Worms and Parasites in Dogs:

The biggest thing to keep in mind when deciding how to treat parasites, is that there is no way to get rid of every parasite nor is it always healthy. God created each creature for a reason. The problems always come up when we disrupt the perfect balance He has created. Most insects are nature's clean up system. They are important to dispose of the waste. Many internal parasites also help clean out the inside of animals and humans. When the host is sick, has a low immune system, or has an imbalance of some kind, parasites have the perfect atmosphere to multiply too much causing severe problems that can be fatal. Instead of worrying so much about the parasite itself, we need to focus on the cause of the overload.

Prevention is always better than treatment. However, here are some things to think about:

The first step is to get back to the way God designed the dog to live. In nature, dogs are eating real, raw food that is not heavily processed. They eat natural plants growing, such as wormwood, sage, and thyme, just to name a few. When we take our dogs for walks around our property daily, they will eat the herbs and plants that are growing wildly all over our land. Through them we have discovered some of the plants that are also very medicinal for us! We are teaching one another:)

They receive vitamin D3 through the sun. They do not have any harsh chemicals that overload their liver and lower their immune system even further.

When we give a dog the harsh de-wormers it does kill the parasites both good and bad (at least if their body is not so immune to it that you have to keep giving stronger/different versions) as well as all the beneficial bacteria that helps fight the problem that caused the overload in the first place. This cycle continues and requires constant chemical assistance because the body does not have a chance to gain the proper balance again. Of course the chemical de-wormers also have their own side effects to the other organs of the body as well. There have been countless studies that have proved this over the last years. If the balance is not kept in check, through nutritious raw food, plenty of sunlight, and keeping our practices as close to nature as possible; the unhealthy cycle of using harsh chemicals will be required to keep the dog alive. This is not the way we want our beloved companions to live! How sad to think of all the lives that have ended too early because the dog was alive, but far from thriving.

At Verity Farm, we want our precious puppies to have the best possible start to life. We feed a complete raw food with many herbs, and natural vitamins that are found in nature to help the natural balance that God created to have the highest chance for growth as possible.

We have used several natural remedies for treating worms, which I will list below, but please keep in mind that a dog cannot rely on these alone to keep them healthy. They MUST be fed real food that is not highly processed and have the things mentioned above to work. A dog that is fed kibble has no choice, but to use the harsh de-worming chemicals because their body does not have the balance of bacteria and parasites for the natural remedies to work. Of course, these things could, and should be added to this system for a slightly better outcome, but it will not be safe to rely on them. If on the other hand, the dog is fed raw, and the proper balance is maintained, it is perfectly safe to rely on these. We have used this method with all of our dogs, and have never had any issues with internal parasites. Our dogs have vigor and every vet we have gone to has commented on how healthy they are. It is truly wonderful to see what happens when we allow the systems to happen the way God intended.

Here are the things we use for natural internal parasite control:

• 1\4 cup of raw grated carrot once a week

• 1\4 cup of crushed pumpkin seeds once a week

• 1 tsp. of cumin powder once a week

• 1 tsp. of turmeric powder once a week

• 1\2 tsp. of ground black pepper with the turmeric to help it absorb better

• 1 tsp. of GI Soother (found on firmeadowllc.com) once daily

• 1 tsp. of DWA Soother  (found on firmeadowllc.com) once daily

• 1 tsp. of food grade diatomaceous earth once daily

• 1 tsp. of papaya leaf powder daily

Note that these amounts are for a dog over 6 months of age, so you would use less for a puppy under 6 months.

For External Parasites Control:

Just like internal parasites, keeping a balance of natural bugs that eat the external parasites is very important. The spiders, ants, ground beetles, frogs, lizards, and even opossums, that we generally try to get rid of, actually help keep the natural balance of parasites. We use beneficial nematodes to eat worms and larva as well as ticks, fleas, and flies on our farm to help keep the parasite activity on our farm in balance. When it gets out of hand, that's when it becomes a problem. We rub food grade diatomaceous earth into all of our animals fur once a week. As needed we sprinkle this same diatomaceous earth on the ground, around our farm. We also spray a mixture of ten drops of peppermint essential oil, and 10 drops of tea tree essential oil in a 32 oz. spray bottle filled with water on their fur once a week to deter parasites. If we ever notice mites, fleas, or an excess amount of ticks on our animals (dogs, sheep, chickens, and rabbits), we spray a mixture of one part neem oil with three parts water on their fur and rub it in. We do this for three days in a row, also doing the other things mentioned above. After the three days of treatment, we give them a bath with gentle soap and water and keep the animal's fur dry.

If you have to give de-wormer or antibiotic to your dog, it is best to give them yogurt and fermented food at the same time and for quite some time afterwards to help balance the good bacteria in the gut. Doing this will help prevent the cycle of an unhealthy microbiome continuing in the body.

Sources we have found helpful:

It is important to research this topic to see what you feel the most comfortable doing. We are sharing what has been helpful for us.

Here are a few books we can recommend:

• Doc Jones is an all natural veterinarian that has great information about building dogs immune system with herbs, you can find out more about what he suggests here.

• This book is written by a Veterinarian: Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD

• Natural Rearing-Breeding and Raising Dogs the Way Nature Intended by Dr. Jeanette Thomason

  • Acknowledgment at the beginning of this book: "God blessed me with a love and innate understanding of animals and nature from a young age and with a grandfather who instilled the importance of researching and learning all I could about the things I loved and became passionate about. He also blessed me with a mother who loved animals and who made sure I had riding lessons and was able to take my dog to training classes. She and my grandparents paid for my education to go through veterinary technician school. However, working as a veterinary technician opened my eyes to the fact that conventional medicine rarely, if ever, healed the animal. In the majority of cases, it created even more symptoms of disease."

• The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

• Here is a directory of Holistic Veterinarians that also may be of help.

If you can find a holistic vet...it is always best to be working with them in helping to find the best solution for your dog, since every dog is unique. These are just some things that have worked well for us and our farm.

Blessings,

Verity Farm