Natural Remedy for Tapeworms

Over the course of the last few years, Kino has been losing weight.  He seemed healthy in every other way so I wasn't too concerned.  I tried switching up his dog food to one with higher protein content.  When that didn't make a difference, I assumed maybe he just had a high metabolism, so I increased the amount of food I was feeding him, yet he still kept losing weight.  It wasn't until we were in the middle of packing up the house that I discovered what was going on . . . I found a tapeworm in his poop.

I was disappointed in myself for not figuring it out sooner.  Lucky had a tapeworm once and I was sure I would recognize the warning signs more quickly if it happened again, but looking back, Kino wasn't doing any of the odd things Lucky had done, like eating the dirt out of my houseplants and rummaging through my friend's purses looking for snacks, so maybe that's why I didn't put it together sooner.

Not wanting to use a traditional tapeworm remedy (because I think they are too harsh on the body), I began researching alternatives.  Much to my delight, I found a natural remedy . . . and it worked!  Raw pumpkin seeds!  You give them 1 tsp. of raw pumpkin seeds per every 10 lbs. of body weight each day.  I spaced them out throughout the day, although that wasn't the suggested method, it just felt right to me to give him pumpkin seeds three times a day instead of all at once.

About 5 days into it, I had a moment of panic when Kino pooped what appeared to be almost pure mucus.  (Sorry for the over-share but I think it's important to share in case it happens to you too).  I wondered if I should stop giving him pumpkin seeds but my intuition told me it was his body getting rid of what wasn't supposed to be in there, so we continued through the end of the second week.

I am happy to report that not only are the tapeworms gone, Kino had gained all his weight back.  His coat looks great and since he is getting all the nutrition from his food instead of sharing it with the parasites, I have even cut back on the amount of food I was feeding him so he can maintain his weight.

Something I have observed since we got rid of the tapeworms is that Kino no longer cries when I am preparing his food.  He had done that since I first got him from the shelter.  I always assumed he was just excited to eat and I thought it was cute. I see now that it was an indication that he was *desperate* to eat.  It may also explain why he was prone to stealing food off people's plates as well.  I thought that was a behavioral/training issue but now that I am looking at it with fresh eyes, I can see that maybe my poor boy had this tapeworm since he first came out of the shelter.

I am happy that we found a natural alternative for treating tapeworms and thought I would share our experience in case anyone else is looking for a safe option.  Interestingly enough, raw pumpkin seeds are really good for people too, as they are a great source of iron, zinc and magnesium and can help with a myriad of health issues.  Raw pumpkin seeds are now something we snack on for pleasure.

As our adventure continues, it is nice to know we're learning some helpful things a long the way.

Skunk Lessons

Kino and I had the unfortunate opportunity to learn a lot about skunks recently.  I thought I would share some of our lessons learned in the event that it is helpful to others who are unfortunate enough to also have the experience.

First of all, when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, it doesn't smell anything like the skunk smell you experience when you are driving down the road.  In fact, the first thing I researched when I got on the computer was what other animals spray besides skunks because I was sure it wasn't a skunk that got him.  So, I learned that the "up close and personal" smell of skunk spray is far different from the "from a distance" smell of skunk spray.

As may be apparent, I learned that Kino doesn't always obey the "Leave it!" command.  It works when we see other dogs, when we see cats and squirrels and birds and butterflies but it seems the excitement of seeing a skunk made him forget that he knew what the "Leave it!" command meant.

I learned that tomato juice really isn't the solution in these situations.  The recipe for skunk smell eradication is:  a quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and a tsp. of Dawn dish soap.  I learned that it's probably a good idea to always have these items on hand if you live near skunks because if an "incident" occurs and it's after midnight like it was for us, your choice is to either suffer through the night or drive around looking for these ingredients at after-hours stores.  (I also read that it is NOT a good idea to mix the solution for later use because it can explode).

The solution needs to be applied and rubbed in, left on for 5-10 minutes and then rinsed off.  If you can still smell skunk, the process has to be repeated.   I learned that once is probably never enough and that neither the dog or the human probably has the patience to repeat more than three times.  I also learned that peroxide can lighten the hair of dogs just like it can people, so Kino is now sporting a more "beachy" hair/fur color on his head.

I learned that placing bowls of vinegar around the house actually DOES help absorb the smell that got everywhere else (floor, rugs, furniture etc).   I also learned that the vinegar needs to be changed every 24 hours if it's going to be effective and that even days later, you are still going to get a whiff of that nasty smell when the wind blows or you walk past something that still has the skunk oil on it. I also learned that I dislike the smell of vinegar almost as much as I dislike the smell of skunk spray but it was a necessary discomfort.

I learned that if your dog sticks their head out the car window while it is raining, even if it is a week or more after a skunking incident, the smell is going to be just as strong and just as awful as it was the moment it happened.

And finally . . . I learned that lecturing your dog about how all of this could have been avoided if he had just LISTENED when you said, "leave it!" results in nothing more than blank stares.

Just to be on the safe side, we are now using a leash when we go out in the yard at night.  Kino doesn't enjoy the lack of freedom and I don't necessarily enjoy traipsing around the yard in my robe while he finds just the right spot to relieve himself, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to avoid having to go through that experience ever again.

Life these days seems to be just one adventure after the next.  :-)