Parasites - Prevention & Hygiene Through Natural Measures

Fleas, ticks, mites or giardia - parasites jeopardise your dog's health, can also be dangerous for you as the dog owner and unfortunately they lurk everywhere. No matter how hard you try, sooner or later your dog will come into contact with parasites. Whether you are out walking your dog, romping with other dogs, your dog sniffing the grass or eating grass with relish - contact cannot be avoided and parasites can transmit diseases. 

However, as a dog owner you can influence how dangerous this contact is for your dog in two ways. 

• On the one hand, you can use natural supplements and care products to ensure that your dog can build up a strong immune system or that parasites are deterred by odour and keep their distance from your dog. 
• On the other hand, by avoiding chemical parasite defence products, you can help your dog's organism to develop as free as possible from substances that can burden its metabolism and irritate its immune system.

It is important to keep in mind that all dogs can get parasites, but the risk of infection can vary greatly from dog to dog, and there are different guidelines that apply in the many areas in which dogs are employed, which you as a dog owner must also observe. An active hunting dog, for example, has a higher risk of worm infestation than a family dog, unless it regularly eats carrion, grass or soil. A therapy dog, on the other hand, must be checked more closely for parasites than a normal family dog simply because of its activity. We therefore recommend adapting parasite prophylaxis to your dog's individual risk of parasite infestation. 

You have the opportunity to help your dog build up a healthy resistance with strong defences through its diet, as your dog’s health can have an influence on how attractive it is to parasites.

Skin parasites - Basic information on mites, fleas, ticks, bacterial overgrowth and fungi 

Parasites such as mites, fleas or even fungi are a problem for many dogs. It is particularly noticeable that younger, older dogs or dogs with weak defences are usually affected. 

From a holistic perspective, intestinal health and the health of the immune system is reflected on the surface of the body, i.e. the skin. A weakened gut often goes hand in hand with a weakened immune system and this can have an impact on the health of the skin and mucous membranes and be reflected here. The gut has an individual intestinal flora and the skin also has a skin flora, which, among other things, contributes to the fact that pathogenic factors such as germs, fungi and various parasites cannot easily spread or penetrate the organism due to an individual pH value and an individual bacterial colonisation. 

The body comes into daily contact with these potentially harmful external influences and fends them off or keeps them in check. It can even be assumed that there are always a few parasites to be found somewhere on the dog's skin. If they are in the minority, this is not a problem at all. However, if the skin flora is weakened, for example as a result of an intestinal infection or after antibiotics, then their defence mechanisms no longer function properly. It is then very easy for parasites to multiply on the skin and cause problems. 

This applies not only to parasites such as mites, ticks and fleas, but also to bacteria or fungi that can cause problems on the skin. 

So if your dog has recurring problems like this, you should always check how well they are doing in general. Are there any abnormalities, such as a disturbed coat change, sporadic itching, recurring diarrhoea? Do they suffer from allergies or intolerances? Are they on medication or are there other factors, such as illnesses, that keeps their metabolism on its toes and may contribute to the immune system being under constant strain? Does your dog often drink from puddles outside, do they eat soil, do you often go on road walks or is your dog generally a restless, anxious character? All these factors can have a negative effect on your dog's health and put a strain on their metabolism.

For this reason, we recommend that sensitive dogs in particular are regularly supported with natural supplements that can strengthen the immune system and promote a healthy gut structure. Because only when the body has enough nutrients available can it access its self-healing powers and defence mechanisms and this can have an impact on how attractive the dog is to various parasites or how quickly it can recover from an infestation.

Mites - autumn grass mites, ear mites and ticks - annoying pests that cause itching

From June each year until the first heavy frost, dogs' paws in particular can be infested with autumn grass mites. Unfortunately, there is no known 100 % effective remedy for autumn grass mites, neither in conventional medicine nor in naturopathy. However, autumn grass mites cannot tolerate severe night frosts, which means that every year, a frosty winter heralds the end of the autumn grass mite season.

You can strengthen your dog's immune system with our Canis Extra Petflora, while Canis Extra Tausendgrün Organic Herbs for BARF provides valuable vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances. A dog with a strong immune system generally has fewer problems with parasites such as mites, ticks or fleas than a dog with a weak immune system. This is why it is so important for dogs to build up the flora in their intestines and optimise their nutrient supply during this time. We recommend starting the supplementary feeding 2-4 weeks before the start of the autumn grass mite season so that the dog can be as well prepared as possible for the start the season.

