In an effort to keep your pets free from fleas and ticks, you may be tempted to employ one or more of the various available synthetic chemicals available in sprays, shampoos, and even a collar with eye-catching colors.  While any one of these flea products may have the desired affect on the intruders, they may not be as safe as you would like to believe.  Natural Flea Control is available if you know what to look for.

You can start by determining the extent of you problem.  Look for subtle signs while grooming your dog or cat.  A single flea may just be a random hitch hiker, whereas several fleas may suggest a major infestation.  The time of year can also play a part in determining how bad things are.  Flea Tick season can vary depending on where you live, but they are much more comfortable in warm environments.

Flea medicine of the organic variety comes to us in the form of pyrethrins, derived from the flower heads of chrysanthemums, and a newer natural agent called d-Limonene which is a by-product of the citrus industry and carries a mild, grapefruitlike odor.  Any product made with these compounds is organic and, for the most part considered safe.  But since they are still pesticides, caution should be used.

One item that is not a medicine and probably won’t be mentioned at your veterinary clinic is diatomaceous earth. Familiar to pool owners, it is a fossilized algae that looks like fine dust.  When worked into pet bedding or carpets, this fine powder attaches itself to fleas and because of its fine, sharp edges, eventually pierces the soft outer skeleton of the flea, causing it to dry out and die.  Another rare and somewhat off the beaten path method of control is garlic.  Feeding your cat or dog garlic each day will have a repellent affect, because the odor from the garlic will work its way through the bloodstream and into the skin.  Keep in mind that Fido will have breath that kills as long as this treatment is being employed.

The main advantage to natural solutions for flea and tick control is that the risk to the animal is greatly reduced. Everyone loves puppies, but as they grow, there is less concern about the dogs health.  We bathe them in poisons that promise to rid them of pests, yet in the process, we are slowly poisoning them.  Using safe, organic products can make you your pet’s best friend.

Dry, unhealthy skin causes itching, as well as more severe reactions to fleabites—the skin sometimes actually falls apart and bleeds. In such cases, the fleas have a picnic. They don’t have to work (that is, chew) to extract their measure of blood, and so appear in huge numbers. If this happens to your pet, it’s important to realize that the fleas didn’t cause the skin ailments—they only worsened a previously existing situation. With this in mind, I’ve solved the flea and skin problems of numerous dogs and cats simply by improving their diets.

Tagged with: D Limonene • Flea Products • Fleas And Ticks • Fossilized Algae • Natural Flea Control • Outer Skeleton • Path Method • Pet Bedding • Pool Owners • Pyrethrins • Synthetic Chemicals • Veterinary Clinic

Filed under: Dogs   Friday, November 6th, 2009