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Fleas and Ticks
(and Heartworms too)
As Spring comes on and the warmer weather creeps up, many of us start to worry about those tough, relentless little survivors we call fleas. When your dog (or cat)is not around, they will even eat each other to survive and wait for your dog to become it’s new host! These little parasites spend most of their time in their surroundings instead of the actual host (in places like your carpets, covers and any hidden crack). This is why just treating your dog will never work in battle against fleas. You must treat the surrounding environment as well as your pet, all of which can become a hard and long fight.
Jeffrey Levy, DVM - "Have you ever wondered why some dogs and cats have severe flea problems, while others are hardly bothered by the little pests? Fleas can be viewed as an indicator of an animal's general health. Parasites in general, and fleas in particular, are most attracted to the weak, unhealthy, or very young animal whose immune system is not functioning well. The long-term solution to a flea problem is to reduce your pet's susceptibility to fleas by improving his/her health."
In the conventional animal health industry, the fact that parasites (worms, heartworm, fleas, ticks, flies, giardia)
will attach themselves to a sick animal before they will attach to a healthy animal, is hardly ever made known to
the pet loving public however, we want you to know the facts.
People that have pets with fleas, skin problems, allergies, stomach problems and behavioral problems spend hundreds of dollars at the vet on flea prevention, antibiotics, steroids, tranquilizers, and other medication.
The sad but all too truthful fact is that antibiotics, steroids, and many other medications take a serious toll on the internal organs and immune systems of our pets. It becomes a never-ending circle of medication and sickness. Skin problems, allergies and flea infestations are often the obvious outward signs/symptoms of nutritional deficiency and toxic overload.
We are all bombarded with advertising to prevent fleas with toxic, lethal chemicals of all types and strengths for all sizes and breeds of dogs. You probably have been using some of these chemicals your vet has prescribed and sold to you. You may have even seen your dog go into an epileptic seizure almost immediately upon being administered one of the lethal chemicals sold to the unsuspecting public to "protect" their cherished little furry companion. There are some breeds that are actually killed when administered these chemical products are administerd to them.
You may be using these chemicals and maybe you are even troubled about it because your little pal's health has taken a turn for the worse. You aren't sure why, but if you look back at what you are using on your (or in it) to "prevent" fleas, ticks or heartworm, you might realize that your dog's health began to decline some time after a foreign matter was added to your dog's body. Be it a vaccination or be it a chemical to kill worms, ticks, fleas or protozoa, any time a chemical or something foreign to an animal is put into your dog's body, there WILL be a reaction. Most of the time the reaction will happen internally and you will not be aware of how detrimental this foreign matter is. Imagine how extremely lethal a chemical has to be if it is administered only once a month or once a season or the lable says not allow the pet to come into contact with your children or bedding!
Common Sense should tell us that if it is so dangerous that you have to wear gloves to administer it, must keep the pet AWAY from children or bedding that it has to be "bad news" not only for the fleas and ticks but to your poor dog whose blood stream these chemicals are now moving through.
Did you know that your dog's liver and kidneys are adversely affected by the use of flea collars, Topical drops, chemical de-wormers, heart worm drugs?
Other side effects, written right in the PDR (Physicians Daily Reference that detail every drug any of the pharmaceutical companies manufacture) and the Owners hand out sheets (that should be given to you at the time the chemicals are dispensed to you for your pet) include:
liver damage
kidney damage
hair loss
severe skin rashes
epileptic seizures
brain damage
instability in walking and many
more.
The toxic chemicals can, over time result in renal failure (kidney failure)and/or liver damage to the point of the liver becoming unable to filter the blood and in many cases, complete liver failure.
Contaminated blood circulating throughout the body day
after day will most definitely contribute to other more complicated health issues, such as diabetes and arthritis to name
two of the most common long term side effects.
The side effects from these toxic chemicals are so bad that in many cases, pets actually die within days of
receiving these lethal doses of chemicals prescribed to kill a little bitty parasite.
Question..........
