lma Cullivan, a kinesiologist working in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, has used homeopathy for years to treat her pets.
"I have two Maltese terriers," she says, "and for no apparent reason, one of them started to chronically wee around the house. I walked him more but it made no difference. I rang the vet Tom Farrington, who regularly prescribes over the phone homeopathic remedies for my animals.
"He got me to e-mail a photo of the two dogs, both the same breed and age, and as soon as he saw the photo he said he was able to pick out which dog there was a problem with.
"He prescribed a remedy on the grounds that this dog - they're both white - was much dirtier and scruffier looking than the other one. When he drew my attention to it, I noticed it too.
"After five days on the remedy, the dog completely stopped weeing round the house.
"Recently my other terrier had a bad eye infection, where his eye, usually black/brown, went completely white. I was worried he was going blind. But he was treated with antibiotic drops which had some homeopathy in them, and within a week the eye was perfect again.
"I like homeopathic veterinary because it treats both sides, the emotional and physical, so if the dog is anxious, for example, that information is included in the approach."