Think about the coyote or fox in the wild. If they were covered with fleas or ticks,
they would be anemic or with dermatitis from scratching incessantly.
One reason they can co-exist with such pests is their diet. They eat raw food with
no refined carbohydrates. They taste bad to insects.
Another reason is they have a strong immune system.
Cooked or Raw Food as Prevention
After I stopped feeding kibble and began preparing food for my dogs, I noticed that they didn't have fleas
any more! But,
while relocating to Oregon from Washington, my dogs and I spent a lot of time traveling
between states. The traveling stressed our immune systems:
1. We all had high levels of aluminum in our body collected from our last house in Washington. This is
the reason why I became interested in hair mineral analysis and detox.
2. Although my dogs like to travel, feeding times went out the door and one of them became more
"finicky" and was also releasing toxic levels of aluminum.
2. We stayed at a rental home with neighborhood cats everywhere (to the joy of my dogs for giving
them something to chase).
4. Fleas, that unknowing to me, came with us from the rental house and multiplied and multiplied
while we were gone. We were overrun with them when we moved in.
I used the repellents listed below, but I have to admit, I needed to do EVERYTHING I could think of
to rid the fleas without having to hire an exterminator.
Natural Flea Repellent
Mix the following (recommended by my holistic veterinarian, Dr. Donna Kelleher) and have your dog
smell the blend before you use it. DON'T use it if your dog doesn't like the smell.
These oils are potent,
so let your dog smell them from about the same distance away from their nose to where their collar is
on their neck. Then place a couple of drops on their collar, NOT on their skin.
4 drops of cedarwood oil
5 drops of eucalyptus oil
5 drops lavender oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Aromatherapist and veterinarian, Janet Roark, collaborated with Eric Zielinski, DC in his book "The
Healing Power of Essential Oils" on a chapter dedicated to pets. Here is her flea and tick repellant that
can be sprayed and rubbed into a dog or cat's coat. Remember to let your pet smell the blend first.
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop grapefruit essential oil
1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop lemongrass essential oil
Combine the oils in an 8-ounce glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake
to mix. Shake well before each use. Spray on your pet's coat, before heading outside, taking
care to avoid the face.
For more information on essential oils, you may consider obtaining "ADRII, The Animal Desk Reference,
Essential Oils for Animals" by Melissa Shelton, DVM.
Thiamine
Ever wonder why some people get bit by fleas or mosquitos and others don't? "B" vitamins,
especially vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiencies make people and pets more "tasty".
Noni Fruit Leather
A veterinarian from Hawaii has used this fruit leather as a treat for dogs to keep fleas and ticks off pets
on the Big Island. It has a high ORAC value, meaning it is a powerful antioxidant. Islanders have many
different uses for the Noni fruit
2" square of fruit leather chopped up in food or given as a treat
Tick Repellent
As with fleas, the trick is not having ticks bite you. I recommend the same steps for flea repellent.
The following is what to do when you find a tick on your pet:
Eucalyptus oil is handy to have in your first aid kit.
If you see a tick on your dog, put some oil on a cotton swab and rub the tick with it. Go slow and
rub all around the tick. It will release its hold on your dog and you can easily pull it off.
Clean the area of the bite.
The homeopathic remedy Ledum is recommended for puncture wounds and in particular to counteract
tick-borne diseases (from the Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs). Give Ledum 30C
once after the removal of a tick and for general prevention, give every 5-7 days during tick season.
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