Flea and Tick Season: It’s Earlier and It’s Ugly

Story at-a-glance

Flea and tick the season is already underway in some areas of the U.S.

Before you take all the dire warnings to heart and run out to buy every chemical pest control product you can get your hands on, keep this in mind — controlling fleas and ticks is a simple recipe with just 3 ingredients: keeping your pet pest-free, keeping your home pest-free, and
keeping your yard pest-free.

With planning and diligence, you can accomplish those three things with all natural – not chemical – pest control methods. And if you do encounter a situation where the use of chemical agents is unavoidable, there are ways to minimize the damage these products can cause.

By Dr. Becker – https://healthypets.mercola.com

All Natural Tips for a Pest-Free Pet

If fleas are a problem, comb your pet with a flea comb at least once a day, every day during pest season. Do the combing on a white towel or other light colored cloth so you can see what’s coming off your pet’s coat and skin as you comb.

Flea ‘dirt’ (actually flea feces) looks like real dirt, but when suspended in a little rubbing alcohol or water will dissolve and release a red color (blood) allowing you to discern real dirt from flea dirt.

Drop the combings into a bowl or other container of soapy water and flush it down the toilet when your combing session is over.

Bathe your pet. A soothing bath will kill fleas (via drowning), help heal skin irritation, and make your furry companion feel more comfortable and less itchy. Also, clean animals aren’t as attractive to fleas. Pick a non-grain (no oatmeal) shampoo specifically for pets.

Be aware that some pets have a condition called flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), which is sensitivity to flea saliva. This is actually a very common condition in dogs. It’s not the bite of a flea that causes most of the itching, it’s the saliva. And the saliva can cause irritation way out of proportion to the number of fleas on your pet.

That’s why lots of dog owners assume the terrible itching their pet is enduring can’t be flea related because they don’t see any fleas. In fact, a pet with FAD can be made absolutely miserable from the saliva of just one or two fleas. And it can make her uncomfortable for many weeks – long after the fleas are dead and gone.

If ticks are a problem where you live, the best way to control them is through daily grooming and nose-to-tail body checks of your pet. You should examine your dog or cat closely for ticks whenever he’s been outside, and at least once a day, regardless.

If you should find a tick attached to your pet, it must be removed carefully and safely.

Don’t squeeze the tick, pull on it, press down on it, burn it, or otherwise try to kill it while it’s still embedded in your pet. You don’t want to inadvertently harm your dog or cat, and you don’t want to cause the tick to secrete more saliva into your pet or leave pieces of the rostrum (the ‘sticker’) embedded in your pet’s skin.

The safest way to remove a tick is with a twisting motion. A tick removal tool is great to have on hand if you ever need to get a tick off your pet.

In addition to the above suggestions, I also recommend you make liberal use of an all-natural pest repellent. Vet’s Best Flea and Tick products containall natural ingredients — safe oils and pure water.

Other safe alternatives to chemical pest repellents include cedar oil (specifically formulated to be applied to pets) and natural food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) (both of which can be applied directly to your pet’s skin and coat – follow label application instructions), and fresh garlic (it must be fresh, not processed — work with your holistic vet to determine a safe amount for your pet’s body weight).

Don’t waste your money on garlic in pill form or brewer’s yeast pills. The B vitamins found in brewer’s yeast responsible for boosting the immune system can be naturally delivered by feeding your pet a meat based, living food diet. I don’t recommend feeding allergenic brewer’s yeast to pets.

Powdered garlic or garlic in tablet form has lost the medicinal component, Allicin, found in fresh garlic. Garlic pills can be dangerous to pets.

DE can also be added to your pet’s food if your pet has internal parasites. DE is not effective against heartworms as they are present in the bloodstream, where DE isn’t.

All-Natural Tips for a Pest-Free Yard

Keep your grass mowed, weeds pulled, and bushes trimmed. Clear away debris as it accumulates and do regular inspections of your property for places where pests are apt to hide and multiply.

Food grade diatomaceous earth can also be used to control pests in your yard. However, it doesn’t work immediately and must be reapplied frequently (monthly for best results). To use dry with a powder applicator you’ll need about 1 pound per 500 square feet. You can also mix it up as a paste and apply it with a hose-end sprayer, using 2 tablespoons per gallon of water.

Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that eat flea larvae. Many people have had success using them in their gardens and yards to keep the flea population under control.

Under the right conditions, nematodes work quite well. They can be applied with a lawn sprayer and have been known to reduce the flea population by 80 percent in 24 hours.

More research is needed, but it seems nematodes are most effective in moist, sandy soil away from direct sunlight. The worms don’t survive in the hot sun. (Fortunately, neither do fleas.) Nematodes can be purchased at some pet stores, nurseries and online.

The Bottom Line

No matter what combination of pest repellent systems you use, including chemical agents, your pet can still attract pests and parasites. In fact, even animals loaded with chemicals to the point of toxicosis can still, for example, acquire heartworm. My advice is to do all you can to avoid pests and rely on natural preventives as much as possible.