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No More Poison – Life Without De-Wormers

When we began this journey with horses, now a whopping eight years ago, we were told to de-worm our horses regularly. Some said every six weeks. Every horse.

“Isn’t that stuff poison?” I would ask.

“Not really,” I would be told. Usually met with silence. And a skeptical look.

“I mean, yeah, okay, it is poison. Sort of. But not that kind of poison.”

That last line was usually accompanied by a sheepish smile.

“It kills bugs doesn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. That’s its job.”

“Would you eat de-wormer?”

“I don’t have parasites.”

“Would you eat what you’re forcing your horse to eat?” I asked again.

“No,” he finally said.

“How do you know your horse has parasites,” I asked.

“I know he does not have parasites because we de-worm him every six weeks.”

“Whether he has any or not?”

Like so many other things about horse care, for me, all of this was beginning to gnaw at the edges of logic. So many times folks told me that they de-wormed all their horses on the same schedule without a clue as to whether the horses needed it or not. With a product they wouldn’t dare put into their own bodies. There had to be a better way.

And there is. It took mere moments on Google with the prompt “How can you tell if your horse has parasites?” Click. An entire page of answers. All pretty much pointing the same way: Take a fecal sample to the vet and ask for a fecal egg count. It’s a simple, usually inexpensive process that tells you very quickly whether your horse has a problem or not. It turns out that it’s actually good for horses to have a few parasites. It’s good for their immune systems. And that’s good to know. But we had six horses at that time, now eight. Eight times “usually inexpensive” can become expensive pretty quickly, especially if done several times a year. So I researched the process. How does one do a fecal check? I discovered it’s really not complicated. A $200 microscope and a slide kit was all it took and I could do my own fecal checks. My birthday was coming up so that’s what I asked for. Kathleen balked at first. “A poop tester is not very romantic,” she said. But ultimately she relented and we were in business.

Except for one thing. This process would tell me who had parasites. But not how to get rid of them without poison.

Back to Google. Google is amazing. There are a lot of things I don’t like about the internet but I’ve grown to love Google. There is virtually no question you can ask these days that cannot be answered on Google.

And lo and behold there is something called Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. DE for short. It’s non-toxic, and better yet, non-systemic. Most of it never enters the body’s systems or blood stream. It just passes through the intestines and out again exactly as it came in. Except it takes the parasites with it. And yes, I would feed it to myself. In fact, I do. Two teaspoons a day.

Among other things, I discovered:

“DE is a naturally occurring siliceous sedimentary mineral compound from microscopic skeletal remains of unicellular algae-like plants called diatoms. These plants have been part of the earth’s ecology since prehistoric times. It is believed that 30 million years ago the diatoms built up into deep, chalky deposits of diatomite. The diatoms are mined and ground up to render a powder that looks and feels like talcum powder. DE is approximately 3% magnesium, 33% silicon, 19% calcium, 5% sodium, 2% iron and many other trace minerals such as titanium, boron, manganese, copper and zirconium.

DE-450

“It is apparent from the research that food grade DE provides multiple health advantages for humans and animals as well. Diatomaceous earth is not only a remedy for parasites in our bodies. It can alleviate the potentially deadly risks of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity, ameliorate annoying and stressful issues stemming from intestinal bacteria and parasites, bronchia inflammation, kidney and urinary infections, irregular bowels, as well as assist with vertigo, headaches, tinnitus, insomnia, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Studies show diatomaceous earth can help those suffering with diabetes and with arterial disease, joint pain and may prevent or alleviate Alzheimer’s disease by preventing the absorption of aluminum. Another of the benefits of Silica is that it helps to destroy bad fats. Diatomaceous Earth is Mother Nature’s product with no harm to the environment, pets or people.”

How does it work?

“Many harmful things entering the body have a positive charge. Silica is a semi-conductive mineral which when warmed by body heat becomes negatively charged and gives off electrons. These negatively charged mineral ions and/or individual shells attract bad microbes, free radicals, positively charged waste and other harmful things. Acting as magnets, the negatively charged shells and/or ions attract and absorb positive things that are small enough to go through the holes. In addition, any larger parasites that happen to be in the stomach of digestive tract are “cut up” and killed by the sharp edges of the DE (but DE does NOT kill the beneficial bacteria in the gut). Because of the strong charge, each shell can absorb a large number of positively charged substances, whether they be chemical or in the form of bacteria or viruses. They pass on through the stomach and intestine, taking these harmful substances out of the body.”

