Pet Escentials Articles
Natural Ways to Handle the Flea Season with Your Pet
Alkalinity
When your pet is alkaline, fleas and ticks will not be attracted to it. The pH of your pet’s body is very important for many reasons: It helps keep your pet healthy from diseases, it reduces inflammation in the body and it keeps away internal and external parasites. Dogs’ natural pH is between 7.0 and 7.1 but most the pH of most domestic dogs falls far below that. Cats are a different story; their pH is between 6.4 and 6.8. Since cats are prone to many different urinary tract problems they must maintain this delicate balance to remain healthy. To find out your pet’s pH you can swab litmus paper in their saliva or put some in the litter box.
These are some ways to alkalize your pets:
- Feed your pet a raw food diet
- Feed your pet a natural low- to no-carb diet.
- Use supplements such as garlic and flax seed oil.
- Use a clean water source such as bottled water (never use distilled water).
Liver Detox
Many pets have an overtaxed liver. This is caused from chemicals and preservatives in the food they eat, on they lawn they play in, and in the house they sleep in. They also store some toxins from vaccinations, flea treatment, and heartworm preventatives. All this builds up in the liver and causes acidity and a taxed immune system. There are many products on the market today to detoxify the liver. Some of them include dandelion root, milk thistle, and burdock root.
Boosting the Immune System
What are the symptoms of a weak immune system? The most common symptom and warning sign is allergies. When our pets develop allergies to things that should normally be harmless, their immune systems are crying out for help. If this is ignored then other problems can develop such as cancer and arthritis. Parasites are attracted to older or sick pets because their immune systems can not fight them off. Some of the main causes of a poor immune system are poor nutrition from birth, commercial flea treatments, and an overtaxed liver.
What Boosts the Immune System?
- Begin with a liver detox for a fresh start
- Garlic
- Parthenium
- Echinacea/Goldenseal
- K-9 Immunity by Aloha Medicinals
- Transfer Factor
- Good nutrition
Natural Ways to Handle Fleas
Herbs
- Garlic is the best all around herb for your pets. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes don’t like to smell or taste it. It cleans out internal parasites and it alkalizes the body which builds the immune system.
- Black Walnut extract is another herb that is a natural dewormer, heartworm preventative and flea repellent. To deworm your dog, use 1 dose of 10 drops in the food per every 25 pounds your dog weighs (may cause diarrhea). Wait two weeks and repeat. Then begin a preventative of 1 drop per 10 pounds daily. For cats, deworm with 1 drop in food for every 1 pound, and repeat in two weeks. For prevention, use only 1 drop per 5 pounds, and only twice a week instead of daily. Do not use on horses!
- Artemisia, also called mugwort or wormwood. It is often times used with clove and is a great dewormer but should not be used as a preventative. Do not use more then two weeks at a time and more then four times a year. This can be used on horses.
Essential Oils
There are many essential oils that help repel fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. Always remember animals noses are very sensitive so always dilute, dilute, dilute! Do not use essential oils on cats! Cats treat essential oils as toxins that can cause liver damage. The alternative is hydrosols. There are many good products available using essential oils, including the Pet Escentials line.
- Peppermint actually blocks a neurotransmitter called octopamine in fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. This then shuts down the central nervous system of these pests, killing them almost instantly. This neurotransmitter is not found in humans, mammals, fish, or birds so it is safe for the rest of us.
- Lemongrass repels fleas.
- Sweet Marjoram repels all insects.
- Citronella repels all insects.
- Neem Oil has become popular lately and also repels most insects.
These are just a few of the many essential oils that repel fleas, ticks, and mosquitos.
Powders
- Boric acid has been used for centuries as a natural insecticide and repellent. You can sprinkle it on the carpet and furniture and wait twelve hours before vacuuming it up. Be sure to throw away the bag. Sprinkle it in cabinets and where ants come into your house. You can also spread it on your lawn. If you use a riding lawn mower you can take a loose woven piece of cloth like cheese cloth, put some boric acid in it and drag it behind your mower, so every time you mow you have a fresh dusting of boric acid.
- Diatomaceous earth is a type of fossilized algae called diatoms. This has very sharp crystallized silica. When an insect comes in contact with this it cuts the exoskeleton and causes them to dehydrate. This works well for adult fleas and ticks. Only use outside in the yard and apply with gloves and a mask. Because they a microscopic sharp crystals, inhaling them could cut up the mucus membranes in you lungs. They are very effective for hard shelled insects.
Beneficial Insects
Nematodes are small round worms that are not harmful to your pets. They are applied to your lawn like you would a liquid fertilizer through a hose delivery system. These round worms go into the ground and feed off of all soft body insects such as flea larvae, termites, Japanese beetles, weevils, and many more. They do not harm earthworms. They are very inexpensive at only $15.00 to cover 3000 sq ft. You need to repeat it once a year in the early spring as they to have a life cycle and die. You can find them locally at Bugs, etc… or over the Internet. This is a great way to stop the flea cycle before it even starts.
Poultry
- Guinea Hens’ favorite food is ticks! If you are fortunate enough to live where you can have some poultry this is ideal. They make good watchdogs too.
- Indian Runner Ducks are great to have because not only do they eat mosquito larvae, fleas, and ticks but their favorite food is fire ants. They also lay about 300 eggs a year as opposed to a chicken that only lays 200. Makes a good quiche too!
- Chickens are also good to have around to eat bugs. A free-range chicken will consume large amounts of insects, including the ones you want to be rid of.
If you feed your pet an alkalizing diet, detoxify your pet, boost the immune system, and use natural pest repelling plants and animals you should have many long flea free years with your pet.