Diatomaceous Earth
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Diatomaceous Earth Benefits for Pets

| Modified on May 21, 2024
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The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Ear Mites
Posted by Soazburrolady (Southern, Az) on 09/01/2016
 ★★★★★

About 6 years ago, I trapped 2 kittens who were playing in a major retail store garden department. One of them, Rosebud, had the worst ear mites I have ever seen. Her ears had scabs in them. I used the diatomaceous earth to eliminate the mites by dipping my little finger in it and rubbing directly into her ear (no wetting) - at least twice a day. I think it probably took a few weeks to eradicate the little buggers. The good news is that she has never had them again - and to this day she is the only one of my kitties who willingly allows me to touch her ears. All the best.

Fleas, Ticks, Yard Hoppers
Posted by Pennie (Indpl, In, Usa) on 10/16/2010
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Natural Flea & Tick Remedy

Hi everyone!

After almost losing our Baby Kitty to those dangerous advantage medications, I decided to figure out a way to live without using them year after year. So I did searches and found out about, "Diatomaceous Earth".

This stuff is miraculous! I found mine at the local True Value Store, but you can also buy online at different retailers. BUY: FOOD GRADE! I spread this in all different areas of my lawn as well, and within 48 hours you have no more ticks or fleas. It harms all insects.

I have plenty of flowers bees, and other wonderful insects roaming around, but this gets rid of the fleas and ticks really great. And I put it down on the ground on a NON-Windy day.

ALSO: WEAR A MASK TO PREVENT BREATHING THIS SUBSTANCE! It worked great and I will never have to buy pesticide and put it on my animals again!!

Late fall I again had fleas on my dog and all I did was put small quantity on his fur and within 48 hours all fleas were dead, then I washed him, the fur was slightly dry, but so well worth it to keep him flea free.

After 3 days I washed him and put some good conditioner on him and he felt great. Usually you just have to put the Diatomaceous Earth around their tail and back area. Again in the fall, I put more of the earth around the areas that he lays in and no more fleas, after it rains you will have to put it back down again, but it's cheap.

I also put it on all my fruit tree's and surrounding tree's to keep the leaf hoppers off, and my tree's look great too!

Hope this works for all of you looking for a natural approach. With carefully placing it on the ground, I did not harm any beneficial bugs that roamed freely on my flowers.

Lot's-O-Love to all our Animal Lovers out there! Pennie"

Parvo
Posted by Nichole (Middletown, Ohio Usa) on 01/30/2012
 ★★★★★

SWEET! Got some more good news on treatment for parvo, the puppy has been doing just great and amazing, her mother however, was not so lucky and came down with the parvo and quickly progressed to vomiting blood, this began last night. This morning she was given an anti-nausea pill (not sure what kind) and I was called about her condition, they came over quickly to get some phosphorous that we added two pills to the original arsenicum spritz bottle, she was given this every 15 minutes for an hour and a half and I recommended that it be given again for every hour for four more hours then reassess. At this time she was not throwing up from the anti-nausea pill and was then given a dose of pepto with a tablespoon of DE mixed in with a bit of water so it wasnt pasty. Shortly after she had a bout of diarrhea and began shivering, this was at 11:20 AM.

I called to check in on her just now and she has not vomited again, has not had any more diarrhea, was given a second dose of the DE in plain water and has only received homeopathics and DE alone since then. She is acting like herself again, has been able to sleep for the first time since yesterday and even went out to pee. Sounds like we have another parvo recovery!!! Our Heavenly Father has been so amazing, that despite living in this fallen world he did not leave us without healing

Ear Mites
Posted by Lynn (Jeannette, PA)
★★★★★

I have found that putting a pinch of food-grade diatomaceous earth into the dog or cat's ear kills the mites. I do it daily for about a month since that is how long the mites can take to hatch. Within a few days though the animal has absolutely no symptoms of mites and it is completely safe for pets of all ages and sizes. It is also a great way to get rid of mites on birds and to rid a pet of internal parasites.

Parasites
Posted by Tee (St Joe, Mo) on 07/24/2012

Your animal will not be breathing in shards of glass! Diatomaceous earth FOOD GRADE is nothing more than diatoms (algea) and ground shell etc. All organic all natural nothing toxic and nothing dangerous in it. for Gosh sakes who in heaven said it was glass???? It DOES work. If you didn't see results, you didn't use enough or you didn't use consistently. I have been taking it for nearly a month now myself with excellent results, it took care of our flea problem within 24 hours and my nieces bed bug problem! It is awesome - read before you scare people!