There are two links to good articles on DE at the end of this piece, but suffice to say this was the answer I was looking for. No more poison!

Does that mean I would never de-worm a horse with poison? I learned a long time ago to never say never. A couple of years ago, just before we started on our self-checks and DE program, we discovered that Pocket had gotten so infested we had no choice. So she got one big tube-in-the-tummy dose… but has been on the DE program since with no de-wormer, about three and a half years now. When we adopted our pregnant mustang Saffron she had pretty bad round worms, probably picked up in Mississippi at the BLM facility, and they were transferred to the baby, probably via poop (babies eat mom’s poop). So they each received a dose of the appropriate (if there is such a thing) de-wormer but both have been on the DE program since. About 28 months.

Now here’s an important part of the discussion. The worst thing folks do is put ALL horses on the same program (especially when poison is involved). From my very first turn at the microscope I discovered the fallacy in doing that. At least 4 of our horses test regularly at or near zero eggs per gram. In other words very, very low. They get very little DE. A cup and a half a week (one half cup every M-W-F) Two others get seven cups a week (half-cup in the morning and in the evening, seven days a week). And the remaining two get 14 cups a week (a cup in the morning and another in the evening, seven days a week). Pretty amazing that there is that much variance, huh?

Generally speaking I’m told that immune systems get better with age and our herd more or less follows that observation. Except for Pocket. She would be an exception. As there will always be. She is 16 but is one of the ones receiving 14 cups a week.

Again, our program is as follows: The fearsome foursome as I call them are Cash, Noelle, Mariah, and Skeeter. They have been receiving only ½ cup a week until recently when I read about all the other benefits of DE besides parasites. So I upped them to a half cup on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Saffron and Stormy receive seven cups a week. Pocket and Mouse: 14 cups a week (2 cups per day, split morning and evening).

A 50 pound bag of DE at our feed store is $29.95 and it lasts forever, even with eight horses.

The program is designed for each horse by trial and error. I studied, which you should do, how fecal checks are done and what to look for. Google it. There are low, moderate, and high eggs per gram conclusions. Low is anything less than 100 eggs per gram, and of course is the target. Anything in the low range gets very low dosage. Anything in the moderate range (100-500 eggs per gram) might get a change of program (more diatomaceous earth) depending upon where they are in the moderate range. The new dosage is based upon best judgment. Trial and error. If in the low end of the high range (500 eggs per gram and above) we’d probably just crank up the dosage of DE… in the high end of high we’d consider doing a one time poison treatment. We haven’t had to do that now since we started the DE program more than two years ago.

What’s the downside? A lot of folks want a strict set of laws to go by every time with every horse under every condition. It just doesn’t work that way. Not if you care for your horses. Doing a one-size-fits-all generally leads to trouble. There is very rarely anything that we do for or with our horses that isn’t judgment based. That’s why I impress upon you, take what I’ve said as an intro, a loose guide to get you started… but do the homework, the research, to know what you’re doing so you can apply that “judgment” to each decision. But know that if it seems right after you’ve done all that, it most likely is right.

If you have a bunch of horses, like we do, I would definitely look into getting a microscope and kit. If you only have one or two you might want to just pay the vet to do the fecal checks. The time between fecal checks is anywhere from three months to as much as six months. Again, judgment based. With the fearless foursome I’m now going a year between. Pocket and mouse are usually every three or four months.

Sometime soon we’ll discuss vaccines. A very slippery slope indeed.

You can also Google “Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth.” There’s a ton of stuff out there.

40+ More Amazing DE Uses For Health, Home, and Garden

For those interested in the tools we use to do our own fecal checks, the list is below:

Microscope:
Premiere MSK-01 Student Microscope
http://www.professionalmicroscopes.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_657&products_id=8283
$125
$95 on Amazon

Order:
Paracount-EPG Veterinary Quantitative Fecal Analysis Kit
With: McMaster Counting Slides – Green Grid – Two Chambers
From: Chalex Corporation
http://vetslides.com/paracount-epg-fecal-analysis-kit-with-mcmaster-type-counting-slides/
$60
Home page: www.vetslides.com
Email: chalexcorp@att.net

In addition, order:
Fecal Egg Count Kit
http://www.farmsteadhealth.com/microscope.html#fecal%20kit
$32.95

Thanks to Shelby Suelzle for this tip:  Horseman’s Labratory does fecal testing for 20$ per test. If you sign up they send you 4 kits a year without you having to ask, and return shipping. They are online (click above) and on FB.

