SPRING IS COMING! - Danger and a Warning!!! - Let the Debate Begin, Again

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Read this article from http://www.alternet.org/ about pyrethroids, permethrin and deltamethrin, flea and tick products and their dangers to our pets:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/123420/pesticides_in_pet_pro...

Last Spring, Ginger had a reaction problem with Advanix and I have read some people had reactions to Frontline. There were even huge discussions here on DK about Frontline not working, last year.

So, what should we do about the fleas and ticks of Spring?

Here in NJ, I never have a problem with fleas but the ticks are awful. I have used Citronella Spray and Castor & Pollux's Play Dead Collars. They smell great and keep flies and mosquitos away, but the ticks laugh at the smell.

What is everyone's recommendations for tick control?

[2zw8n9vphfrc6]

If it wasnt for our so called "beliefs" lincoln possibly would have been put down yes thats right Cute lil rescue labradoodle known by many as a BAD dog, a aggressive dog, a dog that shouldnt be allowed children and strangers. But because of our beliefs and HOMEOPATHY AND SATZ method ( thanks to PK) you couldnt ask for a sweeter dog so gentle and loving who loooooves children. We werent for drugging him with narcotics, choking him, shocking him we were told by a trainer he should live the rest of his life with a shock collar etc. Guess we have a thing for taken those in that nobody wants.

So that is fine if some do not believe in this way of thinking BUT this IS the ONLY way that Lincoln has truly healed from the inside out something western medicine could never do. Im sure you know what their recomendation was!

Hopefully when we decide to rescue we can find someone with similar beliefs that allows us to take one in and treat him the same way ;)

As for those factory farmed animals fed grain they are also fed sick chicken parts etc all fed a bad diet. Run offs and such going into these farms are also From factory farms. A whole other eye opener.

Michele

[2zw8n9vphfrc6]

oh yes and as for Science .. That can be debated to as someones Belief then and not really fact.... Science and studies all depend on who is doing the study and of course who is PAYING them to do the study ;)

Annnd as for Lyme disease many times a "Dr" will state his patient is cured when they really are not.

have seen first hand lyme disease cured withOUT antiobiotics BUT wit Classical Homeopathy.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

We live in a fairly wooded area of NJ (our back yard has several huge trees). While in our yard as a young puppy (and he was perfectly healthy), Dexter got bit by a tick. We freaked and brought him to the vet. They put us on advantix and we haven't had any problems since. Of course if our dogs had bad reactions to it it would be a different story. Hope you find something that works. To me, the risk of lymes is enough to use advantix every month.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Thanks Les, I used Advantix but Ginger behaved as though I put a hot poker on her skin (she was very healthy, too). Jack and Cody didn't have a reaction, but her's was enough to make me stop using it. I read about something called diamaceuos earth awhile ago (not sure of spelling). I was wondering if anyone tried it. Supposedly you sprinkle it around the yard and the ticks can't cross it. I might do some more research. As I said previously, I am looking to try to keep the ticks out of my yard, as we are pretty good at tick checks and get off the dogs fast.

[2zw8n9vphfrc6]

OOOH yes Lynne while i stated im opting out here i do want to add that we also use this ( forgot to mention lol) however ONLY buy the food grade NOT the pool chemical type. There are even some "health/nature" powders you can find with food grade DE in it. Some even give it to their pet internally. When our yorkie had her time with fleas when she was covered at the pound we even made sure to sprinkle it under the baseboards all over the house, dust the beds and furniture EVERYTHING and then vacuumed it up but kept it around the baseboards. Remember though ONLY good grade!

Hope that helps.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Michele, have you tried the DE in the yard? I want to try to find something to keep the ticks out of the yard, before they onto the dogs or us.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The diatomaceous earth was one of the natural remedies recommended to me when we had the flea infestation. It did not work for us.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

In the yard or in the dog, Karen?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In the house, as Michele was saying, around the baseboards. I had never heard of ingesting it before.
I think it might possibly work better before you have the problem. Once they are in the house, you practically have to set off an atomic bomb to get rid of them. The DE might work better as a preventative, as you mentioned.

[1np1tlyyqzo7v]

I started off last year just using the natural stuff. Garlic & brewers yeast, different natural sprays. However, once we got fleas...it was Frontline and CapStar that cured it. It was quite a battle and I'll continue to use Frontline every 4-6 weeks May-November. I don't use anything in the winter or early spring.

We'll see how this year goes. I really wanted to go the natural route :o(

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Last year there was a sort of 'super' flea, I had read about it in several instances though must apologize that off the top of my head I cannot tell you what they were. We heard from many that what they had previously were using no longer worked. Makes you wonder, are the fleas getting more resilient, have the manufacturers changed anything? I may be way off but does anyone have knowledge of labeling on such products? Are there any exclusions with labeling on other pet products. I bring this up because knowing of the leniency with pet food ingredient labeling, I really do not know if it applies elsewhere within the industry. Anyone?

We do use flea topicals but our favorite 'natural' product is Human Grade Diatomaceous Earth. This is actually great for ALL parasites when ingested. And just to clarify ~ not as an insult, but as a safety measure ~ if you are not familiar with this remedy it is not the same Diatomaceous Earth used with your swimming pool. We sprinkle it right into their food at least once a week or so as well as using it externally.

All of that said I also want to pass along a very important safety warning for humans of doodles that may use various flea products and this is per first hand experience. As is sometimes the case when you have elementary age children at some point you may have a need to use products for headlice (did you ever notice the word seems to evoke a scratch?). It is not unusual for similar ingredients, ie. permethrin to be used in both products for headlice and products for fleas. On an occasion where it was advised my son have such a treatment despite the inability to locate any evidence that was purportedly present when he was examined, though not found when I watched we had a terrible experience. My son had an asthma attack and I suffered from a terrible allergic reaction in which it became difficult to breath and resulted in irritation and swelling to my mouth, tongue and throat. Upon reading the box it stated to consult a physician if you had asthma or allergies to ragweed ~ who would have thought? Later I did some internet investigating and found that in one instance this resulted in the death of a young girl who bathed her dog with flea shampoo. It was right on the box and I still never noted it because it would seem to carry no risk as pushed by every elementary school nurse as if tylenol for a fever. Another shining example of how we must rely upon ourselves for information collecting and not just reach for a product because a 'professional' told us to. I do apologize that my cautions seem to carry such length, the cliff notes are be alert to potential dangers immediate and otherwise to doodle and human family members when considering any treatment plan.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Dianne, I had read something like this awhile ago with products with permethrin in them. The above referenced article also mentions bad reactions to this product in dogs.

Have you tried the DE in the yard? I want to try to keep ticks from coming onto the property before they even get onto the dogs or us.