Parasites
Posted by Joey (Kingston, Ontario Canada) on 01/08/2011
 ★★★★★

About the Dia. Earth 'dirt': I bought a bag (35 lbs! ) at our local farm centre - ensure you buy food grade. I take a teasp daily for colon health..... It is also good for your pet health - worms - have seen the results. I use it in the garden for grubs, use in the basement to control spiders. Since we can no longer use pesticides this is the best all round product for home/garden that is safe.

Ear Infections
Posted by Marisa (San Jose, USA) on 04/18/2008
 ★★★★★

My cat was miserable and his ear stank. I put a pinch of diatomaceous earth (swimming pool filter grade)in each ear. He seemed to be a bit better in about 40 minutes. He has stopped shaking his head and seems less lethargic. We'll see if he needs something more, (if he has a bacterial infection. His ear smelled like feces. ewwwwww!

Ear Infections
Posted by Karen (Ohio) on 12/18/2016

MARISA, ONLY use Food Grade DE Powder, the one for swimming pools can KILL your Pet

Parvo
Posted by Nichole (Middletown, Ohio Usa) on 01/26/2012
 ★★★★★

The remedies used here are Diatomaceous Earth (food Grade) and the homeopathic Arsenicum Album...

*1-24-12* Got some great info I wanted to share, last night around 7 or so my friend called to tell me about her friend's puppy that they just found out from the vet she had Parvo, she was in the first stages of it which is lethargy and loss of appetite... So they came over to pick up some Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) (which kills viruses and bacteria quickly) and arsenicum album. Which is the homeopathic remedy of choice for Parvo... She gave 4 doses of the arsenicum album (2 pills placed in a 2 ounce amber spritzer bottle, hit on palm of hand 8 times before each dose) last night 1 dose per hour for 4 hours and I think two doses of the DE at 1/2 teaspoon per dose. I told her for today to give the arsenicum every 3 hours and the DE 2-3 times (she actually gave a dose of the Arsenicum and the DE both every 2-3 hours throughout the second day). So this morning at 10:30 I called to check in on the puppy and she had got up and gone downstairs TWICE to go potty already! Then I got a call a hour and a half later and the puppy was eating some chicken! She hadn't started drinking yet but already those two things are great improvements! Thank God for His perfect medicine!!! Will keep y'all updated as I hear them...

*Update at 7pm 1-24-12
So far she's been eating more, going outside on her own to potty and playing with her momma, not drinking but peeing so she's still improving greatly, woohoo!!!

* 1-26-12* Ok new update as of today, she began drinking today and is eating and acting normally again!!! WOW, 3 days from start of treatment to being back to a healthy state, I've recommended she continue at least one dose of DE everyday for the next 3 weeks just to make sure she doesn't catch it again, plus it has other health benefits. This treatment had fast results and if everything was purchased new for this specific instance would have run about $15 total, that's a HUGE difference between the other two options which is to let the dog die or hospitalize it which is extremely expensive as it runs for 5-7 days time with intensive care. I think I'd rather do the natural method that's much cheaper, much more effective, and much faster for healing. : D

Parasites
Posted by Mhunt13104 (Carrollton, Tx ) on 08/26/2010
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I use food grade diatomaceous earth to deworm all of my farm animals. It does a great job and yes you can see dead worms in the stool. The worms do not evacuate to other parts of the body, that information is false. The worms are killed on contact with the diatomaceous earth.

Parasites
Posted 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.

Broad Benefits
Posted by Rebekah (Spotsylvania, VA ) on 03/28/2021
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I have horses and dogs.

I had a dog, she passed from old age. But at age 12 she started to have troubles getting up in the morning after a long sleep and also had problems climbing a flight of stairs. I started her on 1 tablespoon of DE and within 2 days saw a dramatic improvement, on the third day it was as if she never had a problem and got up as her usual self and climb those stairs without a problem for the next 1.5 yrs until she started to decline as old age was getting to her. The DE helped her live her old age life to its fullest without mobility issues.

I have a horse that has been on DE for 5 years now. He use to get bad Abscess on 1 hoof. After just 6 months on DE he had no more issues. I transitioned him from an expensive all natural joint health supplements to DE over a period of 1 year. No experience of joint issues at all or Abscess.

I have another horse who doesn't digest dry foods at all. Meaning Hay, or any type of pellets (dry), or sry feed. I put her on 2 cup of DE and within 3 weeks she didn't only gain weight but was getting over weight. Had to slow down on her morning feed significantly, about half the amount. She maintained her nice shape all through winter. Once she was on Pasture, I lower the DE dosage to 1 cup during the Spring through end of Fall for benefits purposes. Saved me several hundred dollars a month on feed including lots of Alfalfa.

