Natural Flea and tick control

The thing I was most afraid of has happened...fleas!!! We were doing really well until I agreed to watch a friends dog for the weekend. Now all three are infested. As most of you know, who follow this blog, I have a dog with liver disease. That means any form of chemical control, either applied to the dogs, the house or the yard is not recommended. So what do you do when fleas invade your home and how do you prevent it from happening? Well, I hope I can address both! If you want to address all natural flea prevention, here are a few tips that were working quite well for us until the introduction of a dog riddled with the little pests. Fleas and mosquitoes hate a clean blood stream. Immunity support is crucial if you go with a non chemical approach. The best dog food your money can buy is crucial. Look for good protein and no grain dog foods. Never assume a dog food is good before reading the label. For more about selecting a good dog food, read here. Vitamins and herbs are necessary for this approach. See previous posts for amounts but all get a multi B/C blend, vitamin E and a garlic/ brewers yeast powder. All have tremendous effects on the heart and blood stream and allow the natural defenses against fleas, ticks and heartworm to do their best. In addition, I do the following. In their drinking water a put a capful of Black Walnut Tincture and a few drops of Wormwood Tincture (available at any health food store.) Both are essential for cleansing the blood and the dogs love it! If fleas are already an issue, bathe the dogs in Dawn. Start at the head and work your way down. Leave them soaped up for 5 to 10 minutes. I tie a leash to my soap stand so they can't evacuate. Rinse them and spray them with 2 1/2 cups of water mixed with oil of lavender and oil of cedarwood. Shake well to mix. Same spray can be used on rugs furniture and bedding. Flea combs are helpful too for day to day maintenance, but I can't even imagine using it on a thick or long coated dog. Very tight teeth and I have a hard enough time with my short coated dogs. At any rate, we have the fleas under control, but the dogs' skin are so aggravated, that we need to calm the bites. Hearing liquid aloe vera is good for this, so I will keep you posted!

Flea and Tick control for dogs with liver disease

Well it has been almost a year since my precious girl was diagnosed. She is doing beautifully. Switched her back to kibble. I am using Blue Buffalo or Dick Van Patton's white fish and sweet potato. She did show some kidney problems on the last blood test, but her urinalysis was clean. However, she finally got fleas. My fault! I agreed to watch a dog for the weekend and all the dog have fleas now. Here are some tricks to use. Sentry makes an organic flea spray and powder that you can use on the dog and the home. Available at Petsmart. It is called Natural Chemistry. Smells great and the active ingredients are cinnamon,clove and cedar oil. Bathe the dog on a weekly basis and keep them wet for 15 to 20 minutes...drowns the fleas. Wash all dog bedding on a weekly basis and spray all uphpolstered furniture and rugs. If you vaccuum, the bag must be pitched. Royal pain in the you know what, but if you love your dog enough to home cook it is doable. One step at a time is what I tell myself. Almost past flea season now, but some of us never get past it. Cider or white vinegar helps the skin. Brewers yeast and garlic, pill form, keeps the fleas off...mosquitos too. Oil of lavender will keep the bugs from infesting your furniture and rugs..smells nice too! Few tips to help you out. Now I must go and wash the dogs.