Ask yourself this question; is there a way to stop my pet's misery, biting and scratching caused by fleas without using expensive pills, sprays or dips? Of course there is.
You probably already know this but pet medicine, like medicine for humans, is a high margin item and extremely important to the profits of veterinarians and pet supply stores. What you might not know is that pet medicine, again like human medicine, often times has side effects that are just as bad as or worse than the condition they are supposed to treat.
What would you rather do? Spend $42.99 for a 3 month supply of Front Line full of toxic chemicals; or go to your local grocery or health food store and get a 6 month supply of natural flea remedy for less than $20.
I thought so.
Me too.
We love our pets and treat them as members of the family. We can't stand to see them suffer in any way. We've been taught that vets are always right when it comes to keeping our pets healthy. However, you have to remember that vets are in business and like all businesses they want to make as much as they can. Pets with flea problems are very common and are a great opportunity for the vet or pet store to make a buck or two.
So what goes into making a home flea remedy?
If your dog or cat already has fleas then try whipping up this herbal powder.
Go to a health store and get as many of these herbs as you can; eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel, yellow dock, wormwood, and rue. Mix them using one part each of the herbs. If you have an old parsley spice bottle that has holes in the cap, or even an old Parmesan cheese container, pour the mixture in and use the bottle as the applicator.
Powder your pet using your hand or a comb to work the mixture down to the skin. Pay particular attention to the butt, neck, ears and belly. A special note here! This mixture will not kill fleas but it will aggravate them to the point that they jump off your pet. Obviously it's best that you apply this powder outside so you don't have fleas jumping off the pet and onto the carpet. Give it an hour or so to work then you can let the pet back inside.
Here's another tip that works from the inside out. Garlic, which is good for everything from high blood pressure to warding off colon cancer, also works as a flea repellent. Who knew? Fleas are blood suckers and they find garlic in the bloodstream displeasing and leave. What's the point of staying on the animal if you can't feed?
You can put some crushed garlic in your pet's food or you can get garlic tablets and use them as a treat. If you have fleas in the house, do them in with Borax. Seriously. One year we called Flea Busters to do all of our carpets because the problem was so bad. When I asked the technician what kind of powder he was putting on my carpet he said Borax. I said you're kidding. He said nope.
So you sprinkle the borax on your carpet and then take a garden rake and thoroughly rake the powder into your rug. Leave it for 90 minutes and then vacuum thoroughly. If you have a vacuum bag, get rid of it. If you have a collection container, take it outside and dump it. Don't let the super fleas who survived a chance to get back in your house.
If you are like me you probably would rather use natural methods of ending your pet's flea problem rather than chemicals. I also like the idea that I didn't spend a ton of money. Natural flea cures are just one example of how you can control your pet's health and avoid unnecessary expense.
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