Just a basic idea of how much I fed her before starting her on DE to even help a little with weight. 2 full huge scoops of Alfalfa cubes daily including her, Alfalfa pellets, Oats, garlic powder, coconut powder and flaxseed. I use to spend at least 300 a month if not more just on her feed. Now, it's down to $100 every 2 months. Instead of Alfalfa pellets, I give her Timothy pellets. And I only give Alfalfa cubes as treats now.

Fleas
Posted by Tara (Baton Rouge, La) on 12/25/2011
 ★★★★★

My cat had a tick behind his eat for a while because I didn't know what it was. Luckily my brother came over one day and recognized it. I had some food grade diatomaceous earth on hand because I've used it for other things. I sprinkled some on the tick area and rubbed it in once daily. The tick just seemed to shrink and disappear and was gone within a week or two. I even forgot to do it some days. :D

I also sprinkle it on my cats' fur and rub in every now and then to control fleas. It works well.

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is awesome and has many uses and benefits. I bought 50 lbs. online.

Ear Mites
Posted by Lynn (Gulfport, Florida) on 01/21/2009
 ★★★★★

My male cat had scratched his ears so much that the ear developed a huge bubble and separated the ear skin/flesh. I had to take him to the vet for expensive treatment and surgery. It was due to ear mites. The ear is now permanently disfigured and ruined his appearance. I used diatomacious earth (food grade) mixed with a little water for transport, and and eye dropper, and put it in his ears when the mites came back. The water will evaporate and leaves the DE in the ear for ongoing treatment, as it is a powder and coats the inside of the ear a little. You don't need much. He stopped scratching by that night, and he hasn't had a problem since. That was a couple of years ago. My other cats are having problems though, and I am going to use it on them. I HATE ear mites and see how my cats can suffer with them. You can buy it (food grade) online or sometimes in a plant nursery (they use it to kill insects). It pays to remember that there may be an infection in the ears as well, and without a proper examination, you can't know. As much as I don't like vets offices, checking for an infection is worth it, especially in severe cases. One of my cats had mites and an infection. Her energy picked up after treatment for the infection, and I felt guilty that maybe she'd had it all along and it was painful. It's important to find a vet you like. Talk to people and get a referral for one you trust. Treatment can utilize both natural and standard treatment when appropriate.

Parasites
Posted by Jody (OH) on 12/23/2006
 ★★★★★

Dimataceous earth, not sure about the spelling on that... If you add a tbsp of dimataceous earth to an adult dog's, and a tsp to a puppy's food on a daily basis you will eliminate most parasites. You also can rub it into their fur for flea control as well. I have a kennel and have used this method for a long time and it works well.

Infections
Posted by Katzie (Calgary, Canada) on 07/30/2023

Diatomaceous Earth use Topically for infections in Dogs

A week ago I encountered a puppy (approx 3 months), who had a massive infection in both shoulders! The puppy was in agony and was crying out in pain. I picked up the little fella and took him home.

I figure he was maybe hit by a car, as I have never seen infection pockets on both shoulders! Pockets of infection were on both sides, big ones. The first night he was crying out in pain every 10 mins; it was awful. I did spray him with colloidal silver, but he was scared of my spray bottle and would limp away when he saw it.

Knowing from previous experience that D.E. will draw an infection to the surface, I threw some on him the next day. Within 20 mins, one of the shoulders (the worst one) started draining! I could smell the infection coming out of him. Well, I kept doing this every day and the infection was so massive it took 4 days to drain both sides! I had been wishing for a vet to be nearby (one wasn't, and we wouldn't be near one for a week), so he could get a needle aspiration and remove all that puss. But D.E. did the trick for us.

So for this particular puppy, born in the forest, injured and in agony, D.E. topically brought the infections to the surface and facilitated draining. I remember reading on here a poster that said infection has a negative charge and D.E. has a positive one (or maybe the reverse)? Anyways, on both humans, cats and dogs, an infection has been brought out and drained. So D.E. was used on my new puppy "Leo", on his ear mites, his fleas, for deworming AND topically on his massive infections! All for about the cost of $2!!!

I Love Diamotacepus Earth!! For humans and animals!

Stay well, everybody. Bless us all!!

Parasites
Posted by Jennifer (San Angelo, Tx) on 01/27/2017
 ★★★★★

Diatomaceous earth,

I ordered a ten pound bag on Amazon for $22 (10 lbs is excessive haha oops didn't read the fine print when I ordered) I have been ingesting it, 1tbs in a glass of water in the morning & noticed the effects that evening.

Originally bought it to treat my dog of suspected hook worm & I kid you not in ten minutes he was more like himself than he had been in weeks. After a week he's gained all his weight & zest for life! I'm going to make toothpaste next BC I read it's remineralizing & the contents of commercial toothpaste is horrifying so I'm sold even without my personal experience in a week's time!

Fly Control, Parasites
Posted 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.


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