Replied By flicka_sugar (Pahrump, Nevada) on 07/28/2009
I use diatamaceous earth (or dirt as I affectionately call it) with all my animals. I have horses and cattle who get 1oz/day in the spring and fall and 2oz/day in the summer to help with fly control. The nice side benefit is I also have less problems with parasites when they are on this. I also give it to my pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, geese, alpacas, dogs, and cats. it works great and the farrier even comments on how little pest problems we have compared to other farms, which is nice to have few flies with all the animals. Also because of the effect on parasites and our local weather I only have to strongly deworm about 2x per year instead of deworming every 8 weeks for the horses and such.Replied By Patti (Coconut Creek, Fl) on 04/10/2010
I wanted to add I give my horses and dog DE for parasite control. I've taken it myself from time to time, too. It's very important to know that there is a Food Grade DE ....and there is diatomaceous earth product that is sold for use in pool filters. That product is toxic. Be sure to buy Food Grade diatomaceous earth.Replied By Lithrassa (Los Angeles, California) on 05/09/2010
my dog is susceptible to tapeworms, even with flea medicine. he's 6 and gets tapeworms once, sometimes twice, a year. i was tired of spending $75.00 each time i went to the vet for the pill. plus, i wanted to give him a natural treatment. i tried the pumpkin seeds and they worked okay. i read about diatomaceous earth and thought i'd try it. i'm so glad i did! it worked wonders. my dog is 90 lbs. so i gave him 2 heaping tablespoons in his food and later that day his stool had pieces of dead tapeworms and 1 live one. the next day i gave him 1 tablespoon and later that day his stool had only dead pieces. the third day (today) his stool was clean. so it only took two days. i gave him another tablespoon today just to be safe and i think i'll continue for another day or two just to clean out his system, but thank you for this wonderful suggestion. oh, and it costs just cents per tablespoon! nice bonus.Replied By Cassi (San Antonio, Texas) on 06/21/2010
Hi I read your response to the Diatomaceous Earth remedy for worms, and I was wondering, where can one buy DE at? My kitty who is about 5 or so weeks old has worms :(Replied By Vcanfield (San Antonio, Texas) on 08/03/2010
I live in San Antonio. You can get diatomaceous earth at feed stores. They carry dewormers as well.Replied By Angela (Scotia, Ny, Usa) on 01/24/2011
I gave my cat diatamatious earth for her worm problem. She seemed to get sick and was hacking and coughung alot. So I quit giving it to her. It didnt bother my other two cats at all. Does that mean that it was doing its job??? PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS OUTReplied By Kcin Ar (Russellville, Ar Usa) on 01/28/2011
To Angela from Scotia, Ny, Usa- PLEASE never give your kitties diatomaceous earth!! I understand it can be inhaled and since it's like tiny microscopic shards of glass, it gets stuck in their lungs! I've heard of people who dusted their cat for fleas with it and it killed the cat!Replied By Teresa (Gulfport, Ms/usa) on 04/16/2011
DE is available in food grade. I've given to my chihuahua with no problems! Found in most garden centers.Replied By Mirra (Cullowhee, Nc) on 05/16/2011
Don't worry about your kitties inhaling the earth if you properly mix it in with wet food. It's fine.Replied By Jazz (Blackpool, United Kingdom) on 05/21/2011
Yes it means the diatomaceus earth(DE) was working. As the worms die they release toxins, your cat must have a large amount of worms. However DE absorbs the toxins once u start giving DE you should not stop for at least 3 weeks until all the eggs have died.Replied By Ben (Sacramento, Ca) on 12/02/2011
I sell DE for a living and can tell you that in it's dry form it is EXTREMELY hazardous long term as it is chemically inert and you can not eliminate it from your body if you inhale it. It is perfectly safe when wet and can not poison you in any way unless you (or your pet) swallow massive amounts which will bind together in the presence of muriatic acid, also known as stomach acid and create a very strong "mud."Replied By Hippocrates (Odin, Missouri, USA) on 04/29/2012
Hello all, A dirt poor friend of mine once had a Labrador puppy under a year old that had massive tapeworms. It was just skin and bones. So, not having money to take it to the vet and not wanting to see it die, and not having Diatomaceous Earth on hand, I had him go outside and take some Perlite (garden section of stores) and crush it into a fine, fine powder. I had him make a simple white gravy, mix in one teaspoon into the gravy and put it on his food. This was done twice a day.
Shortly after it started gaining weight, and was back to normal within the month, during which time I had him continue it for, just to make sure any eggs that might hatch would be dead.
D.E. and Perlite are similar in the physical mechanism in which they act upon the worms as an abrasive, killing them.
Replied By Psst (Chicago, Illinois) on 09/08/2012
Gastic acid is a weak solution of hydrochloric acid (0. 5%). The name muriatic acid is a holdover from olden days, and is only used for the 10% concentration used for cleaning bricks. The "active" component of diatomaceous earth is silicon dioxide, also known as silica, the same material that's used for making beverage bottles. At the 0.5% solution level of gastic acid, silica is nearly inert.
As Ben mentioned, MASSIVE amounts of diatomaceous earth can form a dense slurry, but to achieve such an amount, you'd have to force feed it to a dog or cat with no source of fiber, fat or protein to suspend the silica particles.
In worming, DE acts as an abrasive; the rough broken eggshell" structure is large relative to the worms, but tiny relative to the dog or cat and the intestinal wall.
DE isn't selectively absorbent. Any chemical neutralization properties of DE are due to impurities, like calcium carbonate (chalk).
Replied By Adam ( Oregon) on 04/29/2015
Does it have to be food grade? I would assume. I know lesser grades can be harmful to humans, but what about pets?
EC: Yes, food grade Diatomaceous Earth for pets too.
Replied By Lesley (Florida) on 10/17/2015
Wild Wolf Creek Ranch is the best place to get it. They sell it in bulk and is Food grade. Plus they give instructions I how much.Replied By Nicole (Pa) on 11/05/2015
You must be using pool grade, not food grade DE. You must give you and your pets FOOD GRADE DE. If you find DE and you are not sure if it is food grade, DON'T BUY IT. Be safe and be 100% sure that it is food grade before giving it to yourselves or loved ones.Replied By Pippi (San Diego) on 12/08/2015
Please do not ever give your animal ground up perlite. It most certainly is NOT the same as DE (which MUST say "food grade' on it.) Perlite, while slightly similar to DE is not now, nor ever 'food grade' and cannot be safely ingested. EVER.Replied By Barbara (Tennessee) on 05/22/2016
I always give DE mixed in wet food so there is no chance of the animal breathing it. Of course, I am careful not to breath it when mixing it too.Replied By Brenda (San Antonio, Tx) on 06/19/2016
How much DE would you give a cat in their wet food to treat worms and how often? He is over 13 lbs.Replied By Vicky (Nsw) on 09/20/2016
ALWAYS always always FOOD grade. Animals are living creatures and they eat food just like you and I- If it's not FOOD GRADE it's poison to them just like us.