First of all I apologise if I have not been that available recently, but had to go to hospital for major surgery – even though early days I am feeling great and am already returning to the good health I knew years back. Arnica has been amazing!
I mentioned that I am making a case study page for the web (these things always take longer than anticipated!), but in the meantime I feel it is important to talk about worming, especially after recently reading a study on a cat selecting sunflower oil to rid itself of worms, which matches the study by Lynn Hedges - Guest of a dog that did just the same. To keep you in the picture with the dog, I have included a clip from the article I wrote below
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ANIMAL: Tommy Cat with worms….
SPECIES/BREED/SEX/AGE: cat, male, 8 years old
HISTORY: DATE: 30.06.2011
Author:
Janine Cairns
Tommy has regularly been de-wormed over the years, but always seemed to react badly to the medication, taking weeks to get back to normal. He was once again displaying the tell-tail signs of having worms – small, white worms or fragments thereof, stuck in the fur around his tail and white bits dropping off where he’d slept – and seemed lethargic, generally “off-colour” and his owner thought he’d lost a bit of weight. She wondered if I could help, as she was reluctant to take him to the vet again so soon after being vaccinated (3 months before) and de-wormed (6 months before). I agreed, on condition that she takes Tommy to the vet if there was no improvement after 1 week.
After giving Tommy the usual warm welcome, I ushered him into the small area off the living room, leading out to the patio – I wanted fairly enclosed space, where he felt comfortable, but where I could “contain” him enough to get him to concentrate on the remedies. I sat in the doorway to the living room, leaving him the option of moving between me and the door.
Approaching him carefully and slowly, I began by offering him rose otto, he sniffed at it closely, blinking and then turned his head away. I then offered him Valerian to help him relax more deeply and focus. He sniffed, blinked, lay down and started purring. Next, I offered Carrot Seed oil, which is often selected where there has been worm damage, he sniffed then got up and walked away. I gave him a moment and then approached him again with rose otto, lavender and valerian, offering them together. He looked at me and blinked and returned to sit near me. At this point, I offered him Garlic oil (against parasites), this was clearly NOT his remedy of choice: he turned his head away and demonstratively removed himself, tail swishing. I then placed the rose, lavender and valerian fairly close to where he had settled on the mat, which he enjoyed and started to purr again, closing his eyes.
I approached him again to offer him Devil’s Claw powder. He showed no interest, turning away. I then offered Spirulina, which he sniffed, licking his lips and blinking. His interest seemed to indicate staying with the Spirulina, so I mixed a small amount to a paste with water, which I then offered on my fingertip. He cautiously took a lick before backing away and continuing to lick his lips.
Hoping he would select something to help him expel the worms, I then offered him Neem oil, which can be highly effective against parasites. He turned away, showing no interest. I then offered sunflower oil, he licked a drop off my finger. I poured about a teaspoonful onto the tiled floor. He licked it up, without hesitation. I then poured a tablespoonful into a container. He greedily licked that, plus a further tablespoon too, so clearly he wanted sunflower oil, and as much of it as he could get.
OUTCOME AND FOLLOW-UP
I took him back to his home (2 doors away) with my bottle of organic sunflower oil, instructing his guardian to offer him 2-3 tblsp. of oil that evening, along with 1 tsp of Spirulina mixed to a paste in a separate saucer. He drank both.
01.07.2011: The next morning, he took another 3 tblsp. (45ml) of sunflower oil, but no Spirulina. His guardian poured a further 3 tblsp. of oil into his saucer and left it for him to come back to. By evening the saucer was empty.
02.07.2011: The following morning, Tommy took 2 tblsp. of oil. His gardian left more oil in the saucer as before, but by evening he hadn’t touched it.
03.07.2011: On the third morning, Tommy didn’t want any more oil.
Having washed all Tommy’s bedding and any blankets upon which he lies throughout the house, his owner was happy to see that there were no further traces of worms after his Zoopharmacognosy session and 3 days of self-medication.
Comment:
Although I saw no actual evidence of worms being expelled, since Tommy has free access to the garden and adjoining field and only uses a litter box “in emergencies” during the winter, I feel that he was selecting sunflower oil to purge himself and did so with success.
The following points support this view:
1. Tommy has been fed exclusively on kibble since he was a kitten and normally cannot be tempted to eat any other food, so it is absolutely inconceivable that he would have chosen sunflower oil for its taste or as a dietary supplement.
2. He must have felt he needed the oil – in large quantities. (He took about 200ml in total!). Shiva, his sister, had access to the oil in the saucer on the floor all the while Tommy was dosing himself on it. She steered clear of it and wasn’t even tempted to try it because he was drinking it, which she does as a matter of principle with of other treats.
