Post by packerdogs on Mar 24, 2004 9:40:44 GMT -5
Just thinking about something I think Lois had talked about a long, long time ago, so I may not have this straight. First, I don’t feed raw, and yes, I vaccinate and give heartguard pills and flea and tick protection. However, I will never feed raw, I rarely cook for myself, so I’m sure not going to start cooking for the dogs . I vaccinate every 2 years for distemper, my dogs are still at high risk I feel considering all the dogs coming in and out of my house of unknown health. Heartguard I use sparingly, only during mosquito season and every 45 days instead of every 30. And flea and tick I use extremely sparingly, only 3 times/year.
Okay, so my question was brought up by a volunteer flipping out that her dog ate a bird and everyone else jumping on the band wagon of all the diseases, worms and fleas the dog could get (maybe I’m wrong, but I didn’t think birds had fleas?). Anyway, black mutt and my lab/wiem mix kill and eat birds and bunnies pretty much every day. Just yesterday coming home from work, I pull in the driveway and there are feathers everywhere and Luke is chowing down on a barn pigeon. They have been doing this for years and years. They have never had fleas or tapeworms. Another friend’s dog ate one bunny and got tapeworms and fleas right away.
Now, what I think I remember Lois saying is dogs with a healthy immune system will not get fleas and worms. Is this correct? It must be, or either my dogs magically get rid of the tapeworms themselves, or the birds and rabbits by me are parasite free (not likely).
Cathy
Okay, so my question was brought up by a volunteer flipping out that her dog ate a bird and everyone else jumping on the band wagon of all the diseases, worms and fleas the dog could get (maybe I’m wrong, but I didn’t think birds had fleas?). Anyway, black mutt and my lab/wiem mix kill and eat birds and bunnies pretty much every day. Just yesterday coming home from work, I pull in the driveway and there are feathers everywhere and Luke is chowing down on a barn pigeon. They have been doing this for years and years. They have never had fleas or tapeworms. Another friend’s dog ate one bunny and got tapeworms and fleas right away.
Now, what I think I remember Lois saying is dogs with a healthy immune system will not get fleas and worms. Is this correct? It must be, or either my dogs magically get rid of the tapeworms themselves, or the birds and rabbits by me are parasite free (not likely).
Cathy