This is my first post regarding natural non-toxic ways to make changes in the lives of you and your pets.
Flea and tick control.
Up until a couple of years ago I was using the topical flea and tick treatment on Sampson and Delilah. I hated the idea of it and after reading the package and speaking with my vet I reduced the applications to once every six weeks or so April through October.
I continued to use this, despite both me and the dogs hating it. I did this until the day I found a tick on my dog.
WHY does my dog have a tick when I’m using a preventative treatment?
I called the vet and found out even though we were using the topical treatment; the tick (or flea) still had to bite my pet to ingest the poison that would kill them. The poison should however prevent said pest from attaching long enough to infect my dog.
POISON.
Your skin is the largest organ your body has. Anything that you put on your skin is absorbed into your body and enters your blood stream. I’m putting poison on my dog’s fur, that is absorbed through their skin into their blood system and it’s toxic enough to kill a tick. Poison that stays in their blood, circulating through their sweet little bodies and I’m replenishing it every four to six weeks.
Have you ever tried to squish a tick? Not easy unless they are engorged, I did have success once by stabbing one with a ball point pen, but all in all I’d say they’re pretty hardy little beings.
That’s when my light bulb moment occurred. I’m poisoning my dogs.
Our yard is pretty rustic, the fenced backyard where the dogs have freedom to roam is a hilly, tree and shrub filled wonderland. While the fence helps to keep deer out, they can still get in, not to mention the mice, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, etc that can bring ticks into the yard.
Shortly after we moved in, I got a tick on my stomach. It’s a funny story, uniquely personal and probably fodder for another day.
But not this day.
Needless to say, we’ve been having the yard sprayed ever since. We’ve been using a traditional tick application to keep the nasty buggers at bay, but I’m working on finding a green company to replace them. (More on that in another post.)
Back to the dogs.
I started searching for a more natural way to control these unwanted pests. What I came up with is a protocol, it’s not perfect, it requires a bit more of my time, but in my opinion it is so worth it.
- Bug Off Garlic tablets – One tablet for every 20 pounds of dog. I know, I know, you’ve heard garlic is bad for your dogs and IT IS. But only in large doses. For a dog Sampson or Delilah’s size they would have to eat something along the lines of 20 bulbs, not cloves, BULBS.
The drawback I’ve found is when they get too much at once, they get really stinky cigar smelling farts. GROSS.
What I do is keep them on a low dose all year-long (two tablets a day) and slowly increase their dosage during the April through October months. (Also available in granules if you prefer to sprinkle on their food.) I use the tablets as treats, when I leave for work, they each get two tablets, it’s a simple and easy way to remember.
The first year I did this, I found a total of about 20 ticks, mostly on Delilah. Sampson being lighter I can usually spot them quicker, before they start to attach.
My preferred method of killing ticks is to pluck them off live and let them swim around in rubbing alcohol until they die.
Last year I added two more pieces to my protocol and we had less than five ticks all season
The two other pieces are:
- A natural spray that is used daily, especially when we are leaving our yard. I did make my own but I wasn’t entirely happy with it, so I’m currently using EcoSmart. It is designed for people too, so I spray my legs and shoes to keep the buggers off me as well. It is less expensive than the sprays marketed as dog sprays. I will also be working on perfecting my own, and will share that recipe here.
The base ingredient in this is rubbing alcohol which I think is fine for my dogs as they have really thick coats. For those with thinner coats, you can go with a lighter application. You need to make sure that you don’t spray in their eyes, nose, mouth or genitals and I’m careful about the underbelly too, as there is much less fur there. (I wouldn’t use this on nursing mamas.)
I spray it in my hand to apply it under their chin, their ears and a little bit around the muzzle. The areas I really focus on are the thick furred areas such as the chest, back of the neck and the hind quarters. I also spray the thick furry area under their tail.
It takes me about five minutes or less to spray both dogs.
- Brushing. The last piece of this protocol is when we return from walk. Most days I just give them a quick brush paying attention to those thick areas. Other days depending on weather we rinse off with the hose. Obviously the brushing is much quicker then washing but some days just require it.
