Wiggly wiggly worms!

Your dog and those Wiggly wiggly worms!

Since there is a LOT of information out there on worms, most with information on things such as: Hookworms, Tapeworms, Coccidia, Giardia, Whipworms & Roundworms that will generally frighten the bejesus out of you, so here at Green’s For Healthy Pets we thought we would share our approach with a less overwhelming feel to it!

So without all the technical jargon let’s talk worms & what we do to worm our dogs.

When we chemically worm our dogs we are purging the good along with the not so good. Around 80 to 90% of the immune system is born in the gut so constantly purging it isn’t in the dog’s best interest, especially if it isn’t needed, how do we know?

We send the dog’s faeces away for testing to see IF we do indeed need to worm, my oldest dog has just turned 10 & was last wormed at the age or 1.We test our dogs roughly 3 times a year to see if we need to worm, this includes testing for lungworm. Your results may likely show that there is no need for chemical wormer, especially if you are feeding a fresh not dry diet.

The links below will take you to the Green’s online store where you can purchase the kits we use :

Buy Worm Egg Count Kit
Buy Lungworm Kit

In addition to keeping the diet as fresh & non processed as possible, using gently cleansing foods can really make all the difference. Adding fresh food to the bowl of a processed fed pet will go a long way also.  All these can have a huge impact on the health & longevity of your dog or cat. Your pets gut does not like a dry environment, worms can have a field day, so feeding raw or lightly cooked food can assist in keeping a high worm burden at bay & has served us well for many years in this way.

Here are some simple examples of what we feed to discourage the wiggles.

Food first & foremost

Pumpkin seeds: I add these nutrient protein packed beauties to the dog’s food a few times a week crushed or whole. Among others they contain manganese, magnesium, zinc, copper, potassium, folic acid, iron as well as Omega 3&6.   For worms they contain Curcurbitin, an amino acid that helps paralyze and expel them from the gut (Among the many other plants that contain Curcburitin are the seeds of cucumber, some melons, squashes,)  We use roughly quarter of teaspoon per 4kg of the dogs weight.

Buy Pumpkin Seeds

Organic Herbal Blends from Hedgerow Hounds provide seasonal mixes, and in theory keep the immune system on its toes.  Some blends also include gentle herbs such as Chamomile and Milk Thistle, to help support the system and help with expelling parasites gently.

Buy Herbal Blends

Foods with fur such as rabbit pelts, ears, lamb ears, & also garlic, papaya, grated raw carrots, fennel, green, and other orange vegetables also play a part in making the intestines not so attractive for worms, dried coconut can be used as well for tapeworms but my two generally eat the flesh from a coconut in spring and summer picking it out of the shell themselves is a lot of fun.

Buy Soopa Raw Chews
Buy Venison Slices

At each change of season we feed Milk Thistle for one week as a general gentle cleanser to help prepare for the new season.

Buy Milk Thistle

We also feed garlic Spring & Summer; it is controversial so one best researched to see how it resonates with you.

If you do have to treat chemically for worms ensure the gut flora is restored with happy bacteria afterwards by feeding prebiotics such as garlic, banana, chicory root, asparagus, green & fermented vegetables or give a pre & probiotic supplement.

Wishing happy worm-counts for us all.