Now here’s the BIG news relating to parasites!

An American firm has developed a smartphone app capable of providing a fecal egg count for horses. There is still a certain amount of ‘handling’ to be done but it is a quick, simple and easy to use system which requires no manual counting. “The Parasight System provides quantitative results in less than five minutes and emails imaged test results with egg count / type and treatment recommendation….” – wow!
The new system is due to be released in January, 2016 and I think it should definitely be considered as part of your horse equipment.

You can find out more by going to the following link: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/03/31/parasite-egg-counts-app/#axzz3VzNGqtSL.

Joe

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Send a copy of your Omega Nibblers email purchase confirmation to
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and receive a free PDF copy of Training with Treats!

The story of our journey with horses (to date) is told in the two books that follow: the national best seller The Soul of a Horse – Life Lessons from the Herd  and its sequel Born Wild – The Soul of a Horse.

And what a story it is as two novices without a clue stumble and bumble their way through the learning process so that hopefully you won’t have to. If you haven’t read both of these books already please do because with that reading, I believe, will come not just the knowledge of discovery but the passion and the excitement to cause you to commit to your journey with horses, to do for the horse without waiver so that your relationship and experience will be with loving, happy and healthy horses who are willing partners and who never stop trying for you. Horses like ours.

The highly acclaimed best selling sequel to the National Best Seller
The Soul of a Horse – Life Lessons from the Herd

BornWild-FrontCover-Final325

#1 Amazon Best Seller
#1 Amazon “Hot New Releases”
Amazon & Kindle
B&N
Order Personally Inscribed Copies of Born Wild
Order Both The Soul of a Horse & Born Wild – Save 20%
Both Personally Inscribed
Please list the names for each inscription in the “instructions to Seller” field as you check out!
Read More About Born Wild
Read More About The Soul of a Horse
Watch The Soul of a Horse Trailer
Watch the  Born Wild Trailer

But first read the National Best Seller that started it all
now in it’s 17th printing:

Amazon & Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Order Personally Inscribed Copies of The Soul of a Horse
Order Both The Soul of a Horse & Born Wild – Save 20%
Both Personally Inscribed
Please list the names for each inscription in the “instructions to Seller” field as you check out!
Read More About Born Wild
Read More About The Soul of a Horse
Watch The Soul of a Horse Trailer
Watch the  Born Wild Trailer
“Joe Camp is a master storyteller.” – The New York Times
“One cannot help but be touched by Camp’s love and sympathy for animals and by his eloquence on the subject.” – Michael Korda, The Washington Post
“Joe Camp is a natural when it comes to understanding how animals tick and a genius at telling us their story. His books are must-reads for those who love animals of any species.” – Monty Roberts – Author of New York Timers Best-seller The Man Who Listens to Horses
“Camp’s tightly-written, simply-designed and powerfully drawn chapters often read like short stories that flow from the heart.” Jack L. Kennedy – The Joplin Independent
“Joe Camp is a gifted storyteller and the results are magical. Joe entertains, educates and empowers, baring his own soul while articulating keystone principles of a modern revolution in horsemanship.” – Rick Lamb – TV/Radio host – The Horse Show
“One cannot help but be touched by Camp’s love and sympathy for animals and by his eloquence on the subject.” – Michael Korda, The Washington Post – See more at: https://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/the-books-of-joe-camp/born-wild-the-soul-of-a-horse/#sthash.6KJjzSLr.dpuf
“One cannot help but be touched by Camp’s love and sympathy for animals and by his eloquence on the subject.” – Michael Korda, The Washington Pos – See more at: https://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/the-books-of-joe-camp/born-wild-the-soul-of-a-horse/#sthash.6KJjzSLr.dpuf
“One cannot help but be touched by Camp’s love and sympathy for animals and by his eloquence on the subject.” – Michael Korda, The Washington Pos – See more at: https://thesoulofahorse.com/blog/the-books-of-joe-camp/born-wild-the-soul-of-a-horse/#sthash.6KJjzSLr.dpuf

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  • Read About Benji
Omega Nibblers Omega Horseshine WidBlog The Soul of a Horse Store The Natural Horse Vet

