How and why to prevent and treat fleas and ticks in a non toxic and less expensive way...
Each year hundreds of animals are killed YES KILLED because their owners who are only trying to protect their pets use toxic topical pesticides to control fleas and ticks. These products purchased from their vet or the same products through other outlets or worse other even more dangerous brands sold at discount stores. There are no prescriptions required for these products and they are killing hundreds and injuring thousands and thousands more. This is not my opinion this is FACT. Check the EPA's warnings, RESEARCH PEOPLE don't just do it because anyone says so.
I am not saying or even suggesting that your vet is selling you poison. They are selling products that is supposed to be safe. Research will tell you that these products are safe. Company reps provide this research to vets when selling a new product. Please do your own research about flea and tick prevention.
We feel so strongly about the use of these poisons that we refuse to adopt to people that insist on using them. We do not care that your vet said is safe, it's plain and simple if you must use toxic pesticides on your animals PLEASE seek adoption elsewhere. WE CAN AND WILL REMOVE ANY BOSTON ADOPTED FROM ODBTR FROM ANY ADOPTIVE HOME IF WE FIND PROOF THAT YOU'RE USING THESE POISONS ON DOGS YOU ADOPT FROM US.
PLEASE adopt from people without these regulations if you feel the need to use poison on your animals.
When you adopt from us you sign an agreement stating that you will not use topical flea and tick control products. We don't pour hard to come by money into taking care of these dogs and getting them healthy enough to adopt so the people we adopt to can play roulette with their lives by using poison on them. Ok so it's only a few hundred animals that die, seems like pretty good odds UNTIL YOUR DOG OR CAT is DEAD or develops one of many immune system problems they can cause. It's just not worth the risk when safe methods for flea and tick control are not only safer they are hundreds of dollars cheaper. Hummm Less expensive and safer for pets and your family. IT"S A WIN WIN HERE PEOPLE!
Each year hundreds of animals are killed YES KILLED because their owners who are only trying to protect their pets use toxic topical pesticides to control fleas and ticks. These products purchased from their vet or the same products through other outlets or worse other even more dangerous brands sold at discount stores. There are no prescriptions required for these products and they are killing hundreds and injuring thousands and thousands more. This is not my opinion this is FACT. Check the EPA's warnings, RESEARCH PEOPLE don't just do it because anyone says so.
I am not saying or even suggesting that your vet is selling you poison. They are selling products that is supposed to be safe. Research will tell you that these products are safe. Company reps provide this research to vets when selling a new product. Please do your own research about flea and tick prevention.
We feel so strongly about the use of these poisons that we refuse to adopt to people that insist on using them. We do not care that your vet said is safe, it's plain and simple if you must use toxic pesticides on your animals PLEASE seek adoption elsewhere. WE CAN AND WILL REMOVE ANY BOSTON ADOPTED FROM ODBTR FROM ANY ADOPTIVE HOME IF WE FIND PROOF THAT YOU'RE USING THESE POISONS ON DOGS YOU ADOPT FROM US.
PLEASE adopt from people without these regulations if you feel the need to use poison on your animals.
When you adopt from us you sign an agreement stating that you will not use topical flea and tick control products. We don't pour hard to come by money into taking care of these dogs and getting them healthy enough to adopt so the people we adopt to can play roulette with their lives by using poison on them. Ok so it's only a few hundred animals that die, seems like pretty good odds UNTIL YOUR DOG OR CAT is DEAD or develops one of many immune system problems they can cause. It's just not worth the risk when safe methods for flea and tick control are not only safer they are hundreds of dollars cheaper. Hummm Less expensive and safer for pets and your family. IT"S A WIN WIN HERE PEOPLE!
What we recommend
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If you see a flea, give your dog a bath.
Any soap will do, but we don't recommend dish soap or highly perfumed animal shampoos. We like John Paul Pets and Paul Mitchell's animal care line. There are a few organic options with neem oil, which we like as well. Neem will not only kill fleas and ticks, but it prevents/repels them. |
Tick issues?
