By: Gretchen Schempp, Wellness Manager
Just when we think we’re about in the clear from summer’s creepy crawlies we find ourselves in the late tick season! This year dry weather has given us a strong tick population this fall. Living in the country I am no stranger to these pointless bloodsuckers. I’ve currently got three rambling pooches and have dealt with ticks and dogs for over half my life.
We have chosen the chemical free route for our best friends after years of going other routes with little success and mounting guilt from (potentially) poisoning our pets. I’d say our success with alternative choices has been pretty positive. For me, the risks outweigh the benefits associated with chemical tick products. All of my dogs that I have used chemicals on in the past have still gotten ticks and even Lyme’s disease. My choice is just that and only you can decide what is best for your furry friend.
Here are some of our practices to keep the ticks at bay and how to deal with them when you do find one.
The Pet Protector is a simple looking dog tag using technology to emit magnetic and scalar waves that create a protective shield around your pet’s body. This is said to protect your friend from external parasites.
I was skeptical of this seemingly spendy product when I first heard about it. Promising to protect your pet for up to 4 years for the cost of around $75 per tag seemed like a risk but when compared to the price of chemical repellents such as Advantage and Frontline, I figured if it worked it would be worth not putting these chemicals on my dogs. Particularly my little ones that react immediately from the application of these chemicals.
An important piece to using the Pet Protector is that you must frequent it to your animals body when they are healthy and in a pest free zone for up to 6 weeks. This means, in our area, getting your Protector in the winter months and having your pet wear it consistently for 6 weeks when fleas and ticks are not present.
I bought mine in January and started the process of “frequentlng” the tags right away. Which really just meant putting the tag on the collars and leaving it on all the time. That first year was remarkable! Our little white Jack Russell had nary a tick for a whole year (he’s a delicious little guy that the bugs LOVE) it worked perfectly on the Heelers too.
Year two I found that the tag was not quite as effective. While still keeping the ticks at a minimum, still less than when we used chemicals every month, my conclusion was that the tag was really effective for 1 year. By my calculations this $75 per pet tag was well worth the money for protection that was safe for my “kids”. And, in actuality, less money than monthly tick medicine for the whole season.
I will be buying new ones annually now for best protection.
Herbal Green Alternative by Animal Essentials is an antioxidant powder to add to food for cats and dogs. We purchase this from our friends at Lulu and BB’s Pet Market right down the street. This green powder is a combination of flax seed meal, burdock root, nettle leaf, spirulina, pumpkin seed and garlic (all organic too!). I add this to each dog’s food every morning and this natural source of vitamins and minerals is easy on the system and the garlic helps stave off the buggies.
Ledum
Ledum palustre by Hyland’s Homeopathics is a must-have in our house. This remedy is specific to bites and even more specifically tick bites. Whenever I have pulled a tick from my dogs coat I follow it with a single tablet of Ledum. One of my go-to references, “The Veterinarian’s Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs” by Martin Zucker, has DVM Charles Loops suggesting giving Ledum every 5-7 days during tick season. I will definitely start this practice! (Order the book from local Dragonfly Books too!)
Homemade Shampoo with essential oils
My very own concoction of Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Soap and essential oils is what we bathe our pooches in. In an 8 oz bottle of soap I will add the following oils:
5-7 drops lemon eucalyptus (eucalyptus citradora)
5 drops geranium (rose geranium)
5 drops patchouli
3-5 drops of neem oil
5 drops cedarwood oil
The Furminator
The Furminator undercoat de-shedding tool is great for just what is says it is. Additionally it is my go-to after a hike in the woods for more insurance that we are getting stickers, burrs and other plant material out of Rooster’s rough coat. This handy tool helps to get undercoat and potentially pull any hanger-ons out on top and out of the coat. It also has a nice push top for releasing hair without having to pull it out of the comb.
The Tick Key is a handy tool that will fit on your keychain and will pull ticks off correctly by removing the head. Mine lives right next to a bottle of Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide Spray.
3% hydrogen peroxide is a common disinfectant and is recommended for tick bites because it is said to destroy the Lyme disease bacteria. Mix it yourself from the concentrated 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide or buy it ready made in the same Oxygen Wellness Co’s Multi Purpose Spray. Either way this first aid disinfectant is a must have for after removing a tick, should one get attached.
Ticks are always something to think about where we live. Personally, I’m not going to keep my dogs from a good hike in the woods but I’m going to do my best to help prevent tick bites the best I can and in a manner that feels right to me and to their health. Stop by the Wellness desk and we can talk animals any time!
Be well!
