Holistic Hound - Flea Prevention
Flea-Free, Naturally
Fighting Pests Without Poisons
By Amy Carlton
For some lucky folks, longer days and higher temperatures signal
sun-drenched, carefree summer days. But for dog lovers, warm weather means
flea and tick season, time to be ever-vigilant protecting our pooches from
parasites.
Fleas and ticks are more than just an itchy nuisance - they can cause
serious health problems for our pets and ourselves. Ticks can carry
debilitating illness like Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Fleas can spread tapeworm. Dogs may also be allergic to flea bites and get a
skin condition called flea bite dermatitis.
There's no shortage of flea control products on the market - foggers,
shampoos, collars and dips, plus the latest "spot" treatments. But many of
these contain dangerous chemicals like organochlorines, organophosphates and
carbamates. According to Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for
Dogs and Cats, these chemicals in large doses can cause breathing problems,
tremors, vomiting, skin irritations, permanent nerve damage and death. Some
dogs experience hair loss and sores around the neck from flea collars, plus
the chemical fumes given off by the collars can negatively affect everyone
in the house. The drug in the anti-flea pill Program (lufenuron) can
concentrate in breast milk, which may cause lethargy, diarrhea and
respiratory problems in puppies, according to Celeste Yarnall in Natural Dog
Care.
Unfortunately fleas reproduce so quickly, those that survive the chemical
barrage have developed resistance to insecticides. We haven't reduced the
flea population so much as built a better flea.
In response, flea products have become increasingly complicated. For
example, the new monthly "preventatives" like ProSpot are placed on the skin
and absorbed into your dog's blood. When fleas bite your dog, they ingest
the insecticide in the blood and die. Unfortunately, this means your dog has
a steady stream of poison in her blood, and the fleas all have to bite her
before the product works.
Luckily, rather than surrounding your dog with a cloud of chemicals, you can
choose from a multitude of remedies that are simpler and safer to use.
Flea-Fighting Foods
Pests and parasites are attracted to dogs that are already weakened by
disease or chronic illness. A robust, healthy dog is just not appetizing to
bloodsucking critters. The biggest key to flea and tick prevention - and to
your dog's overall health - is good nutrition. A healthy diet of fresh foods
will do a lot to keep pests away.
During flea and tick season, you may want to add nutritional supplements to
better keep pests at bay. One commonly touted flea repellent is brewer's
yeast, which is rich in B-vitamins, but there are conflicting reports on its
effectiveness. Brewer's yeast is a by-product of the brewing industry, and
is generally considered not to be of very high quality. Dr. Michele Yasson,
a holistic vet in New York, suggests using nutritional yeast instead, and
only during flea season, not year-round. However, many dogs are allergic to
yeast products. If your dog reacts poorly to yeast, stop using it. Make sure
your dog gets enough B Vitamins from other sources, like organ meats,
sardines and cottage cheese.
Garlic, on the other hand, is almost universally accepted as good natural
flea prevention. Add fresh minced garlic to your dog's meals, 1/4 clove to
two cloves daily, depending on the weight of your dog. Start slowly - some
dogs can be sensitive to garlic, leading to flatulence and diarrhea. You may
also use high-potency garlic tablets.
Herbal Help
Pitcairn recommends making a flea and tick repellent powder from equal parts
of the following dried herbs (or as many of these as you can find): rue,
wormwood, eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel and yellow dock. Mix the herbs
together in a shaker-top jar, and apply sparingly to your pooch, making sure
to get at the base of the hairs along the back, neck and belly.
For tick prevention, groom your dog regularly to remove mats and loose fur
(where ticks love to hide). Then dust the fur with herbal repellent before
hikes in woods or fields. Always groom your dog when you return from
tick-infested areas, to remove any critters before they have a chance to
bite.
Essential Oils
Plants produce essential oils as their own survival technique to repel bugs,
according to Kristen Leigh Bell, certified aromatherapist and proprietor of
Aromaleigh, Inc. This makes essential oils great pest repellents for animals
and humans, too.
The oils used should be dilute (not full-strength or "neat"). You can squirt
a few drops on braided cotton or twine for a "rechargeable" collar.
Essential oils are also available in shampoos, sprays and soaps. Application
will have to be done more often than once-a-month flea drops, because the
scents will fade.
Keep in mind, just because something is "100 percent natural" doesn't mean
it's safe. Pennyroyal oil is a component of many natural flea and tick
products, but Bell strongly cautions against its use. According to Bell,
pennyroyal oil (a highly concentrated form of the herb) contains neurotoxic
ketones and liver-damaging hepatoxins that can lead to death or cause
pregnant bitches to abort. She explains pennyroyal is inexpensive to produce
in mass quantities, which is why it may be so popular in flea control
products. Bell says there are many essential oils that are not as strong as
pennyroyal, but work just as well to repel fleas and ticks. Her flea sprays
and treatments contain peppermint, clary sage, citronella and lemon; the
tick repellents use geranium, myrrh, opoponax, bay leaf and lavender.
To make your own essential oil sprays, Bell suggests using 15-25 drops of
good-quality oils in eight ounces of distilled water. The solution should be
shaken well before each use and spritzed on your dog daily. It can also be
sprayed on bedding or around the doorways of your home to keep fleas out.
Bell does not recommend using essential oils for flea and tick removal,
however. If your dog is already infested, you'll want to use something that
works faster than essential oils, she says.
If you're not into making your own products, there are safer commercial
alternatives. Look for products with d-limonene (a natural citrus extract
with no reported toxic effects) or pyrethrin (made from chrysanthemums).

Sources for natural flea and tick products
Aromaleigh, Inc.
The Natural Dog: A Complete Guide For Caring Owners, Dr. Mary Brennan DVM
(Plume, ISBN #0452270197)
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, Dr.
Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM and Susan Hubble Pitcairn (Rodale Press, ISBN
#0875962432)
Natural Dog Care, Celeste Yarnall (Journey Editions, ISBN #1885203470)

Amy Carlton is the editor and owner of Holistic Hound.



Copyright ©2000 Holistic Hound, The Newsletter of Natural Health for Dogs.
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