Tis the season!
“the worms crawl in the worms crawl out the worms play pinochle on your snout…” does anyone remember this ditty or did I just date myself?
Talking about worms or intestinal parasites is actually a pretty common conversation amongst dog owners. We talk about what our animals eat, how it comes out (literally) and what it looks like… oh wait, is that a worm in there?
Then off to the veterinary we go. It is suggested that we deworm our dogs at least twice a year, more if there is visual site of worms in the stool. Most pet owners that I know are pretty faithful to this schedule, kind of like spring and fall ‘house cleaning’.
But hold on!
What about you, the owner that lives, eats, and sleeps with your dog… and kisses your dog? Have you been taking care of yourself? Do you have worms? Oh the horror…
If you live with, work with, or are around animals on a daily basis, deworming yourself once to twice a year is highly recommended. The Amish caught on to this a long time ago, and some farm and ranch children are raised with daily homemade tinctures, a lot like liquid cloves (sans sugar…blah!). A spoonful a day keeps the worms away.
My friends and fellow world travelers like to refer to it as ‘parasite cleansing’, it just sounds nicer.
There are a few options out there. I tend to stay with the least abrasive and least toxic versions. You want to consult with your health care practitioner to see what they feel would be safe for you. Take into consideration that herbs are drugs, and they are powerful, so always know what you are putting into your body. Most Co-ops, health food stores or nutrition centers carry these products.Talk to your Doctor about prescription pharmaceuticals.
Both of these parasite cleansing products are available at health food stores in Bozeman.
Here’s to your health and a worm free body!
Nancy
originally posted March 2011
Nancy Tanner 
Hmmmm… I wonder if Jen has parasites? What if she gives them to me? *gasps*
I don’t think it’s all that common to be honest, unless you are sharing really close quarters or working with animals. Because I am in and out of barns, facilities, on farms and ranches for work, handling 30-40 dogs per week AND I have four dogs of my own that I hike with in the mountains, I make sure I do a cleanse at least once if not twice a year.
Something to think about. By the way, we used to deworm every year, but now that is not allowed anymore. A dog can only be treated if parasites are detected by test. This is to not make the parasites resistant to medicine.
As my dogs get older that is pretty much what we do for them, I have not seen anything to indicate that they have worms, but they also aren’t ranging as far in the mountains or herding any longer. But I work with A LOT of dogs that have parasite issues as well as some other stuff. I seem to be the one at the biggest risk! 😉
What do you use to deworm your dog? There are so many products out there. Is it something you automatically do a couple times a year, or do you take a stool sample to the vet to make sure it’s needed. Do you give your dogs heart worm meds? I live in a climate similar to yours. Santa Fe New Mexico. 7200′. Hike usually 8000-10,000′. Mosquitoes are rare. Some vets recommend year round. Some 3-4 months in summer after a blood test.
We put food grade Diatomaceous Earth in their food every day and this seems to do the trick. And the additional health benefits from diatomaceous earth are just awesome
We do not use heartworm medication as the town I live in has no native heartworm and if you look at the conditions for what it takes our area isn’t an area of high risk
MacTavish has a history of chronic giardhia, so I give him daily doses of food grade diatomaceous earth and probiotics. This has worked far more effectively and safely than pharmaceuticals.
Karen, that is awesome. I was unaware that it was helpful with giardia, this is good information.
This year we have added it to our diet as well, in smoothies or cereal… Nancy