I use chemical flea-prevention products on my dog, and I feel bad about it.
When I lived in North Dakota, I never had to worry about fleas. (A benefit of brutally cold weather.)
But fleas are a year-round problem here in San Diego, so I want to start an truthful discussion about fleas.
There’s a lot of talk about natural flea prevention lately, and of course that’s a good thing. but what if those options aren’t possible?
Why I use chemical flea prevention on my pets
My method to flea prevention is to use the least amount of toxic chemicals as possible while keeping my animals flea free.
I use chemical flea-prevention products on my animals because:
Fleas are a big problem in my area.
I can’t use natural flea-prevention products because of allergies to the ingredients (cedarwood oil, peppermint oil, sage, thyme oil, etc.)
I typically purchase flea-prevention products through 1-800-PetMeds. The company recently gave me some store credit, and my last purchase included advantage for the cats and K9 Advantix for Ace.
What are the potential risks of chemical flea prevention products?
Chemical flea prevention products are made with insecticides. You know, like, toxic poisons. It’s not rocket science to figure out that these could be harmful, especially over the long term.
An active ingredients in Frontline is an insecticide called fipronil. An active ingredient in K9 Advantix is an insecticide called imidacloprid.
I’m not picking on these brands. I use them regularly on my pets. I just want pet owners to think thoroughly about whether these products are really required and how often they ought to be used.
Potential side effects are noted best on the packaging. For example, advantage and K9 Advantix list that the products could cause skin irritation or gastrointestinal issues.
I’ve never discovered these types of reactions from my pets.
Instead, I’m much more concerned about the potential toll these chemicals could take on my animals over time.
While it’s impossible to avoid all toxins (they’re pretty much everywhere), I believe we ought to do all we can to limit what our families and our animals are exposed to. Spot-on flea treatments are just one example.
Natural flea prevention options
I love that there are so numerous natural options available for flea prevention, and I recommend you go that route if possible, even though it’s not an option for me.
Topical products without the chemicals
There are monthly, topical flea prevention products without severe chemicals such as a brand called natural Defense. This is made with peppermint oil and other natural ingredients harmless to animals and humans but deadly to fleas and ticks, according to the company.
Natural sprays
1-800-PetMeds carries a natural anti-flea spray made with cedarwood oil and peppermint oil. The company says it’s safe to use this product in addition to spot-on treatments.
Food grade diatomaceous earth
This can be sprinkled over the pet’s bedding. It’s safe for humans and animals but kills fleas and ticks by drying them out. I’ve also sprinkled a combo of salt and baking soda into my carpets to potentially kill flea eggs. I can’t say whether it actually worked, but it didn’t hurt.
What if you have to use chemical flea prevention?
Sometimes we have no choice but to use chemical flea prevention products. If that’s the case, there are still ways we can limit the toxins our animals are exposed to overall.
Bijvoorbeeld:
If we have to give flea prevention and heartworm prevention, we don’t have to give them to the canine on the same day. We can spread them out. In some areas, dogs won’t even need heartworm prevention.
We can give our animals the minimum amount of flea prevention necessary for our area. possibly once every six weeks instead of every four.
We can rotate between natural products and chemical products, assuming the natural products are effective.
We can limit which vaccinations our animals receive so they only get the vaccines that are really necessary.
We can use natural cleaning products in the home whenever possible.
We can feed our dogs a raw diet or the healthiest diet we can afford.
Now I want to hear from you.
Do you use chemical flea-prevention products?