Abstract
Background and aims Targeted research development in veterinary homeopathy is properly informed by the
systematic collection and analysis of relevant clinical data obtained by its practitioners.
We organised a pilot data collection study, in which 8 Faculty of Homeopathy veterinarians
collected practice-based clinical and outcomes data over a 6-month period.
Methods A specifically designed Excel spreadsheet enabled recording of consecutive clinical appointments under the following
headings: date; identity of patient and owner (anonymised); age, sex and species of
patient; medical condition/complaint treated; whether confirmed diagnosis, chronic
or acute, new or follow-up case; owner-assessed outcome (7-point Likert scale: −3 to +3) compared with first appointment; homeopathic medicine/s prescribed; other
medication/s for the condition/complaint. Spreadsheets were submitted monthly by e-mail
to the project organisers for data checking, synthesis and analysis.
Results Practitioners submitted data regularly and punctually, and most data cells were completed.
767 individual patients were treated (547 dogs, 155 cats, 50 horses, 5 rabbits, 4
guinea-pigs, 2 birds, 2 goats, 1 cow, and 1 tortoise). Outcome from two or more homeopathic
appointments per patient condition was obtained in 539 cases (79.8% showing improvement,
6.1% deterioration, 11.7% no change; outcome not recorded in 2.4% of follow-ups).
Strongly positive outcomes (scores of +2 or +3) were achieved in: arthritis and epilepsy
in dogs and, in smaller numbers, in atopic dermatitis, gingivitis and hyperthyroidism
in cats.
Conclusions Systematic recording of data by veterinarians in clinical practice is feasible and
capable of informing future research in veterinary homeopathy. A refined version of
the spreadsheet can be used in larger-scale research-targeted veterinary data collection.
Keywords
systematic data collection - veterinary homeopathy - clinical outcomes - research
targeting
