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.