If you have ticks in your area, Lyme shots cost around $16 and it's a series of two shots for a few weeks, then once a year. If you plan on traveling through wooded areas, camping or know you'll be in a place with ticks, mix one part neem oil with five parts water. It helps to repel fleas, flies, ticks and gnats. Undiluted neem oil kills ear mites and can help with mange. |
Flea and Tick Recipes anyone can follow :)
Homemade Flea Powder Recipe:
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and put in a shaker top container. I used a mason jar with a shaker top lid (I got my mason jar shaker top lid at Christmas Tree Shop, but you could make your own by drilling holes in a regular mason jar lid).
Apply from head to tail along your pets spine in dry conditions. Brush your pets fur going the opposite direction so the powder comes in contact with the skin. Avoid the eyes and nose. Rub the powder on the belly and legs. Try to get the flea powder on as much skin as you can.
Brushing the fur in the opposite direction and applying the flea powder with a cosmetic puff works really well. Please pay extra attention to the tail, the area right above the tail and the belly/groin area so.
How often to apply flea powder? To use this as a general repellent (not a serious flea infestation), applying once a month during active flea season (end of spring/summer) is sufficient. If the pet gets a bath or gets wet, it will need to be reapplied.
Homemade Flea, Tick and Mite Control with Soap Spray
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and shake well. Shake before using and mist yourself and your furry family members before heading to areas that may have pest.
Homemade Flea, Tick and Mite Control with Oils Spray
Directions:
Place the oils into a small (8 oz or less) spray bottle and add water until the mixture takes up about 3/4 of the bottle. Shake before using and mist yourself and your furry family members before heading to areas that may have pest.
That makes a nice spray to repel flees flies, mosquito's and ticks. Although it's not great for brown deer ticks it will help repel them but not kill them. You can use this and any of the mixtures without soap in them on your carpets, furniture and dog beds. They work on your garden plants as well. Rinse them from any edible plants. In the amounts mentioned they are safe but could be irritating to some if ingested.
- 1 cup food grade Diatomaceous Earth
- 1/2 cup Neem Powder (can purchase on Amazon, please use AmazonSmile to support us!)
- 1/2 cup Yarrow powder
- 20 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil (leave out the essential oil if using on cats)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and put in a shaker top container. I used a mason jar with a shaker top lid (I got my mason jar shaker top lid at Christmas Tree Shop, but you could make your own by drilling holes in a regular mason jar lid).
Apply from head to tail along your pets spine in dry conditions. Brush your pets fur going the opposite direction so the powder comes in contact with the skin. Avoid the eyes and nose. Rub the powder on the belly and legs. Try to get the flea powder on as much skin as you can.
Brushing the fur in the opposite direction and applying the flea powder with a cosmetic puff works really well. Please pay extra attention to the tail, the area right above the tail and the belly/groin area so.
How often to apply flea powder? To use this as a general repellent (not a serious flea infestation), applying once a month during active flea season (end of spring/summer) is sufficient. If the pet gets a bath or gets wet, it will need to be reapplied.
Homemade Flea, Tick and Mite Control with Soap Spray
- 2 oz Neem Oil
- 1/4 oz Soap (Dr. Bronners almond or John Paul Pets)
- 1 quart of warm water
- A few drops of Citronella oil, western cedar oil and peppermint oil (optional)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and shake well. Shake before using and mist yourself and your furry family members before heading to areas that may have pest.
Homemade Flea, Tick and Mite Control with Oils Spray
- 1 tsp Neem Oil
- 10 drops of Lavender
- 10 drops of Peppermint
- 10 drops of Eucalyptus
- 10 drops of Western Cedar
Directions:
Place the oils into a small (8 oz or less) spray bottle and add water until the mixture takes up about 3/4 of the bottle. Shake before using and mist yourself and your furry family members before heading to areas that may have pest.
