As we all become more aware of the damages being done to our environment, our pets, and ourselves by the prolonged use of pesticides, more and more people are looking for safe, natural ways of solving their flea problems.
Using products like Frontline or Advantage is the same as putting a spray like "Off" mosquito repellent on your hands.
Toxic! The fact is, the laws of nature dictate that what nature creates, nature controls, making natural methods of pest control far more effective and lasting than mankind's "quick fix" poisons.
It is important to realize, however, that there is no "silver bullet" whether natural or chemical that will eliminate your problems, and if it claims to, BEWARE.
Nothing you can drop on, spray on, strap on, or wash on your pet will magically keep the fleas off of him without long term repercussions.
The war on fleas can only be won safely by fighting on three battlegrounds: in your pet, on your pet, and in your pet's environment.
What does"in your pet" mean? It means that what you feed your pet makes a difference as to how attractive he is to fleas in the first place.
Why? Because according to the laws of nature, fleas have a job to do.
They are a parasite, and it is the job of the parasite to eliminate the weak and minimally healthy from the gene pool and the food chain.
Alive does not necessarily mean healthy.
Although any commercial pet food may keep your pet alive, maximum health doesn't generally come from by-products, chemical preservatives, 4D (dead, diseased, dying, and disabled) meats, peanut hulls, artificial coloring, and other waste materials from the human food and cosmetic industry which are routinely used in most commercial pet foods.
Read labels! Find natural foods using no chemical preservatives, no by-products, chelated minerals, whole grains, etc.
Many of these are available locally.
Remember too that natural does not mean hypo-allergenic, and if your pet has skin problems you need to be much more selective in your label reading.
Eliminate everything containing wheat, corn, soy, dairy and beef! As for on your pet, it is important to realize that pets with flea or skin problems need to be bathed frequently; at least monthly, but in general every week or every other week depending on the severity of the problem.
You need to be on the front line - getting those fleas under control.
A severe flea infestation over a prolonged period of time can cause flea anemia and ultimately death.
You have the advantage that today there are many good, natural products on the market.
A number of essential herbal oils provide repellent properties, aid in relieving itching and skin irritation, and conditioning for shiny, soft coats.
Fifteen such oils make up the product Critter Oil for example, which can be mixed with common household items to produce shampoo, spray, carpet powder, lawn spray and other items.
Sergeants Pet Products makes flea products that use a few natural herbal essences as well.
Natural, herbal products can also be safely applied to your own skin to repel insects while you work in the yard, go camping, etc.
The frequency and thoroughness of bathing your pet is probably the most important factor in killing fleas.
This is especially true when using natural products which, unlike poisons, kill fleas by breaking down the waxy, exterior skeleton.
In other words, they literally clean them to death! If your natural shampoo didn't work, it is probably because you failed to get your pet clean clear down to the skin and his own body oils acted as a shield for his fleas.
To eliminate this problem, Bathe your pet several times, and allow the last shampoo to sit on him for ten minutes or more before rinsing him thoroughly.
The final battleground is your pet's environment.
This includes both your house and your yard.
If you don't treat both thoroughly and routinely, you will never win the war.
There are far too many natural treatments to mention here, but one of the best is Diatomaceous Earth; the bleached form of this can be found as Pure DE Filter Powder in the swimming pool supply department.
Even better is the pure organic nutritional form which is safe enough to eat and acts as a natural intestinal worm preventative when taken internally.
It can also be put directly onto your pet's coat as a natural flea powder.
In case you're wondering, it is the ground up casings of small creatures, algae, called Diatoms from oceans and ancient dried up lake beds.
This product, spread lightly over the yard, takes about three weeks to do a clean out (as does any natural product) but will keep you flea free in a fenced in yard for 6 months to a year! There is also a non toxic lawn spray formula which will green up your grass, eliminate fungus on your palm and citrus trees, keep bugs out of your garden, and you won't even have a bug fly up when you mow.
It uses Critter Oil, dark beer and original blue Dawn dish washing liquid.
I'm serious! It works! Another fascinating natural yard treatment is one which applies small organisms called nematodes to the yard.
These in turn eat the flea larvae, thus breaking down the life cycle.
Once the larvae are gone, the nematodes themselves die.
The manufacturer recommends monthly treatments.
For inside your home, it is possible to build a "flea trap" out of common household items that is very effective, or a carpet powder made of Critter Oil, baking soda, salt, and Borax will keep your home flea free.
It is not possible to write everything in this brief article, but I hope that I have touched upon enough information to make each reader look more closely into natural methods.
By using these methods, my personal pets have been flea free for their entire lives.
Good food and weekly Critter Oil baths have done it all, and saved us fortunes in vet bills and chemical flea treatments like Advantage and Frontline.
Mother Nature works for free, and without harm to her children.
We need to start now to clean up the earth - it's the only home we have.
Fighting Fleas Naturallyby Susan R.
Griffin