Homeopathics Parasites and Toxins for Dogs and Cats

I wish I had this sooner. So first, sorry if this turns out long but I want you to have the whole story. I've had my baby for about a yr and a half. He is almost 6yrs old. He's had bloodwork twice and both times his liver enzymes have been elevated. The first time the vet have me some meds to give him but they were a pain and very expensive. We didn't do anything the 2nd time bc he really seemed fine. She just said to monitor him. He has always drank and eaten and peed and pooped more than normal but he acted healthy.

Well 2 weeks ago he started to not want to or be able to use his stairs and just seemed to be moving slower. I thought maybe he hurt himself but couldn't get and pain reaction from him and he didn't have a limp or anything. Well then a week ago, after a really hot day, he got worse. He was very lethargic, just wanted to sleep all day, no snuggles, ears back, tail down, and not asking for treats or eating and drinking normally. I could get him to eat a little wet food and drink like once a day but that was it. It was still like 1/4 what he usually has (he is a 15 lb Chihuahua and on a diet so I wasn't too worried about the food part). I was worried he would get dehydrated though so I kept a close eye. Because I know of his liver issue and that he was showing all these symptoms I figured that is what it was. B4 an expensive vet visit I wanted to try this stuff. You can see how mopey he is on my shoulder, I was gonna have to take him in if he didn't improve soon.

He was starting to get a little better in that he had a few hours in the day where he seemed "ok" and even played once for like 2mins. Well I got this yesterday and gave it to him right away. By that night, he was already perking up and coming out of the bedroom on his own. He still didn't eat his dinner till 10pm but he ate it and that was the first time he had 2 meals all week. In the morning, he didn't get me up at the usual 6am to eat and play (not really mad at that) but was up at like 1030 and was very snuggly and giving kisses. I have him his second dose with his treat. He usual is asking for treats 24/7 but hadn't been at all and had actually been turning them away (unheard of... Again, see his big butt). Now, by his normal dinner time, he came out on his own, used the stairs with no trouble, and was again snuggling. We went out and he actually ran for a min and was walking with his tail up wagging. I am so relieved! He is definitely still a little weak and not quite up to fill strength but he is on the mend.

I can't wait to see how this affects him further and to see if he ends up better than before. Again, I've only known him this way and presumably he has had this the whole time I've had him (and probably longer as he was not taken care of well) so I don't know if some of his demeanor has been affected by this. He has a bunch of issues I've been working on when him like aggression and anxiety.

I will post an update once he has been on this longer and gets the full detox benefits.

Question from Gillian Richards

I have a American bull dog and every couple of weeks as worms I have giving 1 dose wormer tablets but is to many wormer tablets bad for her or is their another wormer I could use to treat it many Thanx

Answer from Shanika Winters MRCVS, Online Vet

Hi Gillian and thank you for your question about worming your dog. I will start by discussing the common worms that affect dogs and then treatment options.

When we say a dog has worms we are usually talking about intestinal (gut) worms but we are now much more aware that worms can also affect the lungs and heart of dogs. Worms have a life cycle and this can include other species sometimes such as cats, foxes, sheep, slugs, snails and mosquitoes. The worms are a parasite, the animal it is living in is called the host. If the worm, as part of its life cycle, has to pass through another animal then this animal is called an intermediate host.

Common worms affecting dogs include the round worm Toxocara canis, tapeworm Dipylidium caninum, whip worm Trichuris vulpis, hookworm Ancylostoma caninum, heart worm Dirofilaria immitis and the lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum.

The life cycle of the roundworm is as follows:

Worm eggs are eaten or licked up by the dog, these hatch in your dog’s stomach and develop into larvae. These pass into your dog’s blood and are carried to the lungs where they climb up the trachea (windpipe) and are coughed up and swallowed. These larvae then mature into adult worms. Larvae can also remain inside your pet in an encapsulated (protected stage) in different body tissues.

Adult female worms produce eggs which are then passed out in your dog’s faeces (poo). These eggs can then be eaten by your dog or other animals. Worm eggs can survive in the environment for a long time.
Roundworms can be passed directly from pregnant bitches to the puppies both before and after birth.

How can you tell if your dog has worms?

Most healthy adult animals show little or no signs of having intestinal worms. Passing worms in the faeces, segments in the case of tapeworms around your dog’s bottom which look like grains of rice, intermittent diarrhoea, vomit plus or minus worms, weakness and anaemia may be seen. Very young animals, those which are severely infected or with a weak immune system may show the more severe signs listed when infected with intestinal worms.

If there are no obvious signs of worms or we are trying to work out which exact type of worms your dog has then test can be carried out of faeces and blood samples from your dog.

How do we treat intestinal worms?

Most pregnant bitches are given several doses of an appropriate worm treatment throughout pregnancy and lactation (milk production). We advise regular worming of puppies from birth to 6 months of age. Puppies 6 months of age and adult dogs are advised to be routinely wormed three to four times a year.

It is safest to discuss which wormer to use with your vet to ensure it is safe for your dog, its life stage and that the correct dose is given. Worm treatments tend to kill the adult worms and larvae inside your dog, the encapsulated larvae are only killed by certain worm treatments. It is very easy for your dog to pick up worms soon after treatment from eggs in the environment, faeces and other animals.

Worm treatments:

The worm treatment drugs come in the form of tablets, pastes, granules and spot on preparations. The exact type you use should be decided after discussion with your vet especially in the case of recurrent infestations. It is always important to use the correct dose of a drug and one that is safe for your pet’s age and health status. Reasons a worm treatment may not appear to be working include: pet reacts badly to certain drugs, the worms they have are not being killed by the drug given, their immune system is weakened by other conditions or they are being exposed to a high level of worms.

Many combination drugs are available that treat different types of worms and some other parasites also. A list of drugs commonly found in worm treatments include, fenbendazole, praziquantel, milbemycin, pyrantel, moxidectin, selamectin and flubendazole.

In conclusion regular worming of your dog with a suitable drug is important for dogs of all ages, the exact drug used can be chosen after discussion with your vet based on your dogs needs. If worm infestation is recurrent then your vet may suggest performing tests to work out exactly which worms are present, helping to choose the best drug to use and an individual worming regime can be set. Worm treatment is a constant battle as re infestation occurs to easily. I hope this has helped you and that your dog’s worms are soon under control.

Shanika Winters MRCVS (online vet)

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