That makes a nice spray to repel flees flies, mosquito's and ticks. Although it's not great for brown deer ticks it will help repel them but not kill them. You can use this and any of the mixtures without soap in them on your carpets, furniture and dog beds. They work on your garden plants as well. Rinse them from any edible plants. In the amounts mentioned they are safe but could be irritating to some if ingested.
Preventing fleas and ticks in your yard
Beneficial nematodes
Beneficial nematodes are your new best friend. We treat our entire ten acres for less than the cost of oral, topical or any flea/tick collar vets sell. We have a pack of 4 Boston Terriers and a clowder of 3 cats of various breeds/mixes. The cost for vet sold products for fleas and ticks was well over $700 per year for our Boston's and cats. That didn't include our cows, goats, donkeys and other barn family. We spent just under that $700 to treat our entire ten acres. The coverage last up to ten years depending on where you live. We live in the mid-Atlantic and it last 7 years on average here. That's almost 5K in savings over seven years. People who don't live on little farms like we do will save just as much if not more than we do, depending on how many furry family you have and the size of your yard.
We buy our beneficial nematodes from Arbico Organics. We do not receive anything for recommending them to people. I'm a researcher and bargain shopper and their prices beat pretty much everyone else. If you have a small yard Amazon has beneficial nematodes for a reasonable price. Make sure they are the right nematodes. We not only have no fleas or ticks we have no fire ants and a list of other harmful insects. Beneficial insects like honey bees,bumble bees,ladybugs, praying mantis or any other welcome incects.
Do your research. Arbico Organics has detailed list of which nematode is needed for what pest. Even if you don't buy there they are a valuable resource. If you choose to buy on Amazon please consider using this link, we receive a percentage of each purchase when Old Dominion Boston Terrier is your charity of choice.
smile.amazon.com/ch/20-0445271
Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic, non-segmented roundworms that occur naturally in soil throughout the world. Inside the nematode's gut is the real weapon — beneficial bacteria that when released inside an insect kill it within 24 to 48 hours. The nematodes enter the larvae via the mouth, anus, respiratory openings, or directly through the body wall of the pest. Next, nematodes eject their bacteria inside the pest's body. These bacteria multiply and cause blood poisoning of the pest, leading to death. They also convert host tissue into nutrition for the nematodes to feed on and multiply. As the food resources within the dead pest become scarce, nematodes exit the pest and immediately start searching for a new host.
Milky Spore Dust
(not the grains those have a short life) is available at home stores like Home Depot and Lowes dust your yard first one time then two years later again then every 5 to 10 years after that depending on your rainfall, also nematodes which you may have to buy on line will rid your yard of fleas and ticks and other pesky critters like mole crickets and harmful grubs and other things moles and voles find tasty. So they solve several problems. Nematodes and Milky Sport dust seem expensive at first and are to start but over the years they are many times cheaper. It cost about $200 an acre to treat the first time with both Milky Spore and the nematodes. The nematodes are a one time treatment since they reproduce, unless you live somewhere that stays below freezing for most of the year but then you probably don't have flea or tick issues if it does.
Diatomaceous Earth
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth will also kill the pesky pest and it can be given to your animals in their food provided it's food grade. Diatomaceous Earth is non-toxic. It's a safe substance made up of crushed fossils of freshwater organisms and marine life. It's deadly to insects, yet completely harmless to animals. The when the microscopically sharp edges contact the insect, parasite, or larvae it pierces their protective coating, causing them to dehydrate and die. It can be used to prevent worms in dogs (roundworms, whipworms, pinworms, and hookworms) within seven days of daily feeding. To be most effective, Diatomaceous Earth should be fed for at least 30 days to ensure that the cycle from eggs to worms are killed.
You can also use food grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) inside your home, along dog beds or in areas where fleas might be. You can also use it around the outside of your home to prevent bugs from getting in. A light dusting of DE amounts to about a teaspoon per 10 pounds of dog or cat weight is safe to put right on your dog. A teaspoon or so in their food will put an end to many intestinal worms as well.
