Sharon (Georgia, US) on 09/07/2014:

I read everything I could find about home treatments as I believe we give our animals too many drugs/medications that cause more internal problems than help. I bathed him at least once sometimes twice a week with a medicated dandruff shampoo followed by a rinse (which I left on) of washing borax, hydrogen peroxide and water. He was in extreme pain from this mange and nothing seemed to be helping (even the vet dips). He got so bad that he lost almost all of his beautiful long coat and was covered from head to toe in oozing ugly sores, scales and a terrible smell.

My husband would say every day that maybe we should put him down. You could tell that he didn't feel well. He no longer wanted to run and play. I read somewhere about diatomaceous earth and what it could do. It being a natural wormer with other health benefits - I thought I would try it as I really think this pup had a major internal problem as his immune system seemed to be highly compromised. I started giving him a tablespoon in his feed every night. I would put it over his dry feed and put warm water or a liquid over it as the earth is very dry. Within a month his sores were getting better. His skin was no longer bright red and nasty looking. It has been about 6 months now of putting this over his food every night and he is now almost back to his beautiful self.

He has so much energy. His skin no longer looks irritated even on his feet and legs. His hair is almost completely grown in and he has lots of it. His coat is shiny - And his teeth - they are the whitest teeth I have ever seen on a dog. No tarter stains - just beautiful. I stopped treating his skin topically and giving him baths every week about the time I started him on the diatomaceous earth. It turned this dog's world around. He is now a happy, playful big pup.

I highly recommend this stuff for everything. His gums are nice and pink and I would bet that he is worm free also. I just started giving it to my horses as a wormer instead of the harsh chemicals we give our animals for parasites, this is a miracle worker. I even started drinking a teaspoon every day in chocolate milk as it also has health benefits for people also. It is a natural cure for a multitude of things as it works from the inside out. You can purchase food grade diatomaceous earth from Tractor Supply. A large bag costs less than $15 and after using it for over 6 months, I still have over half a bag left. We started giving it to my husband's hunting beagles. Their teeth are whiter, their stool is solid, their coats are shiny and they seem to be happier also. I can't wait to see the effects on the horses.

I am one of those people that believe our lives are run by pharmaceutical companies getting rich on the crap they sell us and I always look for a natural alternative. This stuff is the bomb. I will never use dangerous, caustic wormers again on my dogs and hopefully not on my horses either. Good luck!