Generally fleas carry tapeworm larvae to your dog, and you will know he has a tapeworm when you see moving rice-like worms in his feces. These are actually segments of the tapeworms. Most wormers found at pet stores are harsh chemicals that can harm your dog while removing his tapeworms. By feeding your dog a healthy diet as well as giving him herbal treatments, you can keep his digestive system strong, prevent him from getting tapeworms and rid him of any tapeworms he may already have.
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Prevention
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Since fleas are more attracted to sick animals than healthy ones, feeding your dog a balanced diet will help keep her strong, healthy and resistant to tapeworm infestation. A natural diet of bones, raw meat and vegetables is best. Supplementing with wheat germ oil and freshly ground pumpkin seeds can help prevent tapeworm infestation by making your dog's digestive system uninhabitable for them.
Make sure your pumpkin seeds have the thin skin under the shell intact. Do not bake or salt your pumpkin seeds. For both wheat germ oil and ground pumpkin seeds, add a quarter teaspoon a day for toy breeds, a half a teaspoon for small to medium breeds, and a full teaspoon for large breeds. Garlic added to your dog's diet will also inhibit tapeworms and fleas. Though some veterinarians warn against garlic because it can cause anemia in dogs, many foods and natural-food diets for dogs contain a small amount. For preventing worms, use fresh garlic and only a fragment of a clove--no more than one clove a day for large breeds.
Herbal Remedies
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The still green hull of the black walnut contains juglone which kills tapeworms. Combine black walnut with clove (to kill the eggs) and with the powder or oil made from the flowers and leaves of the wormwood, and you have a remedy for tapeworm. You can find these three ingredients online. You can also contact a homeopathic veterinarian for advice on supplementing your dog's diet with black walnut, wormwood and cloves. Essential oils containing black walnut hull and wormwood can be purchased at your local natural foods store.
In her article, Worming, Tiffani M. Beckman recommends using enzymes in papaya and figs to break down the tapeworms' outer coating. She also recommends daily doses of grapefruit seed extract and kyolic garlic to rid your dog of tapeworms.
Additionally
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If your dog is otherwise healthy, you can make him fast for 24 hours, thereby removing the tapeworms' source of food. Follow the fast with a few days of roughage in the form of carrots, turnips or beets. Chop or grate these vegetables (rather than pureeing them for the nutrients) so that they can better clean out your dog's digestive system. Worms prefer fatty foods and foods full of sugar, therefore, while you are ridding your dog of his tapeworms, it's best to withhold grains, fruits and dairy foods.
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