Sigs can include squiggly worms or “rice bodies” in the stool, looking lean in appearance, scooting and licking their rear, off their food, a little lethargic, mucus coating on their stools, dull coat, vomiting and or diarrhoea.

If your dog shows any of these signs, you might want to take a look in your cupboards before reaching for the toxic dewormers.

There might be something in there that could rid your dog of worms without the adverse effects on their health that veterinary dewormers deliver.

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But some worms can’t be seen with the naked eye, so if your dog’s

showing some of these signs, you might want to get a fecal sample

analyzed by your vet.

 

Collecting A Sample

You need to get a fresh sample … so don’t just go out in your yard and find day old poop.

Go outside with your dog or take him out on a leash to get a fresh sample.

You don’t need to take your vet the whole poop. A sample about the size of two or three sugar cubes is usually sufficient for analysis purposes.

You can use a poop bag to “pinch off” a sample and then dispose of the rest of the pile in the usual way.

Place the sample in a clean small plastic container. Old pill bottles are ideal but you should wash them out thoroughly first.

Label the container with your dog’s name and your last name and take it to the vet as soon as you can. If you can’t go right away, store it in the refrigerator (not the freezer).

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If your dog tests positive for intestinal worms, you’ll want to know which kind of worms he has before deciding how to treat them.

 

Pumpkin Seeds Fight Worms

Raw, organic pumpkin seeds have long been used to treat a

variety of parasitic and other ailments. The flesh and seeds of

the pumpkin have been used to heal wounds, cure kidney

ailments and urinary problems and as a parasitic treatment on humans.

In recent times, herbalists have discovered that the seeds of the pumpkin also work

as an effective deworming agent against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites

in dogs and humans. Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid called cucurbitin,

which paralyzes and eliminates the worms from the digestive tract. Pumpkin seeds

have other health benefits too – they are loaded with protein, amino acids, fiber, iron,

copper, phosphorus and magnesium, calcium, zinc, potassium, folic acid and niacin; all important nutrients to your pet’s overall good health.

 

Feeding Directions

Pumpkin seeds can be fed whole as a treat for your dog. Don’t feed them the salted seeds from the grocery store; find some raw, organic seeds instead. If your dog doesn’t enjoy them as a treat, you can grind them in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet and add them to their meals. Give them a teaspoon per 5kg of body weight once or twice a day until they are rid of the parasites.

 

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If you use systematic “preventive” worming treatments (toxic chemicals) as treatment manufacturers and many vets recommend, you are actually treating your dog unnecessarily for worms they don’t have! Exposing them unnecessarily to toxic chemicals.

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The starting point for preventing and treating worms (or any other disease) is always a healthy immune system.

 

A dog with a strong immune system is less likely to be an attractive host for any kind of parasite.

Many dogs get some intestinal worms occasionally, but if your dog is healthy with a strong immune system, they probably won’t make him sick.

In this case you may never know he even had the worms because he will probably just expel them naturally, and you won’t see any symptoms.

Approximately 80% of your dogs immune system is in the gut, so giving your dog the best diet you can will help keep worms away. Feed your dog natural, whole foods, preferably raw meat based diet.

Support your dog’s overall wellbeing by avoiding pharmaceutical drugs like antibiotics and vaccines as well as pesticides such as flea, tick and heartworm medications.

All these drugs contain toxic ingredients that can harm your dog’s organs, causing serious disease and even death.

Keeping your yard free of poop will also help prevent your dog from picking up intestinal worms.

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Foods To Fight Worms

You can add some of the foods below to your dog’s diet to help prevent worms, as well as to

help get rid of a worm infestation. Fruit and vegetables like grated raw carrot,

greens, squash, or pumpkin can help make your dog’s intestinal tract less

attractive to worms. The orange veggies also provide vitamin A, which can help eliminate

roundworms. Feed any of the above fruits and vegetables you like; give at least ½ tsp of each

veggie or fruit per 5kg of your dog’s body weight, twice daily. Don’t overdo the orange veggies

or your dog may get orange poop hee hee!

 

 

Dried coconut

Dried coconut is a vermifuge, meaning it can help eliminate tapeworms from the body.

Sprinkle on food, giving 1 tsp.

 

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Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes

Probiotics help maintain a good balance of healthy gut bacteria and can strengthen your dog’s immune system and help them keep worms at bay.

You can feed foods like kefir or fermented vegetables (my scotties don't like these), or purchase a good probiotic supplement.... If your Scottie has a natural raw meat and bone diet they should never need probiotic supplementation or digestive enzymes. Probiotics may sometimes be needed only in the case of diarrhoea or extreme constipation. I prefer to treat constipation by reducing bone content in foods and adding cooked pumpkin.

Digestive enzymes also provide additional support for your dog’s digestive system to help him eliminate parasites.

