Whitewater Dog Park

"So what can I do about those intestinal worms?"

There is tons you can do. First, conventional wormers are very effective and do not hesitate to use one. Holistic methods can be used to augment -- just make sure you're using the correct wormer (i.e. Droncit for tapeworms, Strongid for roundworms). This stuff is the worm killer, but you also need to sometimes worry about larvae.

Help the process along (or do this as a preventive), by feeding something to "slough" the intestinal walls and lacerate the larvae and worms. Chopped walnuts will do well, but chopped pumpkin seeds work well too. As the chopped nuts or seeds are pushed through the intestines, the worms are harmed, and dragged along.

If you can avoid feeding your dog a lot of grains, this will help too - as those parasites feed off the grains. In addition, the grains in dry dog food slow instestinal transit. A fast moving and healthy intestinal tract is not a friendly place for those nasty worms.

Some folks feed diatomaceous earth -- this has the same affect as the chopped nuts, cutting up the buggers as it makes it's way down the turnpike. You can also sprinkle it through your yard and kill any larvae that have gotten into the soil. Diatomaceous earth is made up of the silicate shells of microscopic sea creatures called diatoms. When diatomaceous earth comes in contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs' waxy exoskeleton and then the powder absorbs the body fluids, causing death from dehydration. It is a a very effective and natural insecticide. It will also kill ants, fleas, ticks, silverfish, earwigs, cockroaches, slugs and beetles. Use only food grade quality diatomaceous earth. You can find it here at Perma_Guard.

If you choose to use diatomaceous earth, do not buy the earth sold for swimming pool filters. This has been chemically treated and heated, and is ineffective for insect control and is dangerous to breath.

Lactic acid will also discourages parasites. You can provide that with either a tablespoon of buttermilk (on an empty stomach or with chopped nuts), or even with a tablespoon of ground up carrots.

Pick up all poop promptly, otherwise worms settle into the dirt and unless there is a deep freeze, they live there. Don't allow any poop munching either! Keep your dog from snacking at that "catbox cafe. " If your cat has a tapeworm, your dog can be at risk too!

Intestinal worms are nasty things to live with. We recommend periodic fecal checks. Talk to your vet if you suspect your dog may have worms.

How do you know if your dog has worms? One characteristic is a pot belly. Another can be sudden diarrhea and/or vomiting. Sometime you can see the worms in the stool - but don't count on it.

Tapeworms can look like grains of rice that move and are flat. They might look like sesame seeds on your dog's bedding when they have dried out. The only way a dog gets tapeworms is from fleas. They swallow a flea and the tapeworm then enters the bod. Tapeworms can be six inches long - or even longer when they mature, and have segmented bodies.

Each segment has a complete set of organs in it. When a new segment grows at the neck, the segments further down toward the worm's tail, the organs disintegrate except for the reporuductive organs. So when a segment drops off the worm, it is full of eggs. A tapeworm has tiny teeth in its head that latch onto the intestinal wall and then absorbs nutrients through its skin. How do you get rid of tapeworms? See your vet. He/she will probably give you one pill called Droncit (Praziquantel). The pill kills the tapeworm, which is them absorbed. It takes about three weeks from the time your dog swallows an infected flea, to the time they can be seen by you. A dog can reinfect itself with tapeworms, so you must get rid of the fleas!