Got Fleas? By Nell Liquorman Author of Keep Fleas OffStill using all
chemicals you can find to combat those fleas? Have you done everything outside of trying to shoot fleas off dog? You are not alone, there are an estimated more than 50 million households with pets, and yes, most are not just fighting war against these pesky parasites, they are losing war. Most people do not realize just how devastating losses are. If only 10 per cent of these pet owners are treating yard for fleas, can your imagine amount of harmful chemicals that is getting into ground water? These chemicals make their way to sea where they have been found in fish and seabirds that feed on fish. Clean water is a valuable resource, we cannot afford to destroy it. Think about all chemicals put in our water now just to make it “safe to drink”; if you want to believe that it is.
Bathe your pet with a so-called flea shampoo, and you leave behind a petrochemical residue that can be unsafe for pet and household. If that is not bad enough, pet will lick himself and yes, take an oral dose. Go into any grocery store and head for pet care aisle. If you smell flea products in store, you are experiencing a nose full of their off-gassing. Face it, chemicals off-gas.
Perhaps, you think that flea powder is a better choice. Guess again! After holding your poor animal down long enough to sift this disagreeable stuff into his fur, he is going to shake off as much of it as possible, and who could blame him. This fine dust will migrate into anything around, carpet, furniture, and maybe even your own hair. It is sure to get up your nose. Maybe this is universe trying to get you to stop this harmful practice. At any rate, now flea powder is further out into pet’s fur, clearing way for fleas to continue to travel skin on pet, biting him and leaving behind debris. At minimum, you have fouled environment, and you probably did powdering inside your home. Since we have all probably done it, don’t beat yourself up, at least not first time.
Flea collars are another dangerous choice that we have all made. The poison is right there on collar for purpose of rubbing off onto pet. Will it rub off on anything else, like hands of a small child, or even your own? You bet! Does your pet sleep in his collar? In your bed? What do you think is happening here? Essentially, we are just rubbing heaven knows what kind of chemicals all over us when we sleep with a pet that is wearing a poison necklace. Should you quit associating with your pet? Absolutely not! Pets are a valuable part of our lives. They offer companionship and teach us a lot as well. Just show them more respect and stop using those awful flea collars.
Continuing your sojourn through parasite jungle, veterinarian’s office is probably going to be your next stop. Aha! The flea dip. It has to work! Well, why not, it contains a contact killer, and because you got it from vet you will assume it safe. Maybe it will kill fleas that showed up on pet today. Of course, submerging him in this poison means that some of it will be absorbed into pet’s skin. Cats are especially sensitive, and dips have been known to kill some. It makes many sick. If it poisoned or weakened your pet, would you know what to look for? How many hours would you need to monitor your pet? When you pour out dip, where does poison go? So many questions, so many freaky answers. This should steer you away from flea dips.
The average pet owner is pretty sure that a flea spray for misting pet on a regular basis will not only work, but is a real easy solution. Coating outside of hair doesn’t work because fleas will travel under it along skin where blood cells can be reached. Use this method, only if you want a toxic cloud that will float above pet for you to breathe, or maybe, it will make its way into your air conditioning ducts and be well distributed throughout your home. Remember that these sprays contain poisons. If we breathe them in, our bodies can store them. Many people will think that this is just price that must be paid, after all this is a war on fleas! The bigger question here is: “Do you really want your home to become a toxic waste site?” The residue spewed into your environment is going to stay there until someone cleans it up. And depending upon how you go about clean up, you could just be making it worse, especially if you are using chemicals for cleanup. Unless you are a chemist, don’t assume that it is safe to mix one chemical with another.
Of course, you could always use pet meds, that is, medicine for fleas that pet must take. That hardly seems fair! Would you be able to tell how bad your pet feels from side effects? At one time or another we have all taken a medication that we found to be disagreeable. The problem here is one of communication. The pet cannot tell you that medicine does not suit him.
