Pets in many households across America are considered members of the family. Therefore, many cats and dogs freely roam their indoor surroundings. Is there any harm or health risk associated with this? Possibly, there is since cats and dogs carry many of the same parasites as man. Veterinarians warn against neglecting flea infested pets as fleas can also make pet owners sick. Some of the parasites that can infect pets and their owners include the common round worm, hookworms, a variety of tapeworms, and even the deadly heart-worm (Hulda Regehr Clark, Ph.D., N.D., The Cure for All Diseases [San Diego, CA: New Century Press, 1995], 343). Therefore, families are beginning to realize the importance of deparasitizing their beloved pet.

Dr. Clark, an independent research scientist, offers a simple but very powerful herbal parasite killing plan for cats and dogs. She warns that because pets are so infested with parasites they must be deparasitized very carefully and slowly. In fact, an entire week of preparation is required to achieve results safely.

Pet owners are advised to prepare parsley water by cooking a large fresh bunch of the vegetable in a quart of water for approximately 3 minutes. The parsley is then discarded and the water cooled. It may then be divided into 1 cup containers and frozen for preservation. Only 1 teaspoon per day of the water is added to the pet's food. This is the only thing done for the first week. The parsley water is given to keep the kidneys working in peak condition so dead parasites are swiftly eliminated. This may require letting dogs out a little more often than usual.

Once the parsley water has been given for 1 week, it's time to begin killing parasites in the pet. The herbs needed are regular strength black walnut hull tincture, freshly ground cloves, and chamomile. It should be noted that Dr. Clark's herbal parasite killing plan calls for the use of wormwood. Although wormwood is an effective vermifuge, it is also poisonous and should never be ingested, not even in the smallest amounts. Pet owners are strongly advised against using black walnut hull tincture and ground cloves purchased from a health foods store. Tinctures made from hulls that were less than 50% green lack the parasite killing properties needed. There's no way to be absolutely sure that the tincture sold by health foods stores are free of contaminants and/or high in potency.

Black walnut hull tincture that may be trust can be securely purchased from the web site of Dr. Clark the author of the parasite killing program. Otherwise, pet owners may easily make their own tincture if they have access to black walnuts when they began falling from trees in the fall and are still green. They are thoroughly rinsed and placed in an enamel or ceramic container. Metal should never be used. They are then covered with a 50% strength grain alcohol such as vodka, covered with a plastic or ceramic lid and allowed to stand for 3 days. Approximately 1/2 teaspoon of pure ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is added to the batch to retard spoilage. The hulls are removed and the tincture bottled in glass containers, preferably dark brown. This is extra strength black walnut tincture. To make it regular strength, more grain alcohol is added to dilute approximately 50%.

The cloves should either be purchased at Clark's web store or pet owners can buy fresh whole cloves from the grocery store and grind them themselves to ensure potency. The camomile is an herbal vermifuge (substance that kills and/or expels intestinal worms). It can be purchased from the grocery store. Other herbs used to kill and/or expel worms include senna, catnip, aloes, and hyssop. However, camomile is more readily available and convenient to use.

The second week of treating the dog or cat for parasites involves adding 1 drop of black walnut tincture on the pet's food. The teaspoon of parsley water can be added at the same time as the drop of the tincture. This is done for the entire second week. The third week calls for the addition of between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of camomile (the dried flowers from the opened tea bag) to the pet's food. If the dog or cat suffers from constipation, the herb senna should replace the camomile as it is a mild but effective laxative. The black walnut is increased to 2 drops, but the amount of the parsley water never changes. It should be noted that Dr. Clark based these dosages on a 10 pound dog or cat. They should be doubled for pets weighing 20 pounds, and so forth.

The fourth week of treatment calls for the addition of the ground cloves which are used to kill the eggs laid by parasite. A small pinch is all that's needed. Dr. Clark warns that, "If your pet vomits or has diarrhea, you may expect to see worms. This is extremely infectious and hazardous. Never let a child clean up a pet mess. Begin by pouring salt and iodine on the mess and letting it stand for 5 minutes before cleaning it up."

Despite regular visits to the veterinarian, many pets end up suffering miserably from heart-worm disease that could have easily been prevented or eliminated.