Expert: Ali - 6/7/2009

Question
Thanks Ali for all the support you gave.

I just wanted to update you about Isa (The kitten that was taken too early from his mom).

He is doing wonderful, he got bigger eats and plays alot the diarreah stoped completely after a week after deworming treatment.

The technichian told us he will propably need to be dewormed for 6 months due to his bloated stomach but im soon going on a trip to my country Denmark so i will wait with the treatment since he will need care while on treatment. he was only dewormed once.

But since he is doing so fantastic do you think i should continue the treatment or it might harm him more than doing good ? I also read somewhere that you can give carrots as substitute to deworming medicine.  what do you think about it?  

Answer
Zahra,

No problem, I hope that Isa's feeling much better and I'm glad to hear that he's been growing and getting stronger. With regards to deworming him again I'd suggest that give him a chance to recuperate before continuing treatment. Is your little guy's belly still super bloated? Have you had the vet check a fresh stool sample from Isa to confirm whether or not further deworming is necessary? I'm not a big fan of deworming without needing to do so whether you're using natural, holistic stuff or chemical dewormers. Hopefully the information below is helpful, but it's in Isa's best interests to check out anything you'd like to try with a good holistic vet before making any decisions. I would be more inclined to use homeopathic remedies wherever possible, though that may be related to the fact that my vet uses homeopathy in her practice.

My recommendations with regards to natural worming would be to speak with your homeopathic or holistic veterinarian with regards to remedies suggested below. This first batch comes from a posting called Introduction to Worming by Tiffani Marie Beckman, Copyright May, 1997 - 2009 the web page is: http://www.siriusdog.com/parasites-worms-dog-puppies-holistic.htm

Black walnut hulls, wormwood, clove buds and sage. Ask your homeopathic vet about supplementing a diet with these ingredients.

Grapefruit seed extract and kyolic garlic. Both given daily helps in worming your animal, among a host of other things. Fresh garlic can be substituted for kyolic garlic.

Parsley water - put one bunch of fresh parsley in one quart purified water, bring to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes. Let cool. Throw out parsley. Give one tablespoon of parsley water per 10 pounds of body weight to your animals once or twice a day.

Pumpkin seeds, freshly ground. Try to grind up pumpkin seeds finely right before feeding as opposed to grinding them several days in advance. If you must grind them in advance, keep them in a sealed container in the freezer and take out a day's portion right before feeding. You don't want moisture to enter the seeds. The seeds need to be raw, not baked and salted. Give 1/4 to 1 teaspoon per meal to your animal, depending on size (a cat will get 1/4 teaspoon, but a German Shepherd would get 1 teaspoon). This is effective against tapeworms and very safe.

Sufficient Vitamin. A. Pitcairn comments that a long-term deficiency in Vitamin. A can result in worm reinfestation in otherwise immune animals. Vitamin. A can be supplemented by a good quality cod liver oil and adequate sunshine exposure.

Some homeopathic remedies are indicated for intestinal worms. Ask your homeopathic vet about Cina (wormseed) and Filix Mas (male fern).

Sometimes the addition of roughage helps carry the worms out of the tract. Try giving high roughage vegetables like grated raw carrot, turnips or beets. You may recall that the best way to feed vegetables is to puree them in the blender - however, since we are using them in a different manner here (for roughage as opposed to getting nutrients from them) grating is preferred. You will most likely see the grated veggies coming out in about the same state as they went in:)

Diatomaceous Earth. I have a separate post on DE, so if you are interested in learning more about it, please let me know. The info on DE is rather long, and I didn't want to take up more space on this post:)

Wheat germ oil can be a great tapeworm inhibitor. Get an organic cold-pressed bottle at the health food store and give in the same amounts listed above for pumpkin seeds.

Vegetable enzymes, such as the enzymes found in papaya and figs, can eat away at the outer coating of tapeworms.

Fasting is another great idea for getting rid of worms, as the lack of food weakens them. A 24 hour fast once a week for healthy adult animals helps clear out the digestive system. If your animals is not healthy, however, consult a vet about fasting, as it can be contraindicated. Same for kittens and puppies.

Herbal wormers are available in a variety of places. Read the labels carefully and follow the directions. I am hesitant to give a wormer that includes onion, as onion causes Heinz bodies in the blood which may lead to anemia in dogs and cats. Consult your homeopathic vet if you have questions.

Agrisept. Agrisept is a combination of the extracts of grapefruit seeds, lemon seeds, and tangerine seeds.

Another reliable place to check for information about holistic vet care is:

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/heal_feline_distemper.html

I can't say that I have tried everything they suggest, but it's worth discussing the information provided on that site with a holistic veterinarian and deciding what's best for Isa in the long run.