What it takes to deflea without toxins

March 1, 9:31 PMDenver Alternative Pet Medicine ExaminerMeg Wittenmyer

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According to Deborah Straw, author of Why Is Cancer Killing Our Pets, some commercial flea treatments can be carcinogenic, if not downright toxic. There are numerous ways to treat a flea infestation that do NOT include deadly chemicals.

One of the most common and probably least expensive is diatomaceous earth. The same substance you use to get rid of ants around your house. DE is a fine white powder made from the ground up remains of diatoms. The edges of each grain of powder are so sharp that they make tiny cuts in the hard exoskeleton of any insect upon contact, causing the insect to dehydrate and die within a matter of hours. Since the action is physical, insects don’t build up a resistance. It is good to remember that fleas do not live only on your pet. They're in your home, including the animal's bedding. All must be treated if any of it is to work.

If your flea problem originates outside in your backyard, a great natural deterent is, believe it or not, nematodes. They love flea larvae and cocoons. 

Garlic is an old standby

The old standby we've all probably heard about is garlic, but did you also know that sulfur, given once a week, will do the trick?  Black Walnut Hulls ground in capsules, which are available from most health food stores, work on fleas, as well as ticks and mosquitos (which we don't have to deal with much here, fortunately, but you never know where you'll be traveling with your pet). 

Folk remedies for the treatment and prevention of fleas have always included ingredients found in nature. But one should always be careful of dosage, as 'natural' does not mean a remedy can't be lethal with improper use. As always, don't forget to do your research.

And finally, the basis for prevention of just about any kind of parasite and most illnesses... diet.  A healthy dog or cat who is provided with a good mineral/trace element supplement is not going to be attractive to worms, fleas or anything else. His or her immune system will be powerful enough to repel the little critters back to the earth. Of course, even I wouldn't trust just that, although fanatical advocates of a raw diet will tell you it's the cure to everything. Yes, I feed a raw diet, but I like to cover my bases in all things regarding the health of my furkids.

Black Walnut

Credit to these sites:

Vitality Magazine
Natural Vet for Pets  
Earth Clinic Folk Remedies  

Do you use an alternative therapy on your dog, cat or horse and think we should write about it? Know someone who is an alternative medicine practitioner/therapist? We'd love to profile them.