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.