Have you ever wondered why your four-legged friend is so tired after administering their worming tablet?
Despite the vet confirming it was the right dosage for your dog, as well as being assured that a worming tablet wont harm your pet, your four-legged friend always appears to be tired and has a lack of energy after taking it. Sound familiar?
Worming tablets and treatments typically consist of neurotoxin substances or nerve agents which naturally paralyze the worms in the animal. During the worming process, the neurotoxins enter the animal’s body with them staying in the dog until being finally excreted. As you can imagine, having neurotoxins in your four-legged friend is not ideal and administrating dog worming treatments on a regular basis could cause harm to the animal.
How to Know if your Dog has Worms
Knowing if your dog has worms can be tested through a faeces sample. The sample should be taken to the vet in order to be examined in a veterinary laboratory. Worm eggs are so small, they are not visible to the naked eye. Moreover, due to the worm egg cells being so small they can be inhaled by dogs sniffing and digging outside. If you think your dog has worms, you should seek veterinary advice and follow their guidelines.
Which Dogs are more prone to Worms?
Dogs who live in the city and have little opportunity to walk through green spaces such as meadows and forests are at a lower risk to contract worms.
During the process, Parasites can take over both the snout and the lining. This is primarily done by eating carrion, however can also occur when the dog is fed with raw meat. Dogs that are mainly fed on canned, dry food or freshly cooked dog food are less affected. However, worms can also be spread by fleas.
Worm Infestation and Disease in Wolves
Wolves, like dogs, can become infected with various parasites. The danger is even greater in the wild. They either pick up the worm eggs with faeces infested with worms, or through the guts of their beaten prey. This makes them intermediate hosts of coiling, whip or tapeworms. As wolves usually do not deworm, unlike dogs, the larvae of the worms usually get into the muscles and encapsulate there. Moreover, if the animal is pregnant, there can be a hormonal change which can occur and get through into the bloodstream of the liver in the foetus. Weak puppies can die from too much worm infestation, whereas healthy small animals can cope with a fair number of worms. Even in adult animals, it only becomes critical as soon as they are weakened by a lack of food or other diseases.
Basically, wolves have a better immune system due to the natural diet and could cope with a stronger worm infestation than our domestic dogs. This means, choosing a high quality dog food is even more important.
The Symptoms of Worm Disease
The worm infestation of a dog is not always easy to recognise. If it’s just a small number, your four-legged friend may not show any symptoms. However, if a larger number settles in the intestine, this can lead to a worm disease. Some of the symptoms may include vomiting and diarrhoea. As a result, your dog will typically feel weak and can also experience weight loss. Worm infestations can also cause blood in the stool, irritation of the skin, coughing or bloated abdomen. Moreover, if your dog slides their behind across the floor, this is due to an itching anus which is also a sign of the disease.
Worm Cure is not a Miracle Cure
If your dog has several signs and symptoms of worms’ disease, you can expect the animal to be experiencing a high level of discomfort. Depending on veterinarian advice, the treatment plan may vary. Although the worm disease treatment is typically containing a type of neurotoxin, it will paralyze the worms and then be excreted. However, your dog also absorbs these neurotoxins within their body.If you follow the usual guidelines of the pharmaceutical industry and regularly administer the worm treatment to the animal, these neurotoxins will regularly be put into your dog’s body. Regular exposure to neurotoxins can lead to immune diseases and/or hypersensitivity.
Fact: Worms do not belong in the intestine of four-legged friends
Of course, the parasites do not belong in the intestine of the dog, but you should remember that it is the worming cures are toxic substances. Many of these neurotoxins contain the active ingredient praziquantel. The side effects range in some dogs from nausea, itching to arrhythmia. Of course, these occur only occasionally, but it is nonsensical to apply a worm cure, as arranged by some veterinarians, prophylactic. This would be a permanent burden on the intestinal flora and possibly also kidney disease or liver damage. With a healthy, balanced diet, enriched with fresh herbs, you reduce the risk of infection of your beloved four-legged friend for sure.
Natural Deworming with Coconut Oil and Herbs
You can deworm your dog with the use of coconut oil and/or herbs. These usually have no side effects and contain no neurotoxins. A study from 1985 found that Coconut oil kills many intestinal parasites, such as tapeworms (study from 1985 – Chowhan). Moreover, Coconut flakes have a worm-inducing effect due to their consistency. The use of coconut also ensures the gut flora of your beloved dog remains in balance.
You also have the opportunity to use a mixture of herbs such as wormwood, lemon root, parsley and clove. These herbal mixtures for dog deworming can be found finely grounded in tablet form.
Recommendations
If blending the right herbs together is too complex, you can always rely on a ready-made mixture of 100% organic herbs. We recommend the herbal worm-ex from Provital, which we also use with all our dogs and cats. This product consists of natural raw materials to protect the intestinal flora of the dog.