DVDs & CDs

Benji Widescreen HD HD Widescreen For the Love of Benji DVD - For the Love of Benji - Written, produced & directed by Joe DVD - The Original Benji - Written, produced & directed by Joe DVD - Benji the Hunted - Written & directed by Joe DVD - Benji Off the Leash - Written & directed by Joe Benji Soundtrack CD CD - Inspiring Keynote Speech from Joe: Dare to Dream

GREAT VIDEOS

  • 1-Born Wild Book Trailer
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 5: Why our horses eat from the ground
  • 6: Our Rescue Miss Mouse – Two Years Later
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • 8: Benji gets a new baby… horse
  • 9: Benji Movie Memories
  • 9a-Rick Lamb Interviews Joe
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 18-Don't Ask for Patience. God Will Give You a Horse!
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Search for Benji in Shelters All Across the Country
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Hoof Care - Barefoot

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Mark Taylor
  • Pete Ramey's Website

Mustangs

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 18-Don't Ask for Patience. God Will Give You a Horse!
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • ISPMB
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Natural Lifestyle

  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 5: Why our horses eat from the ground
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Natural Training

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Recommended Links

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2-Benji Website
  • 9a-Rick Lamb Interviews Joe
  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Cowboy Dressage with Debbie & Eitan Halachmy
  • Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • Helen Woodward Animal Center
  • Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary
  • Imagine a Horse
  • ISPMB
  • Joe on Twitter
  • Kathleen on Twitter
  • Mark Taylor
  • Monty Roberts' Equus Online University
  • Pam Nickoles' Blog
  • Pete Ramey's Website
  • QueryHorse.com
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo

Relationship

  • 1-Born Wild Book Trailer
  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube

Terrific Horse Rescue Organizations

  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary

Terrific Pet Adoption Centers and Support

  • Animal Rescue League of Iowa
  • Helen Woodward Animal Center

Training Gently

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer
  • 2: Relationship First!
  • Cowboy Dressage with Debbie & Eitan Halachmy
  • Imagine a Horse
  • Monty Roberts' Equus Online University

Trusting Yourself

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 1: The Soul of a Horse Trailer

Wild Horse Barefoot Lifestyle

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • 4: Why our horses are barefoot
  • 7: Horses Dancing Barefoot
  • Eddie Drabek
  • Pete Ramey's Website

Wild Horses

  • 1-The Soul of a Horse Website
  • 2a-Here We Go Again – Our Second Pregnant Mustang
  • 2b-First Romp in the Pasture for Saffron and Firestorm
  • 2c-Two Mustangs from the Wild and Their First Trip into a New Paddock
  • 3: Our Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It, and Why
  • Day 1 with Noelle – Loading at the BLM in Reno
  • Day 46 with Noelle
  • Day 70 with Noelle
  • Ginger Kathren's The Cloud Foundation
  • ISPMB
  • Pete Ramey's Website
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on Vimeo
  • The Soul of a Horse Channel on YouTube
  • Q&A with Joe
  • Our Former Place – The Birthplace of The Soul of a Horse
  • Our New Place in Middle Tennessee
  • Television & Radio Interviews
  • Read About the Houston Mounted Police Patrol – 40 Horses Working the Streets – All Barefoot!
  • Jack L. Kennedy Reviews Joe’s Books
  • The Soul of a Horse on Facebook

Joe & Kathleen

Barely eight years ago Joe and Kathleen Camp entered the world of horses without a horse or a clue and very quickly found their questions steering them into uncharted and controversial waters on a collision course with the ultimate discovery that most "domestic" horses in the world are being kept and cared for in a manner that is diametrically contradictory to their genetic design. Since that moment they have both become passionate advocates for change. Kathleen is a lawyer specializing in litigation and is now teaching American Literature at The Webb School. Joe created the international canine superstar Benji and wrote, produced, and directed all five of the Benji movies and various television programs. His recent book The Soul of a Horse is a national best seller and in its ninth printing. Even with all the accomplishments and media exposure, Camp is still in awe of his own success. “Inside, I’m still a kid sitting in a dark theater in Little Rock, Arkansas, watching Disney’s ‘Song of the South’ or reading books like the Black Stallion with happy tears rolling down my cheeks,” he says. “To be able to bringt that kind of happiness to others is very special.” For more, click on the About Joe & Kathleen link in the header bar above.
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