Farewell To Fleas

Are you worried about the effects of chemicals on your dog? Why not make your own safe, non toxic flea repellents?

CITRUS REPELLENT: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog's 'armpits'.

AROMATHERAPY REPELLENT: Using 10 ml. of sweet almond oil as your base, add 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of cedarwood. Shake well and use 1 or 2 drops spread over the skin at least twice a week to keep the fleas away.

A flea collar can be made by rubbing a few drops of one of the following into an ordinary webbing or rope collar or even a doggy bandanna: eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, citronella, lavender or geranium. Don't forget to do this weekly.

YOUR HOME: Fleas spend most of their time in your furnishings and only hop onto your dog or you for their next meal. Make sure you wash your dog's bedding regularly because no flea ever survived a hot wash cycle. If you add eucalyptus oil to the final rinse it will also kill 99% of house dust mites according to research from the University of Sydney, Australia.

Vacuum your home very thoroughly and sprinkle a fine layer of ordinary table salt over your upholstery and carpets and leave overnight before vacuuming again to evict your unwelcome guests safely but don't forget to empty your vacuum bag.

BATHING: A badly infested dog really needs to be bathed so use your favorite dog shampoo. Rinse the dog off very thoroughly and in the final rinse add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil or Lavender oil. An alternative is to make your own herbal flea dip which will also work on ticks. Steep two cups of fresh rosemary in two pints of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves and make it up to one gallon ( 8 pints) with warm water. Pour this mixture over the dog until it's saturated. Do not rinse off and allow the dog to dry naturally so this is a remedy to use on hot summer days.

INTERNAL FLEA REPELLENTS: Garlic may not be your favorite cologne and it's not the flea's favorite smell either. When your dog eats garlic, the smell is excreted through the dog's skin making your dog less likely to be the flea's next meal. In case you think you might need to give your dog a breath freshener along with the garlic, my dogs, Mack and Josh, eat a garlic clove every day and I don't find their breath smells from it at all.

Brewer's yeast tablets will also help to make your dog less attractive to fleas because once again the smell is excreted through the skin.

Adding a dessertspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water bowl will make the skin more acidic and unpleasant to fleas and ticks. If your dogs don't fancy apple cider vinegar in the water bowl, dilute it 50/50 with water and use in a spray bottle instead of the citrus repellent.

Article by Frances Gavin - Canine Natural Cures

Heart Worms

The administration of common monthly heartworm preventatives has been associated with autoimmune disease and even death in some purebred dogs.

If your pet is on a heartworm preventative, the mosquito's will still bite them. True prevention would mean you have to get to the source of the problem, the biting mosquito.

Stock up on an all natural insect repellant spray (citronella works great).
Spray your animal before going into mosquito territory. This will keep the mosquito's away.
Put your pet on Black Walnut (liquid or capsules). Note: We like the liquid because it is so easy just to put a few drops right down the back of your pet's throat. This herb not only keeps the mosquito's away, but also kills any worms or parasites that enter the body. So if a mosquito carrying heartworm does decide to bite your pet, the worms will die before ever reaching the heart.

Find these herbs at any health food store or vitamin shop in your area. Ask them for dosages and frequency for your specific pet.

Here are guidelines for dosages - but check with your vet or health store for dosages:

The dosing for dogs: (as a preventative only)

Up to 10lbs - 1/2 capsule three times a week
Heart Worm20-40lbs - 1 capsule three times a week
41-60lbs - 1 1/2 capsules three times a week
60lbs and over give 2 capsules three times a week

The recommendations above are for a 250mg capsule.

For liquid preparations = 10-15 drops usually is equivalent to 1 - 250mg capsule.

The above schedule can be administered during mosquito season, and in areas where there is a high incidence of heartworm.

We continue to remind you, don't get caught up in the hype.

As you can see there is always a healthier choice to chemicals that can work. However, if heartworm is prevalent in your area, you should consider contacting an alternative veterinarian for additional natural support.

Pet Consumer Report promotes an insecticide-free philosophy. The evidence is overwhelming to us. As always, we encourage you to make your own decision. Perhaps you will look into this more on your own. Natural prevention can be accomplished quite easily and inexpensively.

Please note that this article is meant as an alternative to traditional thinking and animal care. As always, discuss any changes in your dog's medical care with your veterinarian.

Heartworms may infect a host for up to 2 years before any signs or symptoms are visible, and often when they are diagnosed it may be too late for some pets.

Heartworms are an infectious parasitic transmitted by mosquitoes that invades major organs in dogs and cats like the lungs, pulmonary arteries and heart. Heartworms grow and multiply within the pet body and can survive for up to 5 years. Heartworms cause damage and block smaller arterial vessels in your pets key organs leading to organ damage and a multitude of health complications.

The symptoms of a heartworm infestation are often difficult to recognize or may be overlooked or discounted as merely flu or cough-like symptoms.

Coughing
Weight loss
Lethargy
Rapid heart beat
Poor coat condition
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite

Treatment to rid a pet of adult heartworms by a vet is a costly procedure and involves exposing your pet to arsenic poisoning treatments to kill the adult heartworms. This procedure can be fatal for aged pets or ones in deteriorating physical condition.