Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (80 page)

Early roundworm problems in young animals can be mild and insignificant or severe and life-threatening, depending on the health of the puppy or kitten at birth. At a certain stage of pregnancy, worms that have been sleeping dormant in the mother become active and migrate to the developing young in the uterus, infesting them even before birth. This can happen even if the mother tests negative.

It sounds awful, but it is seldom a serious problem because there are usually just a few of these worms. If the mother is not healthy, however, these worms take advantage of the situation and migrate in larger numbers than usual. Puppies or kittens born from
these weak mothers can be heavily parasitized and never thrive.

It’s important to understand that if the young animals are otherwise healthy and if they are fed a very good diet that’s high in protein, the roundworm numbers will gradually decrease to almost nothing over the first few months of life without any treatment at all. After the age of six months, dogs are seldom infested with this worm (as detectable with stool exams). Cats, once they get over their initial worms, become immune for life and are never again re-infested. In both dogs and cats, a few of the original worms may persist in a dormant state until pregnancy occurs (thus spreading to the next generation), but they do not cause any problem and are not detectable in stool tests.

One important factor in the continued resistance of mature animals to roundworms is that they receive sufficient vitamin A. A long-term deficiency of vitamin A will allow worms to re-infest and grow in otherwise resistant animals.

My experience with the care of young animals is that they do not need worm treatment unless they have large numbers of worms or show visible signs of their effects (failure to thrive, pot-belly, diarrhea, or soft stools). Usually, it is enough to see that they have good nutrition. Therefore, I do not support the practice of routinely worming puppies and kittens without even checking to see if they do have a significant worm problem. Why give them these toxic chemicals needlessly? I have seen problems from routine worming treatments, such as poor growth, diarrhea, and loss of appetite—ironically, these are just the problems you want to avoid. Have your veterinarian check the stool for these parasites before having any treatment.

What if you do need to treat young animals? I suggest the following measures (use all of them, if possible).

Homeopathic
—
Cina
(Wormseed) 3C: Give 1 tablet 3 times a day for at least 3 weeks. Have the stool checked again in a microscopic evaluation at a lab to make sure the worms are gone.

Nutrition
—Add ½ to 2 teaspoons (depending on the animal’s size) of wheat or oat bran to the daily fare. This roughage will help to carry out the worms. Also, feed the same quantity of one of these vegetables—grated raw carrots, turnips, or beets.

Herbal
—Garlic
(Allium sativum
): Depending on the pet’s size, mix ½ to 2 cloves of fresh, chopped, or grated garlic into the daily ration.

Mineral
—Diatomaceous earth (skeletal remains of diatoms, a very small sea creature): Can be purchased at natural food stores and some pet stores. This substance, which is sometimes used for the control of fleas, is also effective against roundworms. The action is the same—the shell remnants of the diatoms are irritating to the outside of worms (as they are to the fleas) and cause them to loosen their hold and be flushed out. Add ¼ to 1 teaspoon of natural diatomaceous earth to each meal. Don’t use the kind made for swimming pool filters—just the natural unrefined
product available (usually) through herbal or garden suppliers.

Alternatively, there are several herbal wormers available now that are quite useful in treatment. If you purchase one at a health food store, follow the directions on the label.

I suggest that you give this nontoxic treatment a three-week trial and then check again for worms. If the worms are still there, then it is best for your pet to get the conventional drug treatment. If a young animal has gone through this program, even if the program was not completely effective, I find that it seems to withstand the drug treatment better.

Other Worm Problems

If your puppy or kitten has been diagnosed with hookworms (a problem in some southern states), go ahead with conventional treatment first. Hookworms can be a more serious problem, and I would rather you treat this parasite under supervision. You can, however, do my treatment after the usual worming as a way to “mop up” any remnants and to prevent further infestations.

Tapeworms are not usually a problem in young animals. They’re more likely to appear after the animal is old enough to go hunting (see below).

