Flea + Tick Season Must Haves!
Fleas and ticks are a nightmare to deal with, not to mention they make my skin crawl. You know when someone talks about bugs and you start phantom itching… on your pet, that itching and scratching is real, and it’s miserable. The good news is that fleas and ticks are very preventable and a few key products and high-quality nutrition can help prevent infestation!
Topicals
My two favorite topical products are Alzoo and Earth Animal Spot On, they apply on the back between the shoulder blades and provide one month of protection. They are safe, non-toxic, and formulated with essential oils.
Not to mention they are significantly cheaper than the common chemical topicals. Both brands have flea collars of all sizes for dogs and one size fits all for cats. If your pet has skin sensitivities, Earth Animal has an internal prevention product in the form of powders to put on your pet’s food; it doesn’t get much easier than that!
Sprays
Some of my all-time favorites are natural prevention sprays. I’ve used Cedarcide for years on my pets and myself too. It’s our go-to product in our house. For being non-toxic, it doesn’t lack in effectiveness, this spray kills adult fleas, eggs, and larvae on contact and continues to act as a repellant after application. Wondercide is another very effective option. These products are also safe for use inside the house if your pet does get fleas.
For my protocol, I apply Earth Animal spot-on once a month and add the Wondercide or Cedarcide spray when we go hiking or walking in tall grass. I also strongly encourage you to thoroughly check your pet’s body whenever they come home from a long walk or any extended time outside. This can be hard with thick-coated or long-haired dogs but catching a tick early is important. With my own fur babies, I do a rubdown to feel for any little bug bumps and check their ears, tummies, tushies, and paws for creepy crawlies.
My favorite tip for fleas and ticks is to make sure your pets' health is the first priority. The simple truth is that fleas and ticks are less attracted to healthy animals! Healthy starts with food first, if you’re not sure where to start, book a consult or send us an email.
You may be asking yourself “why shouldn’t I just use the common products like Frontline, Nexguard, or Bravecto?” While these products have been around for a very long time, that doesn’t equate to their safety. There are many reported and common side effects. The one thing that never sat right with me is that these are chemical pesticides that float around your pet’s bloodstream and are reapplied every month. They do not work to prevent fleas and ticks, they are only sometimes effective if your pet gets bit, only then, through your pet’s blood, do they kill the pest. There are even some anecdotal accounts of these products becoming less effective. My question is always "why risk the side effects when there are natural and more effective options?"
