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Natural Flea and Tick prevention

What do you use to control fleas and ticks for your cat or dog?  Most people use harsh chemical “spot on” products like Frontline or Advantage. These products do work but at what price?  These products are toxic to both our pets and us.  Did you know that in 2008 more than 44,000 complaints where filed by pet owners who had serious reactions from these chemical products and more than 1,200 of these ended in the death of the pet. They poison your pet’s body, skin, brain, kidneys, liver, and lymphatic system; only after a flea or tick bites your pet does the poison circulating through your pet’s blood stream actually kill the flea or tick.  Many people also have allergic reactions to these products just from petting an animal that has been treated. 

If you are like me the fear of getting fleas in my house freaks me out, so in the past I’ve lived in denial and continued to use these harsh chemicals.  I have recently made the decision to put the health and welfare of my dog above my fears.  In doing so I have scoured the internet for alternative choices and I have found several all natural alternatives.  Nematodes, Diatomaceous Earth, Apple Cider Vinegar and Garlic, and a product called Best Yet.

Nematodes: Nematodes are your best defense at controlling the area outside of your home.  If you reduce the population outside, there are fewer pests to highjack their way inside.  What are Nematodes? They are live microscopic organisms (non-segmented round worms) that occur naturally in soil throughout the world. They are parasitic to insect pests that typically have a developing (larval or pupal) stage of life in the soil. In other words they kill fleas and ticks! There are a lot of websites out there that talk about how and when to use nematodes.  You can also purchase then online. 

Diatomaceous Earth: Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is a talc like substance that dehydrates fleas and ticks within 72 hours of coming in contact with it. It can be sprinkled throughout the house in area that will remain dry, like your pets bedding in the carpeting on your pet directly.  If your pet is currently infested with fleas you can feed your pet the food grade Diatomaceous Earth to help get rid of tapeworms your pet will have from ingesting fleas.  It’s very important that you purchase the “food grade” Diatomaceous Earth as the pool filter grade is toxic if ingested.

Garlic: Garlic is a natural antibiotic and it is effective in reducing cholesterol levels.  It detoxifies the blood by breaking down toxins in the liver. An enzyme is emitted which shields the protein the female needs in order to lay eggs. When the female does not detect this vital enzyme it moves on. Garlic also contains more than 200 vitamin minerals, amino acids and enzymes that help to improve your pet’s health. It is imperative to also understand that is you use to much garlic you r pet can develop Heinz body anemia which can be fatal.  So, in the case of garlic more is not better.  A little can be very beneficial however. The recommended dosage for a 10lbs dog is ¼ tsp of garlic daily.  The dosage for a cat is a slice of garlic 2-3 times a week. I clove is equal to 1 tsp of garlic powder.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Organic, unfiltered, unpasturized and naturally fermented apple cider vinegar (ACV) contains many vitamin, minerals, and enzymes that help to improve the health of your pet. I recommend that all pets be given ACV in there food daily, because it is so beneficial. The dosage is 1tsp for small dogs or cats and 1tbs for medium-large dogs.  ACV helps to balance your pet’s acid/alkaline levels and Fleas, ticks, and bacteria are unlikely to stick around and inhabit a pet that has an acidic system. ACV should be given internally daily but you can also use it as a rinse diluted with half water if you pet has fleas.  You can even carry a spray bottle with you when visiting places that are more likely to have flea infestations.  There are products on the market that you can buy that have Garlic and apple cider vinegar in it like Flea Free, that look like high quality all natural products, however I have not tried any of them as I add fresh garlic and ACV to my pet’s food daily.

Best Yet: is an all natural non-toxic, zero chemical product produced by CedarCide, it is made from the oil from the Texas Red Cedar tree.  Best Yet only contains two ingredients, Cedar oil and Hydrated Silicia.  All there products are made of human grade ingredients and can be used on children and your pets, including cats.  It’s a well known fact that oils are toxic for cats but the cedar oil used in Best Yet has been modified in a way that removes the phenols and terpenes that are know to be dangerous to cats.  I haven’t used this product but it sounds very effective and I plan to order some to use for myself as well as for my pets.  http://www.cedarcidestore.com/cedarproducts.html

For your pet’s health and the environment, I hope that all of this information will challenge you to make a different choice the next time you reach for the standard spot on flea and tick control. 

So far I’ve used apple cider vinegar and garlic with great results! Here is a video from CBS news on the spot on flea and tick products that I found interesting.

http://youtu.be/IHIfiMWD0Ss

Thanx and if you have any questions please let me know.

Tonya Fanning