The best way to use DE is in combination with essential oils and NEEM oil. I prefer a holistic spray without DE. The recipes for the spray or rub and powder is below.
Beneficial nematodes are your new best friend. We treat our entire ten acres for less than the cost of oral, topical or any flea/tick collar vets sell. We have a pack of 4 Boston Terriers and a clowder of 3 cats of various breeds/mixes. The cost for vet sold products for fleas and ticks was well over $700 per year for our Boston's and cats. That didn't include our cows, goats, donkeys and other barn family. We spent just under that $700 to treat our entire ten acres. The coverage last up to ten years depending on where you live. We live in the mid-Atlantic and it last 7 years on average here. That's almost 5K in savings over seven years. People who don't live on little farms like we do will save just as much if not more than we do, depending on how many furry family you have and the size of your yard.
We buy our beneficial nematodes from Arbico Organics. We do not receive anything for recommending them to people. I'm a researcher and bargain shopper and their prices beat pretty much everyone else. If you have a small yard Amazon has beneficial nematodes for a reasonable price. Make sure they are the right nematodes. We not only have no fleas or ticks we have no fire ants and a list of other harmful insects. Beneficial insects like honey bees,bumble bees,ladybugs, praying mantis or any other welcome incects.
Do your research. Arbico Organics has detailed list of which nematode is needed for what pest. Even if you don't buy there they are a valuable resource. If you choose to buy on Amazon please consider using this link, we receive a percentage of each purchase when Old Dominion Boston Terrier is your charity of choice.
smile.amazon.com/ch/20-0445271
Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic, non-segmented roundworms that occur naturally in soil throughout the world. Inside the nematode's gut is the real weapon — beneficial bacteria that when released inside an insect kill it within 24 to 48 hours. The nematodes enter the larvae via the mouth, anus, respiratory openings, or directly through the body wall of the pest. Next, nematodes eject their bacteria inside the pest's body. These bacteria multiply and cause blood poisoning of the pest, leading to death. They also convert host tissue into nutrition for the nematodes to feed on and multiply. As the food resources within the dead pest become scarce, nematodes exit the pest and immediately start searching for a new host.
Milky Spore Dust
(not the grains those have a short life) is available at home stores like Home Depot and Lowes dust your yard first one time then two years later again then every 5 to 10 years after that depending on your rainfall, also nematodes which you may have to buy on line will rid your yard of fleas and ticks and other pesky critters like mole crickets and harmful grubs and other things moles and voles find tasty. So they solve several problems. Nematodes and Milky Sport dust seem expensive at first and are to start but over the years they are many times cheaper. It cost about $200 an acre to treat the first time with both Milky Spore and the nematodes. The nematodes are a one time treatment since they reproduce, unless you live somewhere that stays below freezing for most of the year but then you probably don't have flea or tick issues if it does.
Diatomaceous Earth
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth will also kill the pesky pest and it can be given to your animals in their food provided it's food grade. Diatomaceous Earth is non-toxic. It's a safe substance made up of crushed fossils of freshwater organisms and marine life. It's deadly to insects, yet completely harmless to animals. The when the microscopically sharp edges contact the insect, parasite, or larvae it pierces their protective coating, causing them to dehydrate and die. It can be used to prevent worms in dogs (roundworms, whipworms, pinworms, and hookworms) within seven days of daily feeding. To be most effective, Diatomaceous Earth should be fed for at least 30 days to ensure that the cycle from eggs to worms are killed.
You can also use food grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) inside your home, along dog beds or in areas where fleas might be. You can also use it around the outside of your home to prevent bugs from getting in. A light dusting of DE amounts to about a teaspoon per 10 pounds of dog or cat weight is safe to put right on your dog. A teaspoon or so in their food will put an end to many intestinal worms as well.
The best way to use DE is in combination with essential oils and NEEM oil. I prefer a holistic spray without DE. The recipes for the spray or rub and powder is below.
