Flea, tick, fly and parasite control - is there another way??? - Page 1

After reading this thread  http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/208788.html my first concern is that fact that people seem to have a cavelier attitude about using multiple products in combination with each other. WARNING that can be a fast way to kill your animals! The combo's can produce toxic levels of chemicals in cats and dogs. Used to be a problem with people using flea spray and tick collars and dust and whatever else they could put their hands on. Animals have died from people throwing together these toxic products.

Secondly there is a lot of discussion about injury to the dogs from these products AND the fact that the fleas and ticks appear to be developing resistance to these products and yet I don't see real concern about either of these issues and the implications that they bring.

So you know my prejudice up front - I basically do not use these products ( I believe I did one time when my bitch while at someone else's property was exposed to a massive flea infestation and I did not want her bring that home accidently). I try to avoid them because to me it is not worth posioning my dog on a daily basis for what I see as a manageable problem - especially in regards to ticks. ( Sit down at the end of each day and go over the dog and remove any ticks. Has worked for generations. If there is an epidemic - a one time spray of the premises or short term use of a tick collar - after it has been 'aired' for 3 days) I don't know if any one else has had this experience but having lived in several different parts of the country I have noticed that local ticks all seem to have their own favorite "hot" spots that they migrate too. Back in N.E. it was often in the ear or in the armpit. Here they go mostly for the neck region. Hardly ever find them elsewhere. Perhaps related to difference in their habitat. Tall grass vs trees and high bushes.

The few times in my life faced with a flea invasion/explosion I was able to use powder/dust very effectively. The trick seems to be doing it every 7 days for 3-4 weeks to break the actual breeding cycle and making sure you covered the carpets, the wallboards etc. My concern is about the resistance that seems to be developing. These products are like antibiotics should ONLY be used in extreme need situations - not casually and not over used because the day will come soon that none of them will work and then what will you do?. You also have to remember we are not the only ones pumping them into the environment. The same or similiar products are used on farm animals (sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, chickens etc),. and probably on zoo animals and the like also. The cattle people have also noticed a resistance developing in ticks, flys and parasites to the routine use of such products. The solution by some of the smarter (imho) ones has been to stop using the products routinely and to select for resistance in their cattle to flies and worms ( yes Virginia it can be done. Barbados sheep have a natural worm resistance. Also read about Pharo Cattle). Others go a step further and encourage complimentary bio systems - for examples free roaming chickens that follow the cattle and eat the larvae out of the cow patties before it has a chance to hatch another generation. Side effect = eggs. Read about Joel Salatin. Fascinating fellow if you can ever get to hear him do so. Check with your local county extension office. Others encourge wild birds by building marten or owl boxes etc.

So the question is this. Are you really happy with products that up front can burn and damage your animals and long term produce who knows what kind of systemic damage? Is it worth a bit of your time to develop alternative systems that will be healthier for the dog (and probably you), for the environment and will help preserve the ability of these chemicals to be effective for the really bad situati

Someone -- I think it was MI GSD? -- recommended this Diatomaceous Earth in another thread.  I'm looking into it too.

.www.deliciousorganics.com/Products/DEarth.htm

Along with the DE there is an all natural product called cedarcide.  Its made from recycled cedar chips.  It does help repel most bugs.  I've been using the DE along with the cedarcide, and i havent had much problems.  It also seems to be repelling the mosquitos as well.  I havent seen as many mosquitos here like i do most summers. 

Hope this helps.

mark

The best strategy is prevention before problem's arise.

Keep area's clean, free of rodent's, keep brush cut back and unwanted animal's away from kennel's, including visiting dog's.

Worm only when test's show a need.    Red cedar does repel certain insect's but it needs to be kept fresh.

Fly tape is better than fly poison.  And remove anything that draw's flies and allow's them to reproduce.

Dusting bedding with sevin is not too bad, we used to let the chicken's dust in wood ash's that helped keep away mite's and some parasite's of poultry.

I guess keeping thing's clean is probably most useful.

Still sooner or later you'll need to use something thats not on the green list.    Thats life.

The widespread use of antibiotic's is probably the most dangerous threat.   In people as well as animals.

I dont see that problem being solved anytime soon.

I use natural things to prevent any unwanted critters. I have not had a tick, or any fly or mosquito on any of my dogs in almost 5 years.   Before my dogs leave the house in the morning to potty, they get a dab of vanilla(the real cooking kind, imitation works but not as long) on their nose and a drop on their rear. Keeps mosquitos, flys and etc away.  we as well put 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon of fresh water, each time we change it, several times daily this time of year, but when we dump it, we dump under a different bush in the yard, repels ticks great! Also safe and has other properties, no puppy zits, also reduced the oil build up on one of my previous females, she got big oil zits, and it reduced them to almost nothing. Since we dont have fleas, I am not sure if the above would keep them away too. Hope this helps someone.

Also for keeping cats off your property, if you are having one spraying or just annoying the dogs, moth balls keep them away. and the dogs never mess with them, they stink to bad. Since I live in a community where we have many feral cats and I dont want the mess and dont have a cat myself, and have kids and a sand box(cats, kids and sandboxes dont mix) I have one about every 2 feet around my yard. When it rains they dont disappear, last a good month or two in dry seasons.

k9dreamz,

You should visit the Hoosier National Forest in Southern Indiana sometime.

The tick's sell souvener's by the side of the road.

Flea's are more of a problem in the city's.

Brent.

"You should visit the Hoosier National Forest in Southern Indiana sometime.

The tick's sell souvener's by the side of the road."

LOL and he's not joking.  The ticks drove me out of southern Indiana.  I remember camping at the Hoosier National Forest when we were kids and it was an hour long ritual at night to pick ticks off of our heads.  In this part of MI we are lucky and don't have the tick problem.  The U.P. is loaded with them though!

I have also used DE and your are right you have to treat about every 7 days for it to really be effective.  My question is this?  What natural remedy can you use on a dog with flea allergies?  I have a dog that I have been battling with flea allergies, I do not want to subject him to cortizone or steriod injections, I have been searching and I can't really find anything for it.  Can anyone help?????  Please!!!

You could try www.theherbsplace.com  to see about your flea problem. I've never had a flea problem, but hope that site can help you out.  

 I've been using DE as well as nematodes, and black walnut hull for ticks, etc. It has been working really good for the dog's. I sprayed the nematodes down last summer b/c the ticks were so bad I was picking them off of me and the dog's, now I don't have any problems with them and I live in the woods.

Since owning a German Shepherd, (23 years), SKIN SO SOFT by Avon has been sprayed on the coats of my dogs, and it seems to do the trick for fleas, ticks and flys. I give the dogs'  the Heartguard Plus for heartworm. I would never forgive myself if my dogs' ever got heartworm.

Dawn