It sounds like a lot more work, but really it adds only 10 to 15 minutes to my walking routine. I adjusted to it fairly quickly and I feel so much better knowing that I am not putting toxins on my dogs.
How do you feel about the current flea and tick products you are using for your dogs? Have you considered a more natural approach to prevention? Do you think the added work is too much?
Author’s note, the opinions expressed are my own, I was not paid by any of the companies listed in the post, you must always do what you feel is best for your pets.
I am in the veterinary profession so I do use a flea and tick product on my pets. I use the same stuff on my pets that we sell at the clinic. We use Vectra 3D. I have had no problems with it and am ok with using it. I am all for people who want to use the natural products and great to hear feed back so I know what to tell others.
It’s great to see a veterinarian who is open to clients using natural products instead of the AVMA-preferred chemical-based products! I LOVE our vet dearly, and I know he loves his patients and wants only the best for all of them; but sometimes it seems like he has a prejudice against natural products.
Our approach is “have a light colored dog, pick them off fast.” I found our first summer flea on Silas yesterday.
We’ve had some problems with ticks because we tend to travel in the Southeast, AKA Tick Heaven. More underbrush, milder climate. I’m hoping someone here has some great solutions.
There was a lot of discussion about flea and tick protocols on #petchat this past Monday…A number of folks, like you, are going to natural products and having success…Sadly the consensus among all the Florida peeps is that our year-round super fleas are just too much for the natural products. I had no luck with topicals and switched to Comfortis a few years back…I hear people are switching over to Trifexis now…I’m about to start a test with the new Seresto collar from Bayer…I was given one to try out at Global…They’re promising 8 months of flea and tick prevention…I’m really hoping for good results and I’d be happy with 6 months
I just recently switched from Frontline to Advantix II because our vet said the fleas had become immune to the Frontline in our area. I hate using the topicals — they’re messy and a pain to apply properly especially on dog’s who don’t like to stand still more more than a few seconds at a time. And who hate the smell of the stuff. I’ll have to ask him about the Comfortis that Gizmo mentioned in his comment. I don’t think the organic/natural protocols would work here in the Southeast, much as I would prefer them.
Frontline does it for us and we don’t have a big flea problem here touch wood. Out in the country it is another story. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Best wishes Molly
Here’s another way to kill fleas, light them on fire!
WAIT! Not while still on the dog!!! LOLOLOL
I didn’t have to pick any off Gracie last year but a did find one or two on the ground.
Henri is going to be a problem with his black fur! Well, not a problem, I just have to be more diligent in his grooming.
Great article Jodi!!! I am so happy that you found a routine that works for you and the dogs.
Neither one of my dogs have ever had ticks or fleas (knock on wood) but I still use a flea and tick preventative. I am all for natural products but we currently us Frontline Plus, because of where I work and because the dogs are always there with me and you never know when a little flea may hop on for a ride or when I may bring one home on me. I don’t really look at it as that I’m putting a poison into their system, I look at it as I am preventing Lymes disease and other diseases from happening.If I didn’t work at the vet and have such a high exposure I may consider using something more natural.
I would not treat the dogs except for the ticks. They really have never encountered ticks in large enough numbers to worry about before we started used certain training grounds. There are some very nasty illnesses that can result from tick bites so we use the Frontline regularly April through September/October and then we decide depending on where they will be after that. Actually since they swim, we should probably apply it every 2 weeks, but haven’t done that so far.
I use natural spray on these guys too. I worry about ticks when we are in areas where I know they are. Torreys fur is soooo thick, I don’t know I would ever find one on her. Something blipped through the other day about giving your dogs apple cider vinegar in their water to prevent ticks and fleas. I didn’t read it though, maybe I will go back and find it.
Thankfully, I don’t have a serious flea or tick problem – but with all the places I take Blueberry, I do use K-9 Advantixx II. I usually treat every 6 weeks or even every other month and it seems to work. She’s not had any health or skin issues from using it so I really don’t worry about it much.