T
REATMENT
, C
ATEGORY
2

After the animal equivalent of childhood, the most common problem is tapeworms. (If you do have a roundworm problem, however, use the treatment outlined for Category 1.) Tapeworms are always picked up from eating another creature (such as fleas, rodents, or, usually, gophers). They are not directly passed from one dog or cat to another, even if the stool is eaten. The tapeworm must go through a developmental cycle inside another animal before it can grow into the infectious form. What this means is that parasites will recur as long as your animal continues to hunt and eat wild creatures.

Tapeworm parasites do not usually cause any detectable health problems and are not serious (though they are disgusting to see). There’s no reason to panic, thinking they must be eradicated immediately. If you follow the natural health program in this book, particularly the fresh diet, you will find that parasite problems lessen as your pet’s general health improves. As your animal detoxifies and builds up strength, many parasites will be sloughed off.

The idea in treating tapeworms is to use substances that annoy or irritate the worms and to use them over a long period of time. Eventually, the worms will give up and loosen their hold, passing on out.

Herbal
—Pumpkin seeds (
Cucurbita pepo
): These seeds are a wonderfully safe treatment against tapeworms. Obtain the whole, raw seeds and keep them in a sealed container at room temperature. Grind them to a fine meal and give them to your pet to consume immediately. If, for some reason, you must grind the seeds ahead of time, store the ground seeds in a sealed container in your
freezer. Take out the needed portion quickly each day and reseal the container before much moisture enters it. It’s best, however, to grind the seeds fresh before use. An electric seed grinder (sold in health food stores) or a food processor can do the job. Add ¼ to 1 teaspoon (depending on the size of your animal) to each meal.

Nutritional
—Wheat-germ oil: Buy a very good quality wheat-germ oil at a health food store, and you have an excellent natural tapeworm discourager as well as a good adjunct to other treatments. Add ¼ to 1 teaspoon, depending on the animal’s size, to each meal. Feed a small amount of food so the enzymes work better.

Nutritional
—Vegetable enzymes: The enzymes of many plant foods, especially those from figs and papaya, eat away at the outer coating of the worm. Dried figs can be chopped or ground and added to food (more accepted by dogs than cats). Use ¼ to 1 teaspoon, depending on your animal’s size, to each meal. Feed a small amount of food so the enzymes work better.

Papaya is an excellent enzyme source, but it’s not readily available everywhere. You can use enzyme supplements that contain papain (the papaya enzyme) and other digestive enzymes. Follow the instructions on the label.

Homeopathic
—
Filix mass
(male fern) 3C: A time-honored herb used against tapeworms, this remedy can be given as 1 tablet 3 times a day for 2 to 3 weeks, shorter if the segments go away sooner. (The remedy discussed under roundworm treatment,
Cina
3C, can also be used if
Filix mas
is not available.)

Fasting once a week, allowing just a raw bone and water or broth, is an excellent practice generally. It’s especially useful, however, if worms are a problem, because it weakens them and makes them more vulnerable to the treatments being used. Since the worms get their food from the animal’s food, they don’t get to eat either.

If your pet has a stubborn problem in getting rid of any type of intestinal worm, also try an occasional dose of castor oil. Giving this after a day of fasting will flush out all the weakened worms. Use ½ teaspoon for puppies less than three months old and for all young cats; 1 teaspoon for puppies three to six months old and adult cats; 1½ tablespoons for medium-size dogs, and 2 tablespoons for large dogs.

A Last Segment

In the above discussion I suggest some relatively simple things to do for worm problems. If they don’t work, then I recommend using conventional drug treatment. However, I know some of you will not want to give up on a natural approach to this problem. So I am including this more complicated naturopathic approach as a backup. Though more involved, this is a highly effective method (adapted from the suggestions of herbalist Juliette de Bairacli-Levy).

The same program can be used for either tapeworms or roundworms. Basically, it consists
of fasting and the use of repellent herbs, along with castor oil (to flush out the intestinal tract).

