Like other holistic health care approaches, we need to try to look at the flea issue differently. It's not holistic to just switch to an herb from a chemical to attempt to kill all the fleas. We do not just address the symptoms that the fleas cause (itching), but to get to the cause of the allergic reaction that the flea bite stimulates in a vulnerable pet. Fleas, like all parasites, prey on the weak, sick, and malnourished. An animal infested with fleas is an unhealthy animal and we must ask ourselves why are the fleas bothering the them in the first place, rather than solely focusing on the elimination of the fleas. Holistic therapy does not begin with shampoos, coat dips, rinses, or sprays; it begins by strengthening the animal and making their home less hospitable to the fleas. It means getting your pet healthy enough, with a healthy coat and properly functioning immune defenses, so that fleas will cause no allergic reaction in him (itching) and ultimately the fleas will have no interest in him. The real key is a good, nutritional diet.

To a your pet's nutritional diet, you can add garlic and brewers yeast with Vit B. These exude odors or tastes that discourage fleas. Add a clove of garlic or 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic to your pets meal. Add 1 tablespoon of brewer's yeast (1/2 Tbls. for small dogs and cats) to your pets daily meals. Every two days, sprinkle brewer's yeast on their coats and work it in with your hands. This dose not kill the fleas, it just makes them want to leave, so make sure to let your dog outside and give the house a good vacuum.

Other additions to your pet's diet that could be burdock root, dandelion, and red clover. These serve as useful dietary adjuncts by helping the body eliminate waste and allowing natural defense systems to work more freely in coping with fleabites. Nettle may be sprinkled onto your pet's food to lend nutritive support and a mild antihistamine action that may reduce the severity of an allergic reaction. Giving 1/2 -1 teaspoon of dried herb for each pound of food fed is a good starting dose.

To address fleas by external methods, your pet's living quarters can be sprinkled with diatomaceous earth (also called DE). For more info on DE, please click here. Vacuuming is a great way to keep down fleas.

You can look for herbal flea powders that contain garlic as well as various flea deterring herbs such as wormwood and pennyroyal. I make an herbal pillow stuffing for our dog and cats' beds, which helps discourage fleas (Note: The FDA does not allow the use of the word "repellant" on any natural insect "deterrents."). You can find the recipe for the pillows below.

Lately, I have used my Shoo-Fly Spray on our dog to aid in deterring fleas, ticks and bothersome flies when she is outside.

If your pet has a real infestation that needs to be taken care of right away, or if some of the nontoxic products you have tried just aren't working for you, there are some over-the-counter chemical treatments you can safely try. Look for products containing citrus based d-limonene, and herbal insecticide. If you have a real severe problem, I recommended Front Line. I do not recommend any other the other products that come in the small plastic vials, they are not all the same and some are down right dangerous. Frontline is a different chemical and the only one I recommenced (and it really works). If you look around on the Internet, you can find this product at a fairly low price (much lower than buying it from a vet).

Herbal Anti-Flea Pillows

Use this Anti-Flea Herb Mix in these various ways: 1) Make/Sew little pillows (8 "X 8" or so) stuffed with the following mix and place in the animals bed or sleeping area. The little pillow cannot be washed and you will have to replace it every couple of months. 2) If your pet has a cedar stuffed bed (cedar is a great flea deterrent). Stuff the bed with cedar chips and throw this herb mix in with the chips as you fill the bag. Change the entire filling of the bag every couple of months. Herbal Flea Deterrent Pillow Filling Recipe: mix together: 2 cups Pennyroyal* 1 cup Rosemary 1 cup Feverfew 1 cup Southernwood (if you can't find this, use Wormwood) * Do not let the animal eat this herbal mix. Pennyroyal should not be consumed. If there is a chance the animal will tear up the pillow, use peppermint instead of Pennyroyal, it will not be quite as effective, but will be safer.

• Vaccinations: A Word of Caution for Our Animals – Part I by Dr. Will Falconer, DVM (holistic)
• Vaccinations: A Word of Caution for Our Animals – Part II by Dr. Will Falconer, DVM (holistic)
• Web Link - They Shoot Horses but Vaccinate Dogs by Chrissie Mason B.R.C.P., Ph.D.
• Web Link - Vaccination in Animals - International Vaccination Newsletter
• Web Link - Vaccinations...Needed or Not?
• Web Link - Vaccines - Are They Safe for Your Dog? by Dee Blanco, DVM (holistic)
• Web Link - Are Vaccinations Necessary? by Dr. Charles Loops, DVM
• Web Link - Shirley's Wellness Cafe: Vaccines
• Books - Vaccine Guide for Dogs and Cats, What Every Pet Lover Should Know by Catherine J. M. Diodati
• Books - The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat by Martin Goldstein D.V.M. (holistic

Clumping clay kitty litters may be related to a wide variety of seemingly unrelated cat health problems, included diarrhea, frothy yellow vomiting, mega-bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney problems, respiratory problems, general failure to thrive, anemia, lethargy, and even death.

I, personally, had no idea that kitty litter could be dangerous, or cause any type of health problem but now, in hind sight, I believe that clumping kitty litter contributed to the death of our cat Woodpyle. Because of this, I would like to share with you this information so you can be pre warned. We now use SweetScoop (kitty litter made from wheat) and it is great. Not only is it safe, it works better than the "classic" (and dangerous) clumping litters. It can be purchased at PetSmart, IGA grocery stores and Ingles (I purchase enough for 3 months every time I make the trek to Knoxville.) I found the "trick" to using this littler is making sure you have a real nice deep layer (3"-4"). I got rid of our standard sized litter pans and started using a approx. 15" wide X 20 " long X 12" tall Rubbermaid plastic storage container I found at Wal-Mart. It's the best littler box ever! It works really well, especially with three cats.

For more information about clumping clay kitty litter, please read this article and see the related pages listed at the end of this article.
(linked with permission)

Mange is a skin disease of mammals caused by mites that burrow under the top layers of skin that cases itching, hair loss, painful lesions, etc. This condition is difficult to get rid of.

All of the mange-causing mites have one thing in common: they are all opportunity seeking parasites that prefer a defenseless host. Therefore, prevention in the form of a well-balanced natural diet that provides immune system support should begin before an infection occurs. I recommend using Immune Support/Boost in conjunction with whatever other treatment you decide to try.

Here are a few things you can try:

• Tea Tree oil:

Wash the animal with gentle soap and water. Remove excess hair by clipping or shaving it off. Use a spray bottle to saturate the affected area with the following mixture of tea tree oil and water. Mix 1 Tbsp. of pure Tea Tree oil with 1 Cup water. When using the spray, shake the bottle vigorously and often. Saturate the area with this mixture and let stay on fo-15 minutes. Dry the animal with paper towels (throw out the towel after using).

For suborn areas, saturate a cotton ball with pure Tea Tree oil and apply to the area. Do this 2 times daily, for at least a week or until signs of mange are gone.

• Garlic:

Mites don't tolerate sulfur compounds, and garlic contains hundreds of them.

Ear Mite Oil:
(click here for information on how to purchase this oil already made)

• One part Mullein Infused Oil
• One part Garlic Infused Oil
• 10-20 drops of Vit. E oil for each 1 oz of garlic & mullein oil mixture

 

• Other Herbs to consider:

• Lavender, Yarrow, Oregon Grape and Licorice. Any of these herbs can be used in oils, salves, or ointments as well, or they can be made into a skin rise.