Holistic Kindness to Your Dog and The Planet
Chemical flea and tick preventatives and treatments are by their very design, toxins – toxins to the fleas and ticks but also toxins to your dog or cat, and some can cause severe skin reactions and can have a detrimental affect on their liver, which will affect their whole system. I prefer to use natural alternatives.
The most important and first thing to look at is that our animals have a good immune system, this is the best defence against both diseases and internal/external parasites – with the best quality species appropriate food, minimal or no toxins, minimal or no vaccinations, minimal or no chemical wormers, plenty of movement and mental interaction and of course love. Stress plays a huge part in bringing down the immune system so look to reduce stress as much as possible. To illustrate this, many years ago one of my two dogs had fleas and the other one didn’t, they both used the same beds and went the same places and ate the same food. The difference was that one dog was stressed (he was my fear-based people-aggressive dog) and the other one wasn’t. Rufus was covered in fleas but Polly never had any on her at all. It was challenging to get rid of them from Rufus because of his issues but there are ways when dogs are like this. I did succeed in getting rid of the fleas purely using natural means. And none of my dogs have had fleas since, or ticks.
Neem oil is the most wonderful oil for keeping fleas and ticks away and it will adversely affects their reproductive system. It is a cold pressed vegetable oil, relatively solid at normal (UK!) temperature but melts to liquid in the warmth. It smells very strongly – some like it, some really don’t. It is safe to use but should not to be applied topically as it is as it is just too sticky and thick unless you are prepared to bath your dog soon afterwards and the dog has been happy for you to apply it. Washing animal beds in a neem shampoo can be helpful…and washing animals in neem shampoo if they have fleas will help to kill them. Soap detergent will kill fleas. Neem diluted in a spray (great also for deterring flies on horses) with Apple Cider Vinegar, water, essential oils of Lemon and/or Orange (NOT for cats) with some neem or other shampoo as an emulsifier can help a great deal. Lemon and Orange oils contain limonene, which is an insecticide. I used this with Rufus but did not spray on him, I used it on the bedding and I would also spray well above him for it to mist down on him. He always stood and waited for the mist to arrive, his choice as he knew it would help. He had the option to walk away at any time. By the way, for cats make up the spray with a higher dilution of neem (more water/less neem) and NO essential oils.
Other oils that can be used are Peppermint, Lavender, Cedarwood, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Geranium.
It is very important to offer the oils each time to the dog before applying or spraying in their vicinity. Please respect and listen to your dog and watch for their responses. As an Animal PsycheAromaticist (self-selection essential oils) I know how to offer and what responses to look out for, if you need help with this please comment below or message me for advice. The oils can be harmful if the dog does not want to be near them. Essential oils are very, very concentrated. If there is skin irritation after using oils on the skin – then the oil needs a higher dilution (after the animal says ‘yes’ to the oil, or not to be used topically). Just because they are made from natural plants does not mean they are necessarily safe when used intrusively. If in doubt leave them out.
Diatomaceous Earth used in carpets will kill the fleas – leave on the carpet for a couple of days and vacuum up. Repeat if necessary. This also works on the dog or cat’s coat but they must not breathe it in and it must be human/food grade DE. There is also a neem powder which is effective and safe.
Amethyst is supposed to deter fleas, they don’t like the frequency of it. I used this in a bowl of water and I believe this helped as well.
I wish you a Spring and Summer free of fleas and ticks!
Scientific Research on Neem:
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/5.0067146
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007822
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096843281630004X
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866352
https://arpi.unipi.it/retrieve/handle/11568/750715/109513/750715.pdf (mosquitoes)
And a blog written by my Animal PsycheAromatica tutor and respected author, Nayana Morag of Essential Animals https://essentialanimals.com/essentials-oils-protect-against-fleas-ticks-and-other-unwelcome-guests/ which explains her use of neem and essential oils, and like me, stresses that the animal needs to choose and allow any topical application.