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Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Albert Einstein

Fleas: Home Remedy

Almost every cat and dog will encounter ticks and fleas at some point in their life. Because of our pets' nature, they can easily acquire ectoparasites from their surroundings. Situations become problematic when ticks and fleas starts to increase in numbers causing itchiness, allergies, anemia and stress. Several diseases gain entry to cats and dogs with the help of ticks and fleas. Parasitic dermatitis, Lyme disease, Tapeworms, Bartonella, Erlichiosis and Meningoencephalitis are some of them. Some of them may even infect humans.


Ectoparasitic drugs and chemicals in forms of soaps, shampoos, powders, collars and topical solutions abound in the market which are effective, but expose your pets to toxic chemicals at the same time. Knowing the basic information about ticks and fleas and home remedies which are less costly may help keeping these bugs out for good.

FACTS ABOUT FLEAS



Fleas do not live only in your pets. They can live on any object in your house such as rugs, carpets, sofas and other household objects. A pair of fleas can produce 400-500 off-springs in their lifetime. Most of them are immature fleas or eggs. In fact,  in a typical room, 5 percent of the fleas will be found on pets, 10 percent flea cocoons in the carpets, 35 percent flea larvae and 50 percent flea eggs are found again in the carpets. If you ask why, the nature of the flea larvae prefers to live OUTSIDE the host and live in dusty areas, corners and crevices. They are so tiny, you would need a microscope to see their cute forms. Knowing these, do you think you can control fleas by only treating the dog or cat and not being consistent in doing so? 

Even those that are living in your pet are killed, the other flea population inside the house may easily jump back thus, giving pet owners persistent flea problem. That is why control and prevention of fleas should be directed not only to your pet, but also to your home. Fleas are also one of the best jumpers we have on earth. A flea can jump up to 8 inches high. That is 150 times its own height. A jumping flea carrying Dipylidium caninum accidentally ingested by humans introduces tapeworms! Proper household cleaning is important.

Flea Home Remedies 


1. Clean the house thoroughly-Vacuum carpets, Wash all rugs and make sure every corner of the house is cleaned thoroughly. Dilute a weak acid such as kitchen vinegar to water and use this to sweep floors and spray the carpets, furnitures, corners and crevices. Finish off by dusting salt on the carpets and rugs. Be consistent in cleaning and try to do this every other day.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar or weak cooking vinegar maybe used combined with water (50:50 dilution) and use it to towel bath your dog or used as spray while carefully avoiding the eyes.

3. Place a few drops of lavender on your pet's collar.

4. Mix a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the pet's drinking water.

5. Add a small amount of garlic on your pet's food

4. When shampooing your pet, allow it to stand for atleast 5 minutes before rinsing then apply solution no. 2.


 

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