You might have noticed your pet is scratching themselves more than usual and it might be the f-word, fleas. Most flea medications contain toxic ingredients and can irritate the skin of pets with sensitive skin or allergies. Instead of using flea medications with ingredients that you can’t pronoun, try getting rid of pesky fleas with natural flea remedies.
Keeping your pet in optimal health will help prevent flea infestations as a healthy body is more able to fend off fleas. Health for a pet starts with their diet and it’s recommended to feed your pets a whole foods diet that can be cost-effective if homemade or a high-quality raw and grain-free dogfood.
High-quality cat food will also improve the health of your family feline. You can also consult with your vet to see which vitamins or supplements would be recommended for your pet. You can try incorporating natural ingredients such as coconut oil with high-quality fat to support digestion, healthy skin and coat.
If your pet experiences a flea infestation try using a flea comb to remove it from your pet’s hair and can also help you determine the severity of the infestation, try to do this outside if possible as the fleas can spread through your home. Fleas are detracted from clean pets compared to dirty ones so a regular bath can act as a preventative measure.
The soapy water from the bath will remove and kill fleas using a recommended natural flea shampoo or citrus-scented castile soap for dogs, use unscented for cats. Using apple cider vinegar while washing to prevent dandruff and can also help improve your pet’s diet.
You can add some apple cider vinegar to pet food to help balance the pH level in your pet’s body that will repel fleas and help deal with infestations. Try adding some apple cider vinegar to your pet’s food to stay clear of fleas using 0.5-1 teaspoon per 25 pounds body weight for dogs and.25 teaspoon for cats.
Incorporating apple cider vinegar in your pet’s food can also help with food poisoning. Another use for apple cider vinegar is making a topical repellent spray mixing 1 part water and 1 part apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle, then simply spray your pet (not near the eyes) to prevent an infestation.
Essential oils can also help deter ticks and fleas from your pet’s precious coat and can keep them smelling good. You should be careful when using essential oils as they are highly concentrated, but these are some essential oils to prevent pests:
- Neem
- Cedarwood
- Catnip
- Eucalyptus
- Lavender
- Geranium
- Peppermint
- Lemon Grass
Essential oils are safe for dogs, but vets don’t recommend use on cats as they don’t have an essential enzyme to process and remove essential oils from the body that may build up in their body resulting in toxicity. One essential oil that you can use on cats is cedarwood with the recommendation for all pets to dilute essential oils in a carrier oil before applying. You can also add essential oils to the apple cider vinegar spray.