I haven’t had to use any flea and tick products for several years, I would tell you my secret except i don’t know why. Could it be that my dogs emit some unpleasant odor only smelled by parasites?
Heartworms are very bad in Florida so protection is a necessity down here
We hate tick treatment and so does mom but even though we use it religiously we still find ticks, mostly on me since I am short and in the weeds a lot. We don’t have a good option to Frontline and use it as sparingly as possible. There are so many ticks in MN and bad kinds too, so we need something. Why in the world can such nasty stupid little bugs cause so much trouble?
So odd…I was out hiking today with the dogs, came back in and relaxing with my coffee, and I read your post…and I’m like….crap…I forgot to check them…so I get my furminator out, because that goes right down to the skin…luckily…didnt find anything…but that tick on your stomach has me checking every five minutes…..hahaha
Good post jodi..I use advantix every six weeks in the winter, but was thinking of stopping completely for the winter since I wll not be going to florida anymore. In the summers every four weeks…lots of deer here in pa and two years ago was Infeasted with fleas using frontline plus and sentinel!!!!!!!! Two dogs, one cat and two houses to treat…I like the idea of spraying before we go walking..but do you know if it is ok to use with topical treatments???
I use Frontline Plus on Cupcake. She stands still so I can get in on her perfectly. She has never had a flea or a tick, thank God.
Titan used K-9 Advantix since he was going to Tennessee, ticks are bad down there. In the past I have used Frontline but 2 years ago it did not work and I wasted a whole lot of money retreating them more frequently and still had a flea problem. Last year used the Costco brand and had no problems, I try not to use it unless I have to. I have heard that using citrus can repel fleas so I thought about trying that this year. Here are a couple of links I found using natural things.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-solutions-for-natural-flea-control.html
http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/evr_multi_flea_control#.UWYeg5POkxE
Great post Jodi!
I don’t like using the usual preventatives because it’s as you say, poison and our pets are absorbing this into their bodies, so am always on the lookout for anything natural. We live in the tropics, so have to use something, and the comments here are very interesting.
When you have perfected your own spray, I would be very interested in your recipe if you care to share.
I use apple cider vinegar, regular grooming & baths and a natural spray with a variety of essential oils. It’s been working like a charm for almost 2 years.
I’m going to pass this onto my friend. She is very holistic minded, but with the terrible tick problem does use a spot-on product and hand removes ticks everyday (she amazes me with her ability to spot ticks).
I do have one question- how often do you do a Lyme disease test to check your dogs? I ask because when I was working in a vet clinic, the heartworm test we used also tested for tick diseases and we were having a lot of dogs test positive for Lyme who were not showing any symptoms at all.
Hi Jodi,
My Mum would love to find an alternative to putting K9 Advantix on me, and looks often, but so far hasn’t found anything that seems to work well enough, it’s also hard cos I have long fur and ticks and fleas could easily hide on me – so far I’ve been ok….
Have you ever tried the discs that are supposed to work for 2 years, Mum’s read about them before, but thought maybe they were too good to be true?
Wags to all,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Pearl gets horrible oozing sores from topical flea medication, so we are currently using trifexis, which is the wormer and flea/tick prevention in one, internal. I worry about giving her something that is poison, but we struggle enough with her bad reactions to mosquito and other bug bites that I am afraid she would react just as badly to a flea bite. And ticks gross me out more than ANYTHING- I am petrified of finding a tick on her. She has short hair though and so far so good…
Although I try to go natural with certain things, I consider flea and tick control a necessary evil. Long Island is not only known for its ticks, but for our fleas. I’ve been through two VERY BAD flea infestations with my animals in the past and I don’t want to risk a third.
I’m glad not to live in Florida anymore, as I don’t need flea treatments most of the year. In fact, we went four years without needing it, since I wait until I see fleas on the dogs to use anything, which has been Frontline. But I’m pretty convinced (without any evidence) that the topical is what caused the cancer in our first dog, having used it year round most of her life.
