Anyone that knows me knows that my dogs eat about as well as a dog can eat. Their vegetation is organic and their meat is clean (free of antibiotics, hormones, etc.). I feed them what is commonly known as the BARF diet, or bones and raw food. In a nutshell, my dogs are rarely sick, dont have fleas and they have very balanced energy.
When we adopted Nakita, she was on commercial dog food and her immune system wasnt nearly as robust as our other two dogs. She had spastic energy, itchy skin, fleas, and worms in her poop. It took me a while, but we finally got her mellowed out, her coat shiny and her fleas and worms gone. One of the magic ingredients we incorporated into her diet to deal with the worms was ground up raw pumpkin seeds. I actually picked up this trick from my vet, Dr. Sara, who told me that raw pumpkin seeds would help Nakita with her parasite issues. I took some raw, organic pumpkin seeds, ground them up in a coffee grinder, and sprinkled about a half teaspoon on Nakitas food every day. (Nakita is an 80 lb. dog.) Worked like a charm.
I did some investigating to find that pumpkin seeds are beneficial, to dogs and humans, in many different ways. They are a natural source of unsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, amino acids and vitamins C, D, E, K and most of the Bs. They also contain calcium, phosphorous and potassium. I was so impressed with the health benefits that I added raw pumpkin seeds to my trail mix. Hey, if its good enough for the dogs, its good enough for me.
Cucurbitin paralyzes the worms and eliminates them from your dog’s digestive tract. When feeding your dog pumpkin seeds, use raw organic seeds. Don’t give your dog the salted seeds, which aren’t safe for him. Grind seeds and give ¼ tsp per 10 lbs of weight once or twice a day until the parasites are gone.
Pumpkin Seeds Fight Worms
Native Americans used raw, organic pumpkin seeds for a variety of parasitic and other ailments. They used the flesh and seeds of the pumpkin to:
In recent times, herbalists have discovered that the seeds of the pumpkin also work as an effective deworming agent. You can use them against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites in dogs and humans.
Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid called cucurbitin. It paralyzes and eliminates the worms from the digestive tract.
Pumpkin seeds have other health benefits too. They’re loaded with …
And all these nutrients are important to your dogs overall good health.
When intestinal worms take up residence in a dogs digestive tract, they disrupt his bodys ability to absorb nutrients. This spells sickness for any dog, but it poses a special risk for growing puppies, who are more likely than older dogs to contract intestinal worms. For the pet owner who wishes to fight the problem naturally, pumpkin seeds can act as a dewormer.
Intestinal worms are endoparasites. They hurt a dog by feeding on the nutrients his body provides without providing anything in return. In some cases, they eat through the dogs intestinal walls. A dog can become infected with intestinal worms by eating infected animals or soil, touching infected soil or through his mothers womb or milk. The intestinal worms that most commonly infect dogs are tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms and whipworms.
Pumpkin seeds provide other health benefits to your dog besides ridding him of intestinal worms. They contain protein, fiber, amino acids, vitamins B3 and B9, and minerals such as potassium, copper, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Such a nutrient-rich food is beneficial to your dog on any occasion. However, after an infection with intestinal worms, pumpkin seeds are especially beneficial for replenishing nutrients your dogs body may have lost.
For centuries, North Americans have used pumpkin seeds to treat intestinal worms in people. Pumpkin seeds offer a safe, natural way to treat your dog at home. They contain an amino acid called cucurbitin, which weakens intestinal worms. With repeated doses, worms die off and are expelled from the body. Evidence suggests that dogs can eat pumpkin seeds without side effects or interactions with other medications they may be taking.
If your dog is vomiting, coughing, lethargic, has diarrhea, poor appetite or a distended abdomen, it is reasonable to suspect he has intestinal worms. Small, white seed-like debris around the dogs anus may indicate tapeworms. Roundworms are rarely visible, though they may appear as spaghetti in his vomit or stool. Whipworms and hookworms are practically invisible to the naked eye. A veterinarian can examine a fecal sample under a microscope to look for worm eggs, but eggs may not be present even if your dog is infected.
Chad Culp: Certified Dog Trainer
FAQ
Does pumpkin seeds get rid of worms in dogs?
How do you prepare pumpkin seeds for deworming?
How much pumpkin seeds should I give my dog?
How can I deworm my dog naturally?