Does your pet need to be poisoned just to kill a little parasite that could be removed without
any of these dangerous side effects listed above? Especially when it is a known fact that there are a
whole variety of God given remedies in nature; that were placed on this Earth by the Creator to keep His little
animals free of parasites if only "man" was intelligent enough to discover them.
Still people continue to use these drugs because they don't know there is a better, simpler, less expensive, SAFER way.
There are safe effective alternative for your dog!
You can do it all without chemicals!
NUTRITION
Good, proper nutrition can actually prevent disease. "Good nutrition can cure disease." Richard J. Holliday, DVM
Many more veterinarians (especially holitic vets) are beginning to be more aware of the role nutrition plays in health and are beginning to recommend to their clients a raw diet or a home prepared one with supplements and at the very least that owners begin to supplement their pets still on a processed pet food, to give a daily dose of Salmon oil, probiotcs and other nutrients for optimum health and vitality.
The food your animal eats should provide all of the nutritional components which are necessary for all organs and systems of a healthy body to perform in harmonious unison. A properly functioning body does an amazing job at preventing disease and healing itself, and to do this it requires the energies and nutrients of a species appropriate diet. In terms of finding the proper diet for our companions, this means learning to look beyond our own needs, opinions, and agendas to address the natural needs of the animals that we are responsible for.
Flea problems do not stem from the presence of fleas, but from health related and environmental circumstances which enable to fleas to thrive and reproduce. They are opportunists, preying on the weak and unhealthy. Dry flaky skin, constant shedding and a general susceptibility in the dog immune system provides the perfect environment.
If your dog is unhealthy, suffering from poor circulation, poor digestion, over-vaccination or food allergies, his ability to deal with and fight off fleas are decreased. A healthy dog eating a fresh, species specific diet and strong immune system will not be bothered by these pests.
One of the first things I recommend is researching and switching to a raw diet. (if you have an older or ill dog, a consultation is highly recommended) If a raw diet is not something you are willing to do at this time, then a home cooked diet with supplements is so much more healthy then feeding a processed pet food.
If cooking for your dog is also totally out of the question then there are only a very few foods I can recommend.
If feeding a processed food is the only way you will go, please, switch to an organic, grain free Kibble such as Rubicon Grain & Potato free, Ziwi Peak or Life's Abundance
Providing a fresh, grain free diet and proper supplementation will surely help your dog and avoid future flea infestations.
PROBIOTICS
Probiotics and digestive enzymes are highly recommended for flea sufferers. By assisting the transport of nutrients through the body and aiding in the breakdown and removal of waste products, probiotics and digestive-enzymes help alleviate the food-allergy problems found in many commercially fed dogs with flea problems.
Apple cider vinegar added to your pets water can also help. Others add B-complex vitamins, trace minerals and zinc and their dogs are never bothered by fleas.
Burdock root, dandelion root and red clover naturally eliminate waste which helps the immune system fight the flea bites. A low-alcohol tincture is best, squirted directly into your pets mouth or added to it’s water.
Bovine Colostrum is an all natural substance that contains transfer factors that work by "teaching" your pets (or your own) immune system to identify infectious agents that attack your body every day.
To keep a body healthy, the immune system must do three very important things each time your body comes in contact with a pathogen: First it must first recognize the pathogen as a threat to the body; second, it must then attack and kill off the threat; and third, it must remember that pathogen so that your body can rid itself quickly of it the next time it is attacked.
Essential Oils as Flea repellants
Plants produce essential oils as their own survival technique to repel bugs This makes essential oils great insect
repellents for animals (and humans, too). Essential oils are all natural, mild and will leave your dog’s coat healthy and
vibrant. For centuries, EO's have been used in a variety of ways to repel fleas, ticks and other biting insects. These oils
are nature's own God given repellants. They ward off unwanted hitchhikers. Some of the more common oils that act as flea
and insect repellants are citronella, cedar, eucalyptus, lemongrass, peppermint and lavender. Essential oils are naturally
designed to repel fleas and ticks without using potentially dangerous pesticides found in common insect repellents.