I’m actually really liking having chickens for bug control. If I could have guinea hens here, that would be even better. They eat ticks like they’re going out of style. The best natural preventative there is.
We use natural preventatives too. An essential oil bug spray (the same stuff they use on animals on movie sets here), a comb out after we come inside, and a yard full of bug repellent plants. We work hard to make sure we’re bug free and in the four years we’ve gone natural, we’ve never had a flea. It’s awesome.
I hate using chemicals (yes, poison!) on my animals, but we live in the woods, and fleas and ticks are a major problem here. Additionally, Lyme disease is a problem here because of the ticks. Our 3 cats are always in the fields and the woods, which puts all of us at risk. So… the topical treatment is a necessary evil around here, I guess.
I have considered trying to switch to something natural for fleas. We don’t have to worry too much about ticks here, but the fleas are bad all year ’round since we live in a warm climate. Plus, I’m VERY allergic to flea bites. I remember the horrible years growing up when I could have dozens and dozens of bites. Ugh.
Our vet told us once that the flea treatment in Frontline will last 3 months – but the tick part only lasts one month, which is why they tell you to reapply it every month. I’ve been using it every 3 months since then and we’ve had no flea problems.
I also read recently that some of the flea treatments (BioSpot and I forget which other ones) are way more toxic and much less effective than Frontline. I would love to not even have to use Frontline, but I need to do some more research to see if there is a natural treatment that will stand up to Fleaville, where we live!
Wow, Jodi–great post and lots of great replies. Currently, I am not using anything on Y-Bo primarily because he’s never had any sort of bug. Knock on wood that it stays that way. But, according to my vet, because our Chicago winter hasn’t had any hard freezes this year, she said I should use something, I’ve gotten, but not used so far Frontline Plus, for my dog. My biggest concern is for my grandson…he’s only 14 months and crawls all over the floor. I worry that the stuff on the dog will rub off on the rug and be picked up by the baby. There are no easy answers. A dog trainer once told me to use Avon’s original scent ‘Skin so Soft’ for ‘everyday’ use and only use the hard stuff if we go to the woods etc. Gee, I didn’t mean to write so much! Have a great weekend!
Well can’t say I ever had a tick on Max but he’s always been on Trifexis for fleas and Heartworm prevention as I am highly allergic to fleas and would hate to have Max itchy and miserable and he’s only had 2 fleas ever and I think I just got them off Max before the Trifexis even had a chance to kick in. I hear really bad stuff about the liquid stuff although my Dad did use that on his pup Toby for years with great results and Toby lived a long great life. Great post!
I found your post through Bark & Chatter, so glad I did. I agree, I hate poisoning our pets with this stuff. We have never had problems with fleas but ticks are a big problem here in NH. We also have to worry about Lyme disease. Our dogs get vaccinated for that, but our little beagle has a problem with vaccines, so she will no longer get it. So I’m always looking for better ways to fend off those creepy, disgusting ticks! I’m just not sure your routine would work for us, since we have four dogs, and it just seems like too much work for us. But it might work for at least Cricket; and at least with her she is a small, short haired beagle, so it is easier to check her over. The golden retrievers, not so much….I can’t even seem to keep up with brushing them like I should!
I have been using a natural spray for Taylor since we adopted her. However, we were not proactive in giving Taylor a daily combing or brushing until a few weeks ago.
Yesterday, I attended a workshop facilitated by a friend of mine who is a canine massage therapist and I met a wonderful 15 year old Chihuahua mix who unfortunately has a permanent burn mark between her shoulder blades, and her mommy told me it was due to the flea and tick preventative she gave her dog for years! This was a clear visual example of why the routine you mention in this great post is a much better method, in my opinion.
Lyme disease can affect multiple body systems and produce a range of symptoms. Not all patients with Lyme disease will have all symptoms, and many of the symptoms are not specific to Lyme disease, but can occur with other diseases as well. The incubation period from infection to the onset of symptoms is usually one to two weeks, but can be much shorter (days), or much longer (months to years).:–.
My own internet page <http://www.picturesofherpes.covz