1. Start by feeding a special diet for three to four days that will help weaken the worms by eliminating foods they prefer (fats, sugars, eggs, whole milk). Give two small meals a day, consisting of rolled oats (softened with water or skim milk), lightly boiled fish, and a liberal sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

2. Next, fast the animal for two days, primarily on water. If the animal is younger than six months, fast it for just a day on water, with a bit of honey added for energy. On the first night of this fast, give some castor oil to act as a purgative to help clear the bowels. Use ½ teaspoon for puppies less than three months old and for all young cats; 1 teaspoon for puppies three to six months old and adult cats; 1½ tablespoons for medium-size dogs, and 2 tablespoons for large dogs.

On the second day of the fast, give herbal deworming tablets (available at many health food stores or by mail; see www.drpitcairn.com). Alternatively, make your own formula by combining equal parts of fresh grated garlic with powdered rue and wormwood (herbs) in No. 2 gelatin capsules (sold at drugstores). Make this fresh each day or refrigerate it because of the garlic. Dose according to product instructions or as follows for the homemade mix: three to five capsules for small or young animals; six to eight capsules for medium or large dogs.

About 30 minutes after giving the herbs, administer another dose of castor oil (same amount as before). Then wait another 30 minutes and feed a small amount (about a cup for a medium dog) of a warm, laxative, semi-liquid mixture of raw milk thickened with slippery elm powder, honey, and rolled oats. If this is vomited, try again in 30 minutes. The slippery elm forms a smoothing jelly that helps to remove the worms and eggs from the intestines.

3. For the next three days continue feeding this same mixture of milk, elm, honey, and oats in three small meals a day. Each morning, at least 30 minutes before feeding, give the herbs again, but cut the dose in half. Each evening it helps to give a mild, cleansing laxative, such as ⅛ to ½ teaspoon (depending on body size) of powdered senna with a pinch of ginger. Give it in a capsule or mix into water or food.

4. Slowly return to a normal natural foods diet over the next few days. Stop giving the evening laxative once the animal is eating solid food and having bowel movements. For some time afterward, include in the daily diet the foods recommended earlier (carrots, pumpkin seeds, beets, and so on).

During this period and for about three weeks after the fast, use fresh garlic regularly on the food or give it in gelatin capsules at about half the dose used in the worming capsules. Also, feed an occasional charcoal tablet (once every two or three days, but for no more than a month afterward) to absorb and
remove any remaining impurities in the intestines.

With careful application of either of these programs, you should meet with success in nearly all cases. Just to be certain all the worms are gone, have your veterinarian check the stool about six to eight weeks after treatment and periodically thereafter until you are sure the problem is resolved.

Note:
Your parasitized animal can be a source of health problems for other animals or for children. Especially with roundworms and hookworms, people can become exposed by contact with contaminated soil. Though these parasites do not really grow well in people and do not usually cause serious problems, they can be troublesome and annoying (primarily causing skin irritation). Until the problem is cleared up, it makes sense to take special care to prevent contamination of the environment. Collect all fecal material to bury (deeply) in one place, flush down the toilet, or package carefully to dispose of through your sanitary service.

HANDLING EMERGENCIES AND GIVING FIRST AID

Important. Read this first!
The care you give an animal in the first few minutes of an emergency can make the difference between life and death. The first-aid remedies I suggest definitely work and will be tremendously helpful in that time between the beginning of the emergency and arrival at your veterinarian’s office. But they are meant as temporary lifesaving procedures to use while you contact the doctor and ready transportation. Do not use these methods as a way of delaying needed professional help. Instructions for more prolonged treatment apply only if you
cannot
reach medical care.

For this information to serve you, plan ahead and have supplies on hand in a convenient place. An emergency is not the time to begin assembling these tools and remedies or to start reading “how to do it.” The information that follows is provided in brief outline form, alphabetically, for ready reference when needed. But please study all the categories ahead of time so you can find the right heading in a hurry during a time of crisis.