. If you see what looks like long (usually up to half an inch) pieces of rice stuck to your dog or cat’s rear end or in its faeces they may well prove to be segments of tapeworm that have broken away. The wormers that I prefer are Endorid for roundworms (which can be given in two doses over two weeks), Drontal for roundworm and tapeworm and Panacur granules which cover roundworm and tapeworm in dogs and also treats giardia in weaned puppies.
It is important to keep on top of the flea problem as worms are passed on to the dog or cat via the flea, if your pet accidentally swallows a flea whilst grooming itself this may start up worms again. In an old animal it may be advisable to give a digestive enzyme with food after worming.
Ringworm is something totally different as it is a skin condition which can be found in animals with a lowered immune system. A vet can sometimes detect it with an ultra-violet ray.However it can also be passed on to other animals and even humans although creams available from the chemist like Daktarin can easily cure the condition should you get it. ( I once caught it from a cat in Morocco)). There are medications for animals but these are extremely strong and must be used – if necessary – very carefully as there may be side effects. Sulphur can be useful internally (homeopathic sulphur 30 three times daily) and topical creams. It is also helpful to build up the immune system nutritionally with a multivitamin-mineral supplement at the same time but not until after any medication has stopped.
For cats the wormer I prefer and have pushed down my cats’ throats is Droncit, but I sometimes use a Panacur powder in food for more difficult cats.
Practically all of the kittens I rescued one summer had a roundworm problem. Two orphaned tabby kittens had very distended bellies, while Alfie vomited a lot and had diarrhoea, and Negra and her kittens were emaciated and also had diarrhoea. Very occasionally one of my cats has vomited up a whole worm a few inches long, and sometimes you can find the same size worms in a litter tray amongst the stools. (My preferred feline wormer for roundworm is Endorid , which is palatable and can be disguised in food.)
Homoeopathically: For tapeworms you can give Felix mas or Merc cor (when the dog is passing blood in its faeces). For roundworms give Cina or Chenopodium or Natrum phos.
Herbally: Hawthorn may be helpful. Oatbran and garlic are not liked by worms and should be mixed in with a pure diet of optimum nutrition.
A little rock sulphur in your dog’s drinking water may also deter ticks and fleas, particularly in summer.
In her book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat the herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy is adamant that chemical wormer drugs should not be used on puppies or adults. For tapeworms she recommends a day and night of fasting followed by small round cakes containing fresh rue, wormwood and cayenne pepper (of the hottest variety). One part of the first two ingredients to two parts pepper, bound together with thick honey and flour made into a tablespoon of the mixture. This can then be pressed into small cakes and pushed down the throat. After half an hour she recommends a strong dose of castor oil or Epsom salts. She says Tabasco sauce is a safe concentration of cayenne and can be used with fifteen to twenty drops mixed into the flour and honey for an average sized dog.
For roundworms she advocates a fast of one day for a young puppy while giving water with a little honey (one teaspoon per bowl for an average puppy) and two days for a six-month-old or adult puppy. On the night of the fast they should be given a strong dose of castor oil (one dessertspoon for an average-sized puppy under six months), less for a puppy under three months) and one and a half tablespoons for an adult Cocker-sized dog, and two tablespoons for an adult Greyhound-type dog.
The following day, six to eight three-grain tablets with garlic, rue or eucalyptus or other herbal worming tablets should be given. Thirty minutes later another laxative dose of castor oil should be given and thirty minutes later a laxative feed in a semi-liquid mixture of milk thickened with tree-bark’s flour, honey and flaked oats.
In a dog’s daily diet she suggests one or two of the following worm-removing aids at a time: grated raw coconut, grated raw carrot, ground pumpkin seeds (raw), cut seeds (raw) of nasturtium and papaya, whole grape seeds, whole melon pips or finely chopped garlic. One teaspoon of the above for an average-sized puppy and one dessertspoon for a Cocker-sized adult, given twice daily.
Francis Hunter homoeopathic veterinary surgeon and acupuncturist writes:
I have to disagree with what Juliette de Bairacli Levy writes on the subject of worming in the extract above taken from The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat.
i) ` Roundworms: Over a period of more than 40 years in general veterinary practice I can say that worming products have improved enormously during the last 10-15 years in both efficiency and the possible adverse reaction that they might have on the animals being dosed with them. Roundworm treatments on the whole are now quite gentle in their action and are extremely effective. Worming does not have to be carried out so frequently that long-standing side-effects (such as prolonged use of antibiotics or steroids) are likely.
I feel that it is quite wrong and potentially more harmful to starve a young puppy for one or two days. I cannot agree it is right to withhold meals from animals of any age or species. Animals live by routine and cannot understand why they are not receiving regular feeding. Moreover the thought of giving any animals castor oil appals me.
ii) Tapeworms: Tapeworms are more difficult to remove because the head has to be dislodged from the intestinal lining of the host, which calls for harsher remedies. Here again modern treatments are very effective and adverse reactions few.
Worming is very important and it is my opinion that it is preferable to consult your veterinary surgeon and obtain modern treatments, rather than purchasing patent medicines over the counter.
It is interesting to note that Juliette de Bairacli Levy’s book was written over 20 years ago, while Francis Hunter’s comments are obviously much more recent.
(Please note that if you dog shows any signs of illness, you must first consult your vet. The above suggestions are merely “healthy hints”, to be used in conjunction with your vet’s advice after consultation.
COPYRIGHT Alexandra Bastedo
Alexandra is the author of “The Healthy Dog” and “The Healthy Cat” books which are vet recommended. A few remaining copies can be signed and purchased on our website www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk along with an enchanting DVD set amongst all the animals on how to keep chickens presented by Alexandra Bastedo and the poultry expert David Bland. They can also be purchased by Paypal or by cheque payable to the ABC Animal Sanctuary at PO Box 2195 West Chiltington Pulborough West Sussex RH20 2XB.
She is also the co-founder with the eminent homoeopathic vet Mark Elliott of Pet Nutrition Concepts ( www.petnutrition.co.uk )which produces high quality nutritional supplements for dogs and cats in vegetarian capsules. These are produced by the excellent human vitamin and mineral company Vega Vitamins.
