Natural Deterrents: Holistic Approaches For Safeguarding Your Pets From Seasonal Pests

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

Ahhhhh, finally the warmer weather seems to have arrived. And, for most of us that means more time spent outdoors; which of course, means taking extra precautions to protect ourselves and our skin. But, what about our pets? It’s likely they’ll want to enjoy the longer days and the sun as well, and its up to us to protect them form season pests. Still, some suggest that it’s equally as important to protect them from harmful ingredients and chemicals found in many ointments and treatments. Here are some natural alternatives.

· Top of the line topical treatments: According to experts spraying on pest control is the most traditional approach to protecting our pups from outdoor seasonal pests. And, while they begin to work ASAP, dogs tend to get down and dirty when outside and the means that the natural treatments will rub off making more application a must.

They suggest mixing 50 percent apple cider vinegar and 50 percent warm water for a natural unapasteurized treatment that you can spay on your pet daily with special attention to the base of the tail and behind the ears.

The apple cider vinegar can also be administered orally, but use caution when it comes to pets with yeast allergy, since this method should be avoided with them. Vets that prefer a natural approach suggest adding unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to your pet’s food or drinking water, using one teaspoon for cats and small dogs (up to 14 pounds), two teaspoons for medium-size dogs (15 to 34 pounds) and one tablespoon for large dogs (35 to 84 pounds) They note that in addition to acting as a flea-repellent, apple cider vinegar can also improve digestion and relieve arthritis.

Another alternative to keeping cats flea-less is to thinly slice a lemon, including the peel and add it to a pint of water and bringing it to a boil. Allow the mix to sit overnight and apply to kitty’s fur in the morning. This treatment is safely administered once a month.

· Holistic Collars: This is for pups only. Experts suggest adding eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, rose geranium, or citronella essential oil to a sturdy and solid woven nylon collar, a bandanna, or a rope collar and placing it on your pet. They recommend using an eyedropper to put one drop of 100 percent pure essential oil to your pooch’s collar each week. And, if your pup is okay with the scent you can increase the “dosage” to two drops per week. This “remedy” will repel both ticks and fleas and should be replenished weekly. However, it is NOT recommended for cats, since the essential oils are toxic and lethal to them. Experts add that pregnant women should also avoid contact with undiluted essential oils.

· More all-natural strategies: Experts recommend brewer’s yeast and garlic for dogs. In fact, they note that you can safely give you dog up to two cloves of garlic daily. Also, little dogs are allowed one teaspoon of brewer’s yeast daily, while larger dogs, 50-pounds, plus, can consume one tablespoon each day. Experts suggest keeping these “delicacies” out of the reach of your pup. However, be prepared for an “unflattering” smell, since once the mixture is ingested it will be emitted from your pooch’s skin acting as a repellent for warm weather pests such as ticks and fleas. DO NOT give garlic to cats, it is toxic to them.