Pest Management

Pests are inevitable. We don’t want them, of course, but they are an unavoidable part of pet guardianship. Overall, veterinarians are not going to be employing informed consent (communicating the reaction potential and adverse event possibility) for prescription pest medications.

All pets are individuals and will have differing experiences with pests. Therefore, it is best to use a multi-pronged approach involving internal and external methods in your efforts to create a non-toxic pest free environment for you and your pets.

What you need to know:

Pest medications have only been on the market since 2014
There is no education in veterinary school regarding alternatives to toxic pest medications and there is financial incentive to promote them.
Health issues related to their include but are not excluded to: diarrhea, vomiting, neurological collapse, organ failure, internal bleeding, seizures, permanent dry eye, unprovoked aggression, gut imbalances
Toxic pest medications include: Brevecto, Frontline, Comfortis, Heartgard, Interceptor, Iverhart, NexGard, Revolution, Simpatico
A healthy pet is unattractive to fleas and ticks
A few fleas on your pet is normal and unavoidable
Natural methods of pest elimination are effective
DO NOT use flea products containing rosemary if you dog has a history of seizures
always dilute essential oils with a carrier- (jojoba, mct oil, fractionated coconut)
pest poisons kill pests but they also poison your pet

Suggestions

Begin employing strategies a few weeks prior to your area’s most active flea season, usually early spring
feed a species appropriate diet - meaning fresh whole food raw or lightly cooled meals - feeding your dog what he is designed to eat means a healthier body - healthy animals are less attractive to pests
support a healthy microbiome with gut supportive foods & supplements - fermented vegetables, kefir, green food supplements (like 4LR Green Rover) soil based probiotics ( like 4LR Protect) and Adored Beast
add local bee pollen to meals
follow up flea, tick and heart worm preventatives with detoxification
use essential oil topicals intermittantly - essential oils are exceptionally potent and burden dogs’ olfactory system. A single inhalation can impart effectiveness. A single oil has numerous effects not all wanted.
use internal supplements that make your pet less desirable to pests
use ultrasonic repellent tags
treat your yard with natural oils that repel fleas and ticks
treat your outside yard and crevice between inside wall and floor with food grade (not industrial grade) diatomaceous earth
if flea preventatives are unavoidable, (e.g., your dog is suffering a flea allergy) use the safest options, use the lowest dose possible and give milk thistle 2 weeks prior
ask a holistic veterinarian for herbal and homeopathic protocols for internal parasite elimination such as tapeworm, whipworm and giardia