A parasite defence supplement can be used, our Canis Extra Egyptian Organic Black Cumin Oil can be added to the food or drink. This also helps with intestinal complaints. You can also spray areas of skin affected by skin irritations with our Canis Extra Mineral Spray or clean them with a cotton pad. A small amount of Canis Extra Organic Coconut Oil can then be massaged onto the affected skin area to provide additional skin care.

Ticks in dogs 

Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that prefer to attach themselves to the thinner skin areas of a dog and then proceed to suck on them. During this process, diseases can be transmitted from the tick to the dog and ticks are also dangerous to humans, as they can also transmit diseases to people. These parasites, which are equally dangerous for dogs and humans, awaken in spring - so the ritual of tick prevention begins in spring.

A natural diet is basically the foundation for a strong immune system that is less attractive to parasites. In addition, you can support your dog both internally and externally in its defence against ticks and other pests.

From feed-related support, e.g. with our Egyptian Organic Black Cumin Oil, Brewer's Yeast and Organic Coconut Oil, to natural defence and basic immunisation in the form of Canis Extra Organic Defence Complex - we offer the right concept for you. 

Fleas – this uninvited guest rarely comes alone 

Unlike mites, fleas are not arachnids, they are insects, which unfortunately does not make them any less annoying for dogs. Once a flea has found its way into your home, it starts to multiply very quickly. A big problem with this is that although the flea will suck blood on your dog, it is otherwise more likely to be found in the dog's environment (i.e. on the dog's lying areas, your furniture, in the carpet, etc.). Basically, if your dog shows symptoms of a flea infestation and you find a flea on your dog, then you should assume that there are another 99 fleas in your dog's environment. Your dog will start scratching more and more - it may even go as far as scratching and biting itself bloody - which can lead to skin infections. 

Some dogs have an allergic reaction to flea saliva - the already annoying itching is then compounded by an allergic reaction that can lead to itchy skin inflammation (known as dermatitis). There is also a risk that the dog will become infected with worms via the fleas if, in a desperate attempt to satisfy the itching, it catches a flea and bites it. 

So if you want to get a flea infestation under control, there are 2 things to bear in mind. Your dog should be protected from these annoying pests in a natural way so that they it can no longer be used as a source of food. Both internally and externally.

Natural feeding for worm infestation 

Where animals in the wild would look for their own herbs to solve intestinal problems, our dogs are dependent on our help. Dog owners should act responsibly here, because quite apart from the side effects of chemical parasiticides, there is the additional problem of developing resistance.

Many dog owners want to avoid this and use natural products. Natural products are increasingly being fed to support dogs with severe endoparasite infestations. We provide two feed supplements for dogs that have a positive nutritional effect on the intestinal environment and can help dogs to remain worm-free in a natural way. Creating a hostile environment  for worms in the intestines can prevent recolonisation.

In any case, it is important to remember that any dog can get worms, but the risk of infection can vary greatly from one dog to another. For example, a hunting dog is at a higher risk than a family dog, unless it regularly eats carrion, grass or soil.  Chemical worming treatments can affect the dog's metabolism, so we recommend weighing up the individual risk for each dog. If your dog reacts sensitively to worming treatments, they should be used as rarely as possible. As a general rule, we recommend having poo samples tested regularly to make sure that your dog is really worm-free.

In the case of increased worm infestation, Vermcurat® can be fed to provide nutritional support for intestinal cleansing, during which worms can be excreted in the faeces. Our Vermcurat® is suitable for dogs from 4 months of age.

For regular nutritional support of the intestinal flora, to make it difficult for worms to colonise, we recommend the regular feeding of Vermprevet®. Vermprevet® is suitable for dogs from 4 months of age.

Environmental hygiene in the event of a parasite infestation 

Not only should you make sure that your dog's environment is cleaned regularly for fleas, but environmental treatment also plays a decisive role in giardia, mites and other parasites. Places where your dog spends more time, their bowls, toys, blankets, puddles from which they drink regularly from, etc. are potential places where they can re-infect themselves with parasites. So pay particular attention to the following measures.

• Vacuum several times a day. If you vacuum away the flea droppings, the flea larvae will no longer find any food as they feed on flea faeces. By meticulously vacuuming, you deprive the larvae of their food source, which means you can influence the development of the flea population.
• Boil the dog's bowls 
• Dispose of your dog's droppings so that they cannot become infected
• Do not allow your dog to drink from puddles or flower pots in your garden if they have had giardia - they can become re-infected with giardia here
• Do not allow your dog to eat any soil or grass and, of course, any droppings left by other animals

Should you have any questions about our natural care products, nutritional supplements or our feeding recommendations, e.g. because your dog needs special support due to a pre-existing condition? Feel free to contact us, our team of experts will be happy to answer all your questions.