As a veterinarian in South Florida, I have see more than my share of flea
problems. I am very often asked what can be done naturally to eliminate flea
problems. What I am about to tell you will probably come as a shock. HEALTHY
PETS DO NOT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH FLEAS. Notice I said do not have
problems
not do not have any
. Fleas have co–existed with their
hosts for thousands of years. In nature, an animal such as a wolf can have some
fleas without a problem. If an animal is not optimally healthy, its immune
system is more likely to react improperly to the flea's bite and produce
symptoms of itching, eruptions, etc. The flea allergy
is an abnormal
response of the body to the flea. It has nothing to do with the flea, itself.
Otherwise, every animal bitten by the same flea would have a similar reaction
and that simply does not happen. I also find that healthy pets only attract a
few fleas. What this all means is that if your pet has a lot of fleas or is
oversensitive to them, there is a problem within the pet. The flea is just a
symptom. Think about this. A pet has too many fleas or is allergic
.
This means that it is not as healthy as it should be. How do we treat this
problem? Spray, bathe, dip, apply or give internally PESTICIDES. Does this make
any sense? Administering poison to an animal to make it healthier? While this
will often eliminate the symptom, it does nothing for the deeper health problem
the pet has.
What are the alternatives? First of all, we need to recognize that a deeper
problem exists. Once we have done that, we can begin to strengthen the pet's
system. We start by feeding a <-- nutrition-the-raw-truth -->natural
diet. I have had many clients tell me that after switching to a natural diet
that their flea problems disappeared without any other intervention. If diet
isn't enough, homeopathic treatment of the pet can resolve the problem.
There are some non–toxic methods of reducing the number of fleas on the pet
in order to provide some relief. The flea comb is a very good way of removing
fleas. It requires a little patience. Comb your pet after every walk, before
entering your house. Before taking your pet outside, you can apply one of the
products made of essential oils such as citronella, eucalyptus, etc. Use
according to directions. Some people find that diatomaceous earth is effective
as a flea powder
. Others find that garlic in the food or as a
supplement helps.
If the problem is very severe, there are some virtually non–toxic ways to
treat the environment to reduce the flea population. This gives the pet some
relief without poisoning the body further and allows us some time to get the
pet's health back on track. I like to use these two items. In the yard, I prefer
a biological control agent. There is a nematode (microscopic worm) that is
applied to your lawn with a simple garden sprayer. The worms develop, feed on
and kill immature fleas. When the food supply is exhausted, the worms die. This
product is non–toxic to the environment and animal life. For the indoor
environment, I usually recommend a borax type product. There are a number of
these available specifically for flea treatment and I find they are very
effective. Use a product specifically designed for this purpose and follow
directions.
While all of this is more time consuming that simply giving your pet a pill
or putting a few drops on the skin, it is safe and will actually improve the
overall health of your pet. Generally, as the pet gets healthier, most of these
procedures can be eliminated. All too many times we have heard how safe some new
medication is only to have the truth come out years later. Please consider what
I have said today before resorting to some pill, drop or pesticide program for
your pet.
- Russell Swift, DVM, Classical Homeopath