> I wonder if you or other members of the BD Forum have had other experiences > with dustings with diatomaceous earth.
>> Try a generous dusting with diatomaceous earth, also add to feed.. Dusting or feeding DE to animals is a great way to give yourself (and other innocent victims) in the barn or stable LUNG CANCER. It is just like inhaling tiny slivers of glass, e.g. SILICOSIS. Clouds of it fly up whenever you walk through or move livestock. A coughing animal dusted with or fed DE is going to cough even more. I never treat coughing animals for lungworms unless they have lungworms. The only way to diagnose them is with repeated fecal exam. The eggs are most prolific on a waxing moon as close to full as possible. The CBC will often show an elevated eosinophil count if there is any sort of parasite (also with allergies) but it is yet another way to help confirm the diagnosis. Alternative practictioners can use the pendulum or other techniques of dousing for parasite detection. Since farmers can now purchase most over-the-counter wormers they are worse than vets in general." The farmer motto where I live: If some is good, more is better". Fear is what sells pesticides and wormers. It's the "blame the germ" syndrome. if parasites truly exist the holistic cure is correcting the diet and mineral balance. Providing biodiversity in the browse allows animals to "medicate" themselves. Depriving them of their natural pharmacy is cruel. Herbal medicine has a raft of good paraciticidals. Will Winter
