So you want to know what diatomacious earth is and how it works?

[Bear Foot Farm]

And how have your control groups fared? You know, the ones who are in the exact same conditions but are not fed DE? Or a blind study where both groups are fed a powdered white substance, but only one is DE, and you don't know which it is. How many faecal float tests have you performed on how many birds to determine that they are indeed worm free?

LOL I haven't done any of that, which is why I specified I hadn't SEEN SIGNS of worms, and that MY "evidence" was also anecdotal.
It shows how unrealiable hearsay really is​

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

As for BigBear, I don't mean it as a personal attack or anything, but your suckling at the teet of science quite so hard is a bit alarming

I don't take any of this personally. It's just the internet LOL

I tend to rely more on science than hearsay, but I also have a lot of faith in common sense

If DE is 90% Silica, about 6% Alumina, and the rest Iron Oxide, common sense tells me there's nothing there that is poisonous to most organisms.

The TWO reasons it won't work when it's wet is , first, it can only absorb so much liquid, and secondly, moisture makes the diatoms clump together, so the cutting edges aren't exposed as much as when they remain dry and powdery.

I realize science doesn't always have all the answers, but this isn't some complex chemical formula

Its powdered ROCK LOL​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
LOL I haven't done any of that, which is why I specified I hadn't SEEN SIGNS of worms, and that MY "evidence" was also anecdotal.
It shows how unrealiable hearsay really is

LOL! Bear Foot, we are on the same page. My post was directed at Schultz, same as your post that asked almost the same questions as mine.

BTW, I haven't seen any polar bears around here. I think that the little DE I use has killed them all off in these parts. Sharks, too.

 

[TiaView]

Bear Foot, after 9 days of conventional veterinary NOT working my vets suggested that as a LAST RESORT I could try the DE. They did not think it would work, but the dog was dying. The DE absorbed whatever was in the intestines and moved it out giving my dog a chance to recover. And he did...within hours he was eating. But clearly you don't like DE so DON"T USE IT. Just don't negate others experience with it.
And...fecals often come back negative from the vet when the dog is positive for worms.

 

[dawg53]

TiaView. Which type of worms did your vet(s) say your top prize dog was infested with? What meds did they prescribe and what was their reason the wormers they prescribed supposedly didnt work?

 

[TiaView]

They origionally thought that he had parvo because of his age (6 mo.) and the way it presented. But after realizing that after 9 days of fluids, meds and constant lethargy without getting better or dying, they realized it must be internal worms due to the rabbits they hunt, kill and eat that carry a high worm load. I was a paramedic for five years riding with the top agency in the Country at the time, so don't think I don't appreciate conventional meds. But the DE did work. And like I said...if you don't believe it dont use it, but there are thousands of folks in the canine world that will attest to the fact that it does indeed work.

 

[dawg53]

I currently use DE to dry my run after a rain, but that's it. I appreciate your honesty in that your vets did not worm your dog. Why didnt they if they finally suspected worms? My DW has been a vet tech for over 25 years and never heard of DE, much less using/feeding it to dogs and/or cats. All the vets that she's worked with have used chemicals to deworm dogs and cats. I've had chickens for years and was caught up in the "miracle" hype too. I religiously put it in their feed, til I visually saw roundworms in their poop and they were alive. All the symptoms were there too, just like your dog...lethargy etc..., and like a dummy, I ignored them. Something that DE was supposed to prevent/kill, but failed. Many others on here have stated the same thing and I've even posted a couple of their quotes. One dose of wazine, and 12 hours later my hens were bawking and sqawking and scratching around like a chicken should. There are many BYC'ers here that concur that DE is good for what it does, but also concur what it doesnt do, including worming. I have no reason to lie nor deceive, just experiences that I have personally dealt with in raising chickens. BTW I've owned quite a few dogs myself from Terriers to English Bulldogs and vets always gave them injections or pills to treat various types of worms when they had them. I'm glad you realize that chemicals have their use. Next time, tell your vet(s) to do their job and properly worm your dogs...you're paying for it anyway $$$. Good luck.

 

[TiaView]

Well, my vets are board certified Cornell vets and I feel DID do their job. My dogs intestines were too raw and they felt (after much consultation with other vets as well) that he had a 50/50 chance of dying immediately if I introduced a chemical wormer into his system. If my dog was going to die, he'd die, but I wasn't going to kill him. I went against the vets advice to use the chemicals and it paid off. He's here. And number five hound in the country I might add.

 

[TiaView]

Dawg, Also to clarify, I don't know enough about chickens digestive systems to know if DE works for them as a wormer. I'm going off of what I know about canine digestion. And unless your wife works with a vet that specializes in holistic nutrition or medication I'm not surprised that she's not heard of alternative ways of worming dogs. That is why holistic vets are raking it in right now when conventional vets are happy to fill our dogs with poor nutrition and chemicals. They are happy to hand out those steroid/allergy shots for a dogs entire life all too often, when usually a proper diet change will make a world of difference. Corn and chemicals eventually take their toll on a dogs health.

 

[dawg53]

Your dogs intestines were too raw, yet you gave him DE that cuts as a crystalline structure not only cutting and drying worms but also scraping the dogs intestines too? Yet there are very mild chemical wormers that'll do the job effectively and efficiently without harm to raw intestines. Doesnt make sense! Your holistic approach is only a temporary solution to the inevitable, you'll have to use chemicals wormers sooner or later. Holistics are preventatives, not treatments. Save yourself money and do it right the first time without excess stress on any animal. This is my last post regarding DE.