crataegus MT exhibited a reduction 90 days after the therapy was initiated. There was a significant linear regression when evaluating the effect of treatment with Crataegus 6 cH on SBP measurements over the evaluation intervals (linear equation: SBP = 176.57 mm Hg – 0.21x, where x represents days of treatment). There was an increase in both fractional shortening and isovolumetric relaxation time for those patients receiving the homeopathic formulation. Conclusions Therapy with Crataegus was beneficial for hypertensive and cardiopathic dogs with MMVD, extending the duration of the asymptomatic phase. The reduction in SBP occurred more swiftly in the 6 cH group than in the MT-treated dogs.

Background Ovariohysterectomy (OH) is one of the most frequent elective surgical procedures in routine veterinary practice. Arnica montana is a well-known medicine in phytotherapy, with proven analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, healing, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity. However, there is still a shortage of studies on the action and effects of the homeopathic formulation of the medicine on animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate analgesia with Arnica montana 30cH during the postoperative period after elective OH.Methods Thirty healthy female dogs, aged 1 to 3 years, weighing 7 to 14 kg, were selected at the Veterinary Hospital in Campo Mourão, Paraná, Brazil. The dogs underwent the surgical procedure with an anaesthetic protocol and analgesia that had the aim of maintaining the patient's wellbeing. After the procedure, they were randomly divided into three groups of 10. One group received Arnica montana 30cH; another received 5% hydroalcoholic solution; and the third group, 0.9% NaCl saline solution. All animals received four drops of the respective solution sublingually and under blinded conditions, every 10 minutes for 1 hour, after the inhalational anaesthetic had been withdrawn. The Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale was used to analyse the effect of therapy. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey test was used to evaluate the test data. Statistical differences were deemed significant when p ≤0.05.Results The Arnica montana 30cH group maintained analgesia on average for 17.8 ± 3.6 hours, whilst the hydroalcoholic solution group did so for 5.1 ± 1.2 hours and the saline solution group for 4.1 ± 0.9 hours (p ≤0.05).Conclusion These data demonstrate that Arnica montana 30cH presented a more significant analgesic effect than the control groups, thus indicating its potential for postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing OH.

Homeopathy is a form of medicine that has been used since the middle of the 8^th century, both for humans and for animals. Because of its benefits and lack of adverse reactions, it has also been expanded for use in the environment, through its use in plants and in the soil. It thus has the aims of ensuring wellbeing for all living beings and thinking of the health of the planet overall. This falls within the “one health” approach, which has the aim of promoting animal, human and environmental health. The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the use of homeopathy as a tool within one health. This was done through explaining the results and discussions of articles indexed over the last 10 years, with this use of homeopathic medicine in the three kingdoms of nature: mineral, vegetable and animal. The result was evidence of stability as well as the usefulness of ultra-diluted drugs as a unique health. Homeopathic science works on the welfare, treatment, and balance of nature, in order to repair every living being and prioritize health, totally within the “One Health” concept.

Background Carduus marianus is a Mediterranean plant used for treating liver diseases. One of its properties is that it inhibits fat peroxidation, which can contribute toward the prevention of metabolites that are harmful to the liver. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the treatment of fatty liver disease in an axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Methods An approximately 6-year-old female specimen of A. mexicanum, of length 21 cm and weight 153 g, presented edema in the rostral region and inappetence. Ultrasound showed hepatopathy and a gallbladder stone. A globule of C. marianus 6cH was diluted in 30 mL distilled water and administered in spray form over the animal twice a day. Results Twenty days after the beginning of the treatment, improvement of the facial edema and return of appetite were observed. Ultrasound showed improvement in the appearance of the liver and reduction in the size of the gallstone. The Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy score was +9 in this case, thus suggesting a causal relationship between the use of homeopathic medicine and the clinical outcome. Conclusion C. marianus 6cH appeared to be effective in treating fatty liver disease and gallstone in this specimen of A. mexicanum.

During embryological development, the eyelids of snakes fuse and no longer open like in mammals. They become transparent, thus forming spectacles, a transparent structure that covers the eyes. The primary function of these spectacles is to provide a physical barrier to protect the eyes without eyelids. This study aimed to evaluate the ocular biometry of Python bivittatus snakes. Ocular ultrasound examinations were performed on four individuals using the Logic E ultrasound device (GE, United States) with a 10-22 MHz linear probe. Conduction gel was used to make transducer contact with the cornea in these snakes. Images were obtained to evaluate the following measurements: axial length of the eyeball, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and vitreous depth. These measurements of intraocular structures were, respectively: 0.05 ± 0.02 cm for corneal thickness in the right eye and 0.04 ± 0.007 cm in the left eye; 0.11 ± 0.04 cm for anterior chamber depth in the right and left eyes; 0.36 ± 0.07 cm for the lens thickness in the right eye and 0.39 ± 0.05 cm in the left eye; 0.35 ± 0.05 for the depth of the vitreous chamber in the right eye and 0.31 ± 0.02 cm in the left eye; and 0.85 ± 0.18 cm for the length of the globe in the axial plane in the right eye and 0.85 ± 0.14 cm in the left eye. Knowledge of snakes’ anatomical and ophthalmological parameters is scarce, and the incidence of eye diseases is still little known, making further studies necessary.