Essential oil formulations do need to be applied more frequently than synthetic pesticides, but the benefits far outweigh
the exposure to harsh chemical smells and toxic side effects. They are great for misting your dog's legs (and your own) any
time that you go out where fleas would be likely to be found. See more information and recipe for EO spray
Here
NOTE We only recommend using Young Living Essential oils
as they are scientifically tested to assure thier purity.
For A Listing of All Natural Products to aid in flea prevention, Click HERE
For severe itching and inflamed or red spots from flea bites, the herbs, licorice or yucca are both great as an anti-inflammatory aids. A
calendula flower or fresh rosemary rinse as well as aloe juice will promote healing and help fight the itching.
Dilute aloe juice with 4 parts water
and try adding a few drops of Young Living's lavender essential oil
CAUTION Some Essential Oils are not well tolerated by cats.
Please only use 100% pure, grade A essential oils (Young Living) and only in very small diluted amounts with the supervision of your
holistic Vet or Aromatherapist with cats.
Remember the flea spends 80% of his time in the surrounding environment, not on your dog or cat. Treat the area with
products containing Young Living oils of juniper, cedar, eucalyptus, Canadian fleabane, lavender, lemongrass or
citric oil. Canadian flea bane and citrus oil contain d-Limonene which kills fleas.
Diatoms workhorses as flea killers:
In certain sections of the United States and other parts of the world,there are glacial deposits that consist of diatoms that were prehistoric one-celled animals. When these diatoms are mined and ground into a fine powder, organic farmers have used this gift of Nature
to eliminate lice, worms of all sorts [including heart worms], mites, ants, spiders and other parasites from their chickens, ducks, pigeons, dogs, cattle, horses, goats and all their other farm animals as long as the
powder has been available to them.
Diatoms are one celled microscopic algae whose walls consist of two parts and contain a mineral called silica. Under a very strong microscope, diatoms have very sharp edges. When a flea, ant, spider, etc comes into contact with the remaining sharp edges of the diatoms, they lacerate the waxy exoskeleton of the bug and the powder DE (diatomaceous earth) absorbs the body fluids causing death by dehydration.
These sharp edges do not harm animals or humans.
When given internally it will ingested by any intestinal worms and it will cut the insides of the worm and it will die. So this is a great natural womer as well. Not to mention you are giving your dogs trace minerals to boot!
DE or Diatoms are approximately 3% magnesium, 85% silicon, 5% sodium, 2% iron and many other trace minerals such as titanium, boron, manganese, copper and zirconium.
So, at last, there is something a lot more healthy and beneficial that you can do for your dog to eliminate parasites. You can draw upon God's own pantry in nature and provide your beloved companion what the Creator has provided for centuries. Organic farmers have been using natural remedies such as Distoms/Diatomacous Earth to get rid of parasites for their pets and their livestock for years.
Eliminating the little, nutrition stealing parasites inside and outside of your dogs and other pets is critical for the health and well being of your animals.
Remember, fleas are a symptom. The key to dealing with parasites is to make your animal undesirable to them, and to take steps
to prevent an infestation. A healthy dog (or cat) should not be troubled by an occasional flea.
Again, there is no substitute for excellent wholesome nutrition, so make sure the nutrition is going to your animals, not the parasites.
Your Dog having a healthy immune system also applies to prevention of Heartworms.
* FOR MORE ON NATURAL HEARTWORM PREVENTIVE CLICK HERE
Copyright © 2006 - 2008 The Whole Dog, Whole Dog News Blog, Whole Dog Forums,
Dr Jeannie Thomason, All rights reserved.
No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. All the articles at The
Whole Dog.org. Whole Dog News.com and Whole Dog Forums have been researched and reviewed for accuracy. However, they are
not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a veterinarian or other qualified canine health professional.
The Whole Dog, Whole Dog News, Whole Dog Forums and Dr Jeannie Thomason does not assume any legal responsibility.
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