Does anyone know of something that will kill intestinal parasites in dogs and cats?

Poor freddie, my beagle, won't eat the flamin' chipotle taco dip that I made for him... Can't imagine why, I thought it was pretty tasty!

And NOTHING could live through that stuff!

But seriously, my friend (from Mexico) said that there's a plant that they used to feed to their dogs to keep the worms at bay. Anyone have an idea what it is?

Thanks!

-- Chuck (woah@mission4me.com), December 29, 2001

Answers

Chuck,

Don't know about a plant, but I did read where the Native Americans used pumpkin seed as a wormer. Theres info on this at the worm forum at www.wormdigest.com . It was discussed on feeding pumpkin to vermicompost bins and one participant referenced a couple sources on its use as an animal wormer.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

The site is a .org not .com , sorry. I went ahead and retrieved the post there and it said the seeds have "antihelminthic" properties, which my medical dictionary defines as antiparasitic.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

I fed pumpkins seeds to my rabbits all the time for parasite control. Had fecal sample done and all was fine. I'd love to feed them to my goats, (they do get fresh pumpkins in the fall) but I'd need a 50# sack of dried seeds!

Don't know if a dog would like them or not. Let us know what you decide.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), December 30, 2001.

I still have 57 pumpkins under the shed from holloween. I may try harvesting the seeds to feed my hounds.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

Senna, possibly.

-- Kevin (kevinmail@earthlink.com), December 30, 2001.

Email address correction; sorry.

-- kevin (kevinmail@earthlink.net), December 30, 2001.

Thought it might be Epazote mr. chuck, looked it up on google & got this link for ya.

www.dnr.cornell.edu/gardenmosaics/pages/science/epazote.htm

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), December 31, 2001.

Garlic powder, used at the rate of one teaspoon per 50 pound dog per day works well to keep worms from reinfesting the dogs (or cattle, or horses, or most all mammals). Treat the dog initially with standard de-wormers, then start the garlic treament. Also repels fleas and ticks, I have used the garlic for years now, and have no fleas or ticks of any kind in our four huge outside dogs, and we live in tick heaven.

I use it in our horses at the rate of one tablespoon a day on their grain, helps repel the flies in the warm months too.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 01, 2002.

I have not tried it but have read many times that dicatameous earth is good for worming livestock and dogs. It is fossilized small ocean life that is very abrasive and will clean out anything it is feed to, kind of like a scouring pad. It is avalilable in the advertizers section of countryside mag and small farm today as well.

-- jim phillips (jhphillips@ccrtc.com), January 01, 2002.