3. Within 8 days, his guardian reported that Tommy seemed his “old self” and definitely brighter and more perky.
Update on Tommy
More than a year later, on 4 August 2012, Tommy once again showed obvious signs of re-infestation with worms. He was offered sunflower oil, which he took, as follows:
05.08.12: Morning – 45mls (3 Tablespoons) his carer expressed surprise that he lapped it up immediately – she usually has no success whatsoever in her attempts to coax him to eat/drink anything other than his dry food!
05.08.12: Evening – 45mls left in a saucer, beside his water bowl, overnight. It was gone by morning.
06.08.12: Morning – 45mls, left in a saucer for him at my front door. It was gone by evening.
07.08.12: Morning – he paid me a visit, so I offered him another 45mls of oil, which he took. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to photograph him – he drank long and determinedly enough for me to go upstairs and get my camera!
07.08.12: Evening – his owner left 45mls in a saucer for him, overnight. The next morning there was half to 2/3 remaining.
08.08.12: Evening - he took about 15mls.
09.08.12: Morning – no interest, either at home or with me.
By the 10 August, neither his guardian nor I could see any trace of worms on him or where Tommy had been (sitting or lying). Since he does not use a litter box during the summer, we did not actually see evidence of purging, but it seems obvious that this is what Tommy was doing by ingesting large amounts of sunflower oil (as he did the last time he had worms).
It is perhaps significant, that throughout these 5 days, Tommy’s companion cat, Shiva, could not be persuaded to even sniff, let alone lick, the sunflower oil.
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In Essence Vol.9 No.1 Summer 2010
Worming is one of the most debated and controversial procedures: over–the–counter wormers can be harsh and have side effects and they are often administered as a routine precaution. However, given the opportunity, an animal will know how to maintain its health. This can be achieved by offering appropriate secondary compounds for self–selection – an innate behaviour vital to their well–being and, ultimately, their survival. The first case study below demonstrates just how discerning animals can be in choosing the treatment they need. Acouple of years ago Lynn Hedges Geast, a graduate at the Ingraham Academy, wrote up this case study on a four–year–old female Staffordshire bull terrier she had treated. The dog had developed a heart murmur after an operation which, the vet advised, could have been caused by the anaesthetic used. He prescribed no medication since the murmur was low grade but recommended regular check–ups to monitor the condition.
Lynn takes up the story: “The dog mainly selected rose otto essential oil (although she also chose neroli, linden blossom, jasmine and frankincense). She sniffed the box but it seemed that whatever I offered her, it wasn’t the one she wanted! She was getting really excited and I felt myself getting anxious that I couldn’t get there quick enough! I started with barleygrass for its nutrients and magnesium but the dog showed no interest.
“Next I offered spirulina for its immune–stimulating properties and nutrient content – which I thought she would go for but there was no response at all. I offered chickweed and comfrey macerated oils, neem and flax oils, and hemp for nervous tension, with no success. I decided to just keep offering, knowing I would get there eventually! She showed moderate interest in arnica macerated oil and rosehips (dried) but they clearly weren’t what she wanted.
“Then I decided to try a fixed oil and offered her sunflower oil. She went absolutely mad for it, jumping up and trying to bite the bottle! I was relieved that I’d found what she wanted but she couldn’t get enough of it. She took a total of 160ml and still wanted more. I tried offering other base oils, thinking that perhaps she was indicating more fatty oils in her diet. I offered safflower, then olive oil which she sniffed, licked with moderate interest but then went straight back to licking the empty sunflower oil bowl. I put another 30ml of sunflower in and she licked it all.
“I offered grapeseed oil but there was no interest, then I offered sunflower oil again and she desperately wanted to lick inside the bottle. I gave her another 30ml (by now she had had 220ml sunflower oil) and she started to slow down a bit, licking her lips and nose a lot and pausing between licks.
“Once finished, I gave her a further 30ml (250ml now – a whole bottle!), of which she left a small amount in the bowl. Then she drank some water, took her toy, settled down in her bed and fell asleep. This seemed a good time to end the consultation.
“She then purged 250ml of sunflower oil and, with it, expelled huge amounts of tapeworm segments! I arranged another visit to re–offer and this time there was no interest in any remedies apart from rose otto. But she was still excited about sunflower oil even though purged. She went through another 200ml the day after purging, and from then on started to cut back on it to 60ml per day”.
Two months later I received an email saying that the dog had just had a check–up and the vet could not identify a heart murmur at all and perhaps thanks to the sunflower oil, the massive cluster of tapeworms she’d had in her body had now completely cleared. Lynn concluded: “thanks to all that zoopharmacognosy stands for, this dog is now in a much happier, healthier place – physically, mentally and emotionally.”
An add in: A young labrador dog was observed climbing up onto the table to eat an onion, which is poisonous, leaving the non–poisonous energy rich apple. However, shortly after ingesting the onion the dog purged, ridding his body of segments of tapeworm. This dog had selected the toxin to rid the body of worms.
