Fleas can be a miserable problem for pet owners to deal with. Not only are they uncomfortable for the cat or dog, they end up in the carpets and can bite humans. The bites, while not dangerous, itch a lot and are annoying for those who have them.
Preventing Fleas
Prevention is better than cure. Did you know that fleas go for pets (and people) with weak immune systems? They are less attracted to healthy, vibrant animals. The key to a healthy immune system is diet.
Diet
In the wild, big cats hunt for their prey and receive the very best raw nutrients. Companion animals rely on people and they are usually given commercial, canned pet foods. These are full of sugar, preservatives, residues from the dead animal (such as antibiotics and even phenobarbital, an agent used to euthanize pets).
Humans, like animals, often have a junk food diet with ready made dinners, canned food items and frozen food high in fats regularly put on the table. Now both humans and pets are suffering from the same health problems, including diabetes, hyperthyroidism, heart disease and cancer.
Giving a diet of raw, fresh meat, dairy (including raw eggs), wholegrains and fresh vegetables will improve the health of the animal and deter fleas. If time is limited, commercial pet foods can be supplemented by adding a bit of raw meat, raw egg or cottage cheese to the bowl. If using dry food, remember there are more preservatives in it and try to give something fresh and raw at least a few times a week.
Exercise and Grooming
Walk a dog every day. Make sure cats are let out of the house to roam. They become overweight, malnourished and have other health problems from not getting enough exercise and sunlight. Brush their hair with a flea comb regularly.
Flea Treatment
To get rid of fleas:
- Bath the pet with shampoo to kill fleas and brush them out with a flea comb.
- Fleas lay their eggs in carpets so they will have to be vacuumed on the highest suction available and then washed (carpet washers are excellent for this task). In an infestation lasting only three days, female fleas can lay up to 20,000 eggs in the home.
- Make sure all bedding, both animal and human, is washed.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous (DE) earth on all the carpets in small amounts. DE is sharp to fleas (but harmless to people and pets). It cuts them and absorbs all their body fluid, causing them to die of dehydration. Unlike chemical insecticides, they cannot build up a resistance to it.
- Diatomaceous earth can be sprinkled on pet’s food to prevent or treat flea, worms and mite infestations (make sure it is food grade DE). It can also be put on the pets fur.
Sources:
- Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Classical Veterinary Homeopathy, page accessed 22nd August 2011.
- Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth Facts and Information, page accessed 22nd August 2011.
- Flea Bites, page accessed 22nd August 2011.
- Epidemiologic study of relationships between consumption of commercial canned food and risk of hyperthyroidism in cats, Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, March 2004.
- Taurine deficiency in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy: 12 cases (1997-2001), Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 15th October 2003.
- Bren L. Pentobarbital in dog food. FDA Veterinarian Newsletter May/June 2002, vol. XVIII; No. III, page 8.
- Fat cats facing diabetes epidemic as feline obesity takes its toll, The Guardian, 7th August 2007.
- The Silent Epidemic, Canine Cancer Research USA, page accessed 22nd August 2011.
Joanna Karpasea-Jones - I have been a health writer since 1997 when I published my own newsletter, SHOTS. I have written 2 books on childhood health, and write ...
