Canine Colon Health
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Intestinal Parasites
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Colon health is a major concern for people today but what about our canine companions? Like Humans, the dog's colon is also designed to eliminate waste and toxins from the body. Unfortunately,we have been feeding our dogs as poorly as we do ourselves and our family with processed foods that do not supply our dogs or own body with the essential enzymes and nutition it needs. Our dogs are Carnivores and designed with very short intestines and naturally lack some of the digestive enzymes necessary to break down grains, vegetables and cooked food. These facts cause us to believe that the typical commercial pet food diet can result in a buildup of toxic material in your dog's colon and liver, this in turncan lead to poisoning or diseases as it takes it's slow, progressive toll on the immune system. Parasites & De-Worming The use of drugs or chemcials to suppress fecal egg output has been the mainstay of parasite control in our pets for many years. The rational behind the use of worming drugs was to kill the egg laying adults and thereby minimize further contamination. Sounds like a good idea, right? Please note, worms can and do develop resistance to worming drugs in the same way that bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. Resistance occurs across chemical groups of worming drugs, if the worms are resistant to one drug in that group of worming drugs, they will have a cross-resistance to all similar drugs. This means in the future (the future is now) some or ALL worming drugs now available will be ineffective, if not useless. It takes too many different types of drugs, because no one drug is effective against all worms or worm eggs, this is the root cause of the cross-resisitance, and it must be stopped. To Worm or Not to Worm We are told that we should de-worm our dogs and cats regularly. In some cases, worms can cause severe problems. Hence it appears a logical argument that we should ensure our dogs don't contain worms at any time. Right? Well perhaps not. There is now some very compelling evidence in human research that there is a relationship between de-worming practices and an increase in auto-immune diseases. There are two schools of thought on worms, the holistic approach and the conventional. The conventional approach suggest worming a pet as early as two weeks old! Chemical wormers are not without side effects even the so called safe ones can cause vomiting and intestinal upset, disrupting the natural flora balance. Chemical wormers kill the parasites, key word here is kill. The host (your pet) of these parasites will not escape the toxicity of the chemicals in totality. Actually your dog's liver has to work overtime to try to eliminate these toxins from the body. Administering any chemical without proof a problem exists is irresponsible. A fecal test should always be done to determine worm type and load. There have been studies which show a small amount of worm load actually stimulates the immune system thereby jumpstarting the immune system in a young pet. We must remember a parasite related health problem does not emanate from the parasite itself but,from the hosts (your pet) inability to deal with the parasites effectively. Parasites are opportunity seekers that exploit the weaknesses of their host. Parasites are attraced to animals with compromised immune systems. For a pet that does have a good size worm load which can cause health problems there are herbs and natural alternatives to dangerous chemicals. Listed below some of the side effects from typical chemical wormers normally dispensed. DRONTAL PLUS contains Praziquantel/ pyrantel pamoate/ febantel • Central Nervous System : Frequent are dizziness, headache and malaise. Drowsiness, somnolence, fatigue and vertigo have also been seen. Almost all patients with cerebral cysticercosis experience CNS side effects related to the cell-death of the parasites (headache, worsening of preexisting neurological problems, seizures, arachnoiditis, and meningism). These side effects may be life-threatening and can be reduced by coadministration of corticoids. It is strongly recommended that all patients with cerebral cysticercosis are hospitalized during treatment. • GI Tract : Approximately 90% of all patients have abdominal pain or cramps with or without nausea and vomiting. Diarrhea may develop and may be severe with colicky. Sweating, fever, and sometimes bloody stools may emerge together with diarrhea. • Liver : Asymptomatic and transient increases of liver enzymes (AST and ALT) are noted frequently (up to 27%). No case of symptomatic liver damage has ever been seen so far. • Sensitivity Reactions : Urticaria, rash, pruritus and eosinophilia in White Blood Counts. • Other Locations/Body as a Whole : Low Back Pain, myalgia, arthralgia, fever, sweating, various cardiac arrhythmias, and hypotension. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praziquantel http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2005/Toxocariasis/wh ole%20thing.htm Other drugs such as Febantel, Fenbendazole, Ivermectin, Milbemycin oxime, Piperazine, and Pyrantel Pamoate may also be used. Risks of side effects of this medication may include: A dog (or person) with allergies pregnant or lactating dog (and women) children less than 30 pounds older animals (and adults) anyone simultaneously taking other medications: confusion severe diarrhea hallucinations irritability loss of appetite severe nausea and vomiting numbness or tingling in the hands or feet skin rash itching muscle and joint aches blurred or yellow vision chills seizures dark urine fever back pain pain while urinating yellow eyes and skin extreme lethargy redness, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin Pyrantel Embonate- one of the contradictions for this ingrident in Drontal plus is acute liver failure A newer drug, albendazole, has been shown to be 50 times more effective than metronidazole and 10-40 times more effective than quinacrine hydrochloride in killing Giardia in the laboratory. It has not been registered for use in dogs and cats. Some serious side effects of albendazole have been noted, including injury to the bone marrow. Since it may also cause birth defects, it should not be used in pregnant animals. Hypothesis on Worming by Jane Anderson We are told that we should de-worm our dogs and cats regularly. In some cases, worms can cause severe problems. Hence it appears a logical argument that we should ensure our dogs don't contain worms at any time. Right? Well perhaps not. There is compelling evidence in human research that there is a relationship between de-worming practices and an increase in auto-immune diseases. Check out this documentary from the BBC, who have looked at the research done by Dr Joel Weinstock and his team. To read more about the fascinating research about how this developed, click here. Effectively, what has happened is that by implementing practices where people are wormed regularly, this has affected the person's immune system is such a negative way, as to bring about responses in the body resulting in auto-immune diseases. So what's the connection to dogs? Let me explain a bit.... Much of the research that is started with humans can be later