I was doing some research (imagine that!) on the possibility of using pumpkin as a dewormer for my tortoises- what sort of dosing would it take, etc. and I ran into two interesting things...
1. Most sites and discussions focus on the pumpkin SEEDS as doing the magic. If the animal crushes seeds as it eats, serve them as is. If it does not crush the seeds, you have to crush, chop, or puree them first.
I found about 50 references to pumpkin seeds for every reference for just plain pumpkin. This makes sense- most plant seeds contain certain poisons to keep them all from being eaten. Apple seeds and peach pits, for example, have toxins in them. The toxins are what supposedly kill the worms... which leads to...
2. There is little scientific evidence it does any good. Almost every controlled study done so far with pumpkin seed or other herbal dewormers on a variety of animals has shown that the herbal dewormers have no measurable benefit.
Deworming is a big deal for ranchers and others who work with a lot of animals, and chemical dewormers are harsh and dangerous- so there is a huge market for safer, herbal dewormers. People swear by several concoctions and a dozen herbs but so far they seem to have little effect.
On the other hand... a lot of apparently respectable sites and sources seem to think that herbal dewormers offer benefits, like this site- which has a lot of interesting things to say about the subject even though it focuses on cows: http://eap.mcgill.ca/agrobio/ab370-04e.htm. (It even references what appear to be studies in favor of herbals, but I don't have access to most of those studies so have no idea what they involved.)
So, although most research suggests it won't do anything, there is still some support for the idea. It could be a useful tool for prevention or managing very minor infestations, but I would see a vet for a real infestation, imported animals, etc.
Based on what I saw, I would say that this might be a helpful program for tortoises:
1. Make up a mix of crushed or pureed pumpkin seeds. Add a little fresh garlic and fresh ginger, and a few crushed mustard seeds. (The theory here is that most sources recommend a combination of herbal dewormers for maximum effect.)
2. Serve daily for a week, making sure all exposed tortoises get some. Can be served with other foods. (FYI- the dose for adult humans is considered by some to be 1-2 tablespoons.)
3. Repeat the dosage in 3 weeks to kill new parasites (wormers rarely kill the eggs, so must be repeated).
4. Repeat everything every 6 to 12 months to prevent new infestations.
5. Be sure to do what you can to minimize the risk of worms and parasites to begin with. The McGill article at the very bottom has a lot of good info on this.
....................
Sources:
References to pumpkin SEEDS-
- http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/Canada/HealthInformation/Encyclopedias/PumpkinSeed.htm (interesting article- I wish it had more citations)
- http://backtobasicliving.com/blog/pumpkin-seed-chicken-dewormer/
- http://www.herbaldewormer.com/
- etc. Just google 'pumpkin dewormer' for thousands more.
Studies and vet responses-
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...serid=10&md5=c87f0861335251bf2a755a396ad5957b
- http://www.animavet.com/NaturalDewormers.pdf
Good article on parasites and management:
- http://eap.mcgill.ca/agrobio/ab370-04e.htm
1. Most sites and discussions focus on the pumpkin SEEDS as doing the magic. If the animal crushes seeds as it eats, serve them as is. If it does not crush the seeds, you have to crush, chop, or puree them first.
I found about 50 references to pumpkin seeds for every reference for just plain pumpkin. This makes sense- most plant seeds contain certain poisons to keep them all from being eaten. Apple seeds and peach pits, for example, have toxins in them. The toxins are what supposedly kill the worms... which leads to...
2. There is little scientific evidence it does any good. Almost every controlled study done so far with pumpkin seed or other herbal dewormers on a variety of animals has shown that the herbal dewormers have no measurable benefit.
Deworming is a big deal for ranchers and others who work with a lot of animals, and chemical dewormers are harsh and dangerous- so there is a huge market for safer, herbal dewormers. People swear by several concoctions and a dozen herbs but so far they seem to have little effect.
On the other hand... a lot of apparently respectable sites and sources seem to think that herbal dewormers offer benefits, like this site- which has a lot of interesting things to say about the subject even though it focuses on cows: http://eap.mcgill.ca/agrobio/ab370-04e.htm. (It even references what appear to be studies in favor of herbals, but I don't have access to most of those studies so have no idea what they involved.)
So, although most research suggests it won't do anything, there is still some support for the idea. It could be a useful tool for prevention or managing very minor infestations, but I would see a vet for a real infestation, imported animals, etc.
Based on what I saw, I would say that this might be a helpful program for tortoises:
1. Make up a mix of crushed or pureed pumpkin seeds. Add a little fresh garlic and fresh ginger, and a few crushed mustard seeds. (The theory here is that most sources recommend a combination of herbal dewormers for maximum effect.)
2. Serve daily for a week, making sure all exposed tortoises get some. Can be served with other foods. (FYI- the dose for adult humans is considered by some to be 1-2 tablespoons.)
3. Repeat the dosage in 3 weeks to kill new parasites (wormers rarely kill the eggs, so must be repeated).
4. Repeat everything every 6 to 12 months to prevent new infestations.
5. Be sure to do what you can to minimize the risk of worms and parasites to begin with. The McGill article at the very bottom has a lot of good info on this.
....................
Sources:
References to pumpkin SEEDS-
- http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/Canada/HealthInformation/Encyclopedias/PumpkinSeed.htm (interesting article- I wish it had more citations)
- http://backtobasicliving.com/blog/pumpkin-seed-chicken-dewormer/
- http://www.herbaldewormer.com/
- etc. Just google 'pumpkin dewormer' for thousands more.
Studies and vet responses-
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...serid=10&md5=c87f0861335251bf2a755a396ad5957b
- http://www.animavet.com/NaturalDewormers.pdf
Good article on parasites and management:
- http://eap.mcgill.ca/agrobio/ab370-04e.htm