My personal best natural flea control for dogs.

Been there, done that. Having grown up with dogs, all my life, dog flea control is important! Nobody wants to be petting their dog and have pesky fleas all over the place. Years have gone by since the old fashioned flea collars. Now we have new and improved flea protection for our dogs. Dog flea treatments like Advantage Flea Control and Frontline Flea Medicine are two that come to mind. But are these topical flea products safe? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are some dangers and risks. Some side effects can include rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and even death. Personally, I would rather find a safer alternative to keeping fleas off of my dog Dexter. Especially since we are talking about something that is non-life-threatening. I cannot tell you what you should do, this is certainly a personal preference and one I came to with our holistic veterinarian.

Our regimen includes regular (3 weeks) dog bathing. And you guessed it; I do my best to use a safe dog shampoo that is free of additives or preservatives. Our go to dog shampoos includes my own DIY blend.  Here are some other choices on non-toxic dog shampoos for fleas.

Daily dog brushing and grooming are essential to ensure there are not any fleas and ticks on Dexter The Dog. If I find a flea or tick on Dexter, I quickly remove it. The Centers For Disease Control has some tips on how to safely remove a tick from your dog. Once either the flea or tick is removed from your dog, wrap securely in a tissue and flush down your toilet. Watch to make sure it all went down; you don’t want him crawling back up!

When I take Dexter for a walk at a park, the woods, or somewhere else that has the potential to have a high rate of fleas or ticks, I spray on a natural and safe flea and tick prevention. I have used a variety of products with success. I spray his legs, tail, chest, and back. Best Yet Natural Mosquito Repellent is a dryer spray than the others and smells like cedar. I also do a variety of DIY Tick/Flea sprays and flea control tags (1) and this one. By the way, I use most of them on me too! I am a magnet for mosquitoes.