applied to dogs (and cats, etc). Now, while I am not a medical practitioner, nor a vet, I am practiced at doing research, having a Masters Degree in Human Resources. As such, I feel competent to be able to give a hypothesis for what is happening with our canines. H1 (my hypothesis): that the proliferation of unnecessary de-worming practices is directly related to the significant increase in auto-immune diseases in dogs. H0 (the null hypothesis): that there is no relationship. Note: I also believe that our current obscenely over-done vaccination schedule we unnecessarily enforce on our pets, and the flea treatments used, also contribute to auto immune disease, but that is for a different study. I also believe the feeding of commercial pet foods to our animals contributes as well. Background - in years gone past, auto immune diseases were nowhere near as apparent as what they are now. In countries where active and constant de-worming of dogs is a common problem, it appears that auto-immune diseases in dogs are more apparent. In countries where there is not the infiltration by pharmeuceutical companies influencing vets, there appears to be considerably less auto-immune disease. Are worms dangerous? Like almost everything, the answer is complex. Yes worms can kill. If a dog is so unhealthy that the worms have built up to dangerous levels, then yes the worms can cause onsiderable damage, and sometimes lead to death. However, if you raise your dog on an appropriate raw diet, have minimal (if any) vaccinations, and limit its exposure to flea treatment, then the dog should have a good platform upon which to build its overall health. A healthy dog can manage worms easily. Rather than necessarily being an embarrassing and awful condition, perhaps we need to change our mindset where we think instead, "good -my dog's immune system is now being stimulated for an appropriate response. This will help the immune system develop well." I like to think the anology of the way we raise our children - if we protect them from all stimulus, "just in case something happens", they won't grow to learn how to manage the more difficult things in life. Such "protection" while feeling good and "responsible" at the time, is not necessarily providng the best learning environment for our child. As with our dogs where we try to create the right health environment (appropriate raw diet, limitation of poisons), we wouldn't throw our child into the middle of a busy road and expect them to work it out safely. Like the stimulating environment you provide your child, and the parameters you do provide, with dogs, you don't just expect them to survive everything without your supervision. You need to think carefully around the worming practices of your dogs. Look at the ways the vet/pharmaceutical industry sets our puppies up to be prime candidates for auto-immune disease - • We are encouraged to worm dams in whelp • We are told to worm puppies at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age, and then at 6 months, and twice a year (sometimes more) after that. If my hypothesis is true - that there is a direct relationship between de-worming and auto-immune disease, then our dogs are prime targets for auto-immune disease. Unfortunately, the ones who benefit the most from this are the pharmaceutical companies. Firstly they sell and heavily promote worming products, then if a dog comes down with an auto immune disease, they then get to sell a much more expensive life long treatment strategy, while continuing to sell worming products to the pet owner of that dog. Where to from here? The reality, is that you are extremely unlikely to get any support from your vet regarding my hypothesis. If we look at the raw diet scenario, that provides a clear example of how the veterinary world works. Bear with me for a bit here while I explain - ie: the pet food company sales reps have taken over research regarding canine nutrition in just about all universities, invariably through direct and indirect sponsorship, scholarships, and by actually writing the textbooks (let's not talk about conflict of interest here). The student vets are taught how wonderful these products are, and are steered away from appreciating natural diets. The vets then go on to practice invariably recommending commercial dog diets which invariably lead to a plethora of health ailments. The vets then get paid a lot of money to treat these illnesses and conditions. A small number of vets saw past all this and have always recommended an appropriate raw diet, or have learned in such a way as to change their practices. On the internet, confused pet owners sought information not provided by their vets, and found, mostly to their great surprise, that commercial pet foods were the cause of their dogs' health problems. The resistants seen by vets around the world to the new ability of pet owners to network and objectively search for information, has been enormous. In fact, on one hand while I think it has been very frustrating to see the blocked learners influencing negatively the learning processes of pet owners, I also think it's somewhat laughable. Here with are with vets around the world following a code of ethics that invariably begins with the statement "first do no harm", yet here they are on a daily basis recommending inappropriate feeding practices which lead to health problems in dogs, cats, ferrets, etc. The good news is that due to the increasing education of pet owners, vets are now finding themselves forced to start seriously looking at raw diets. Now, back to my point. If vets still can't "get it" on the idea of raw diets being fantastic, it will probably be a huge leap for them to come to grips with worms actually being a good thing. Look, I'm with you - I don't want to see worms around. But look, if it means I can considerably decrease the chances of my dogs getting auto-immune diseases, then I think this is a far lesser "evil". My dog has an auto-immune disease, what do I do? Firstly I'd appreciate if you could send me an email outining the background of the animal (age, breed, disease etc) your current feeding practices, flea treatments used, vaccinations, and worming schedule. Let's start seeing if we can create a formal study. However, we will need hundreds of cases before we can formalise an outcome. If there is a university that would like to become involved, please email me. In summary We don't have the answers to why your dog may have contracted an auto-immune disease. It is likely there are a variety of causes. However, we'd like to take on board some of the conclusions reached with the human research, and see if we can find a similar correlation in dogs. We well may find that there is a correlation. We may have to go back to the drawing board. Let's work together to see if we can find an outcome. My best to you and your animals, Jane Anderson May 29th, 2004 Click HERE to be a member of Young Living Use Referral and Sponsor # 719671 ********************************************* Please share your testimonies with me. I have a few more to put up soon! Email me at thewholedog@gmail.com NOTE: It is important to remember that nutritional therapy, prevention, and control of diseases is not a "quick fix." The process can be a slow one, the biochemical changes that occur canl take time, sometimes up to six to eight weeks |