For both probiotics and digestive enzymes, if you use a product made for dogs, follow the package dosing recommendations. If you use a human product, assume it’s for a 75kg person and adjust according to your dog’s weight.

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Apple Cider Vinegar 

A naturally alkaline system kills parasites.

About ¼ to 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar added to your dog’s food or water every day can help keep his system alkaline.

 

(You can test your dog’s pH using test strips (available online or at pharmacies).

Hold the strip in your dog’s urine stream for 1 to 3 seconds. The ideal pH for your dog is between 6.5 and 7. Since the pH varies throughout the day, it’s best to test several times over a 24 hour period and take an average).

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Pumpkin Seeds

Raw, organic pumpkin seeds can help prevent or expel worms. You can grind them and place them in your dog’s dish. Ground seeds will mix well with ground meat.

1 teaspoon per day for your Scottie will keep worms away!

Pumpkin seeds are safe to use, even during pregnancy.

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Garlic

Garlic is safe and is good for your dog when fed in moderation.

Garlic can boost the immune system and help fight worms and giardia.

In fact, a recent scientific study found garlic to be just as effective as the

toxic chemical veterinary dewormer, Ivermectin.

(Ayaz et al, Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov. 2008 Jun).

Garlic helps rid the stomach wall of mucus and makes it less hospitable for worms.  It also contains an amino acid called allicin, which is effective against roundworms and hookworms.

Peel and chop the garlic and allow it to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 15 minutes, which allows the allicin to be released.

Scotties will tolerate ¼ clove twice a day. (Caution: don’t use garlic if your dog’s taking cyclosporine or blood thinners, is pregnant or is under 12mth of age).

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Chamomile

This herb can work to prevent and expel both roundworms and whipworms.

It may not work as quickly as other herbs but it is effective and has anti-inflammatory properties, which calm the intestinal tract when parasites cause discomfort such as bloating, gas or cramps in your dog.

Chamomile is best used as a glycerin tincture.

Give 0.25 to 0.50 ml per 20 lbs of body weight, twice daily.

Give the tincture directly into your dog’s mouth or place in his drinking water.

 

Cloves

Cloves are effective against microscopic parasites such as giardia and coccidia.

Give one clove daily, or a small pinch of clove powder in food.

Freshly crushed leaves will kill the eggs of parasites.

Caution: Do not give cloves to pregnant females as they can cause miscarriage. Cloves can be highly toxic given in large doses and you should also be careful when using them on small dogs.

 

Olive Leaf

Olive leaf extract will help flush parasites out of your dog’s intestinal tract.

Oleopurin is a unique compound contained in the fruit and leaves of olive trees.  The health benefits of olive oil are well known and scientists have found that it’s oleopurin that provides these health benefits.

Olive leaves contain high amounts of oleopurin, so olive leaf extract is a very efficient way of giving your dog the health benefits of olive oil without giving him a lot of oil!

Olive leaf extract is sold in different strengths of oleopurin. To treat intestinal worms, look for olive leaf extract containing 12% oleopurin or higher.

Give your Scottie this olive leaf extract for eight weeks, in the following amounts.

300 mg twice per day.

 

Neem Leaf

Give neem leaf twice a day for one week to eliminate intestinal parasites (but not tapeworm).

Use 150 mg per day for your Scottie.

 

Slippery Elm

Slippery elm is a gentle laxative that can help your dog get worms out of his system. It can also soothe any irritations the worms cause in the digestive tract.

This makes slippery elm a very good supplement to give alongside other treatment options.

Mix the powder into food or some yogurt, 1/4 tsp for your Scottie.

 

Liver, Kidney and Lymph Support

Any time you’re treating worms it’s a good idea to support the liver and kidneys as well as the lymph system, to help move fluids and process worms that are absorbed by the blood.

Giving milk thistle seed at the same time as other treatments can help protect the liver. Milk thistle is best given in a tincture,  ¼ tsp for your Scottie.

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Parsley, one of my favorite herbs for so many things, acts as a lymph and fluid mover as well as a de-wormer (vermifuge).

You can make a parsley tea using ⅛ to ¼ cup of fresh parsley to 1 cup of water. Heat the water and steep for about five minutes. Give your Scottie 2 tsps of parsley tea daily for no more than 10 days.

Caution: do not use parsley if your dog has kidney issues.

 

Dosing schedule

When dosing your dog with herbal wormers, it can be more effective to give them ten days on, five days off, and then ten days on.

It takes ten days to kill the worms.

When worms die off, however, they will lay eggs to propagate the next generation.

It takes about five days for the eggs to hatch so the treatment needs to be repeated to kill the new offspring.

You may wish to bring another stool sample to your vet after the treatment series to confirm the worms are gone.