by Deborah Parkhill Mullis
Tiny bloodsucking fiends invading your pets and your property tend to bring thoughts of chemical warfare, not environmental friendliness. But is there a safer way to eliminate fleas, ticks and other pests from your pet and your life besides using toxic-pesticide potions?
South Charlotte worker and Wingate resident Carol Alcantara thinks so. She was using a common pharmaceutical formula for flea prevention as prescribed by her veterinarian but her 2-year-old Labrador retriever mix, Baby, became a feast for fleas all the same.
"I was miserable just watching her scratch. Then they started jumping on me and I really didn't like that. I didn't know which one of us to use the flea comb on," said Alcantara, who's originally from New York where hard winter freezes keep flea populations under control.
She tried another flea formula from Baby's veterinarian but that didn't work as well as the first, even though she was instructed to apply it more frequently. "I felt funny about putting so much pesticide on my dog, but I paid $57 for it and thought I should use it," she said.
Fleas were still bugging Baby when Alcantara accidentally found an alternative treatment while flipping through the book "Squeaky Green" by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowery. The authors recommend a solution of clove and eucalyptus oils to safely rid cats and dogs of fleas. With nothing to lose except fleas, Alcantara went shopping for essential oils.
She applied the oils to the inside of Baby's collar, between Baby's shoulder blades and sprinkled some on the sheets where Baby lays on the couch.
"It's not greasy so when it didn't stain the sheets, I started flinging it everywhere. It has a wonderful smell but the fleas apparently hate it because they started moving on after just a few days," she said.
Diana Daffin, owner of holistic pet shop Pawtique, 12206 Copper Way, Suite 136 in Ballantyne, isn't surprised by Baby's story. "We don't have any essential oils in the store right now," she said but agreed that clove and eucalyptus oils, as well as cedar wood oil, all can control fleas.
A couple of items Daffin has in stock are Organic Neem Spray and, for serious flea infestations, Organic Neem Dip. Neem comes from the Meliaceae tree in the Mahogany family. Native to Indonesia and East Africa, the tree is so recognized for its medicinal properties that it has nicknames like "Divine Tree," "Heal All," "Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all Diseases" from the various countries where it's found. "Both (products) are all natural and not toxic and can be used on cats, too," Daffin said.
Pawtique also carries food-grade diatomaceous earth which kills fleas by destroying their exoskeletons. A sedimentary rock made from fossilized remains of hard-shelled algae knows as diatoms, its abrasiveness makes it a mechanical insecticide that dehydrates bugs by scratching off their protective waxy coatings. It can be used safely on everything from lawns and gardens to carpets and upholstery. It even can be dusted directly on pets. Daffin said diatomaceous earth is so safe that it can be added to pet food as a de-wormer.
To kill indoor fleas, Daffin recommends leaving it on carpeting overnight and vacuuming it in the morning. Because of its abrasive quality, avoid inhaling diatomaceous earth by wearing a dust mask while spreading it, especially outside in windy conditions.
Atrium Animal Hospital, 6520 McMahon Drive in Charlotte, carries a flea and tick repellent spray by Quantum Herbal Products that is 100 percent natural. It also contains eucalyptus oil and neem in its list of ingredients. Atrium owner and veterinarian Kim Hombs said soaking a bandana in essential oils and wrapping it around your pet's neck is another technique pet owners can use.
"Essential oils need to be applied daily if there is daily exposure (to fleas or other insects)," she said, cautioning pet owners to apply essential oils to places pets can't reach in the same way as a pharmaceutical flea formula because neither treatment should be ingested. Hombs added that good nutrition and a healthy immune system go a long way to prevent flea problems.
The first thing Elizabeth Williams of The Natural Marketplace, 8206 Providence Road, Suite 1800 in The Arboretum, wants to know from owners of pets with flea problems is what they're feeding their pets. "You have to use quality feed," said Williams, who has a selection of high-quality pet food with human-grade ingredients.
Animals on a healthy diet are more resistant to disease and infections, she explained. When fleas hitch a ride on cats or dogs with a good nutritional foundation, those pets are far less likely to end up with an infestation.
The store also carries garlic and brewers yeast tablets for dogs which will make them less attractive to fleas and ticks if they eat several a day. However, nothing works as well as keeping your dog and yard clean and watching what your pets eat, Williams said.
This story was published in South Charlotte Weekly.
