We’ve found that there are many ways to administer Flea Free to our pets. Besides adding to their water dish, we also like to get creative.
Today’s Installment: Flea Free Pops
For a fun treat for Fido or Fluffy, add 8 drops of Flea Free All Natural Food Supplement into each hollow of an ice cube tray and freeze.
When frozen, place pops in a Ziploc bag and they are ready at any time to float in their water bowl for extra fun and flavor.
We’ve found that cats especially like to play with the ice cubes as they float on top of the water. Dogs coming in from the heat outside also like cooling off their tongues.
We just ran across an article from the Whole Dog Journal magazine regarding the safety of “spot-on” flea treatments such as Frontline and Advantage.
The article starts off:
Tempting as it may be to simplistically consider fleas as horrible insects, the bane of dogs everywhere, poisoning your dog in a vain attempt to wipe fleas out of existence doesn’t really make sense. Even though more than half a billion dollars annually are spent on products that kill fleas in that vain pursuit. Of course fleas can make dogs (and everyone else in the household) perfectly miserable. But it’s not as if using toxic flea killing chemicals is the only way to control fleas. When we attempt to get rid of our dogs’ fleas by utilizing chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system, that may disrupt hormone (endocrine) systems, and that cause cancer, it’s sort of like burning the house down to get rid of ants – effective, sure, but what are you left with?
It is for the reasons in this article that Flea Free, an all natural and safe method of flea control, was developed. Our manufacturer, a chemist, sought out a safe alternative after losing his beloved Shelties to toxic poisoning from a popular flea spray.
We invite you to read this and other articles about the safety of “spot-on” flea treatments. If you’re looking for safe, all natural pet products, check out our products page.
There are many common plants that can make your pet violently ill and can sometimes cause death and it is important to keep these plants out of reach of your pets.
Additional harmful products to your pets are your own medications. Keep them where your pet cannot get to them. Insecticides can also be a problem for your pet, not only those meant for bugs and flies, but also using the wrong flea and tick medications. Some products on the market are potentially life threatening to your pet. Flea Free Food Supplement is all natural and will eliminate those pests as well as supply vitamins and minerals for better overall health.
Here is a list of foods that can cause gastrointestinal problems and could even result in the death of your pet:
grapes
raisins
avocado
chocolate
Remember too, when your pet is exploring your yard after the lawn spray company has visited, it could cause even more exposure to chemicals. Our All Natural Yard and Garden spray is a good and reliable product to replace those chemicals.
We want happy, healthy and SAFE pets this summer.
If you think that your animal is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 1-888-426-4435.
Alternatively, you can call the Pet Poison Helpline at 877-416-7319 ($35 charge).
If you’ve never bathed a cat before, here’s a quick step-by-step guide to lathering. This informative article comes from the “All About Maine Coon Cats” magazine.
Pour the shampoo into the palm of your hand
Start lathering at the cat’s neck
Work your way from the neck down to the shoulders and chest
Wash the back, sides and belly
Wash the tail and britches
Finish with the legs and feet
Rinse with warm water, making sure that all the shampoo has been removed
Wrap you cat in a nice thick towel and praise for his good behavior (even if there wasn’t quite as much good behavior as you would have liked. It’s positive reinforcement for the next time.)
And a few “Dont’s”:
Don’t use shampoo on the cat’s face or ears – wipe them clean with a washcloth
Don’t forget to wash behind the forelegs
Don’t forget to wash the rear
Heaven Sent offers two great all-natural shampoos for your feline:
Pet Scents Herbal Shampoo – Both antibiotic and antispeptic, aids in eliminating fleas and lice as well as naturally moisturizing your pet’s coat.
Here’s some interesting information about fleas. Some you may know, some you may not.
Public Enemy #1?
Fleas pass through a complete life cycle of four stages.
Egg (50% of the population)
Larvae (30% of the population)
Pupae (15% of the population)
Adults (5% of the population)
So only 5% of fleas actually bite!
Completion of the life cycle from egg to adult varies from two weeks to eight months
Normally the female flea lays about 15 to 20 eggs per day up to 600 in a lifetime.
Usual hosts for fleas are dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, chickens, and humans.
Eggs loosely laid in the hair or fur, drop out where the pet rests, sleeps or nests (rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, cat or dog boxes, kennels, sand boxes, etc.)
Eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae found indoors in floor cracks & crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds.
Sand and gravel are very suitable for flea development which is the reason fleas are erroneously called “sand fleas.”
Larvae are blind, avoid light, pass through three larval stages and take a week to several months to develop.
Their food consists of digested blood from adult flea feces, dead skin, hair, feathers, and other organic debris. (Larvae do not suck blood.)
Pupa mature to adulthood within a silken cocoon woven by the larva to which pet hair, carpet fiber, dust, grass cuttings, and other debris adheres.
In about five to fourteen days, adult fleas can emerge or may remain resting in the cocoon until the detection of vibration (pet and people movement), pressure (host animal lying down on them), heat, noise, or carbon dioxide (meaning a potential blood source is near).
Most fleas survive the winter in the larval or pupa stage and grow best during warm, moist winters and spring.
Adult fleas cannot survive or lay eggs without a blood meal, but may hibernate from two months to one year without feeding.
One big surprise people get is when they return from vacation and they find themselves with a major flea problem in the house. There is often a desperate need for flea control after a family has returned from a long vacation. The house has been empty with no cat or dog around for fleas to feed on. When the family and pets are gone, flea eggs hatch and larvae pupate. The adult fleas fully developed inside the pupa cocoon remains in a kind of “limbo” for a long time until a blood source is near. The family returning from vacation is immediately attacked by waiting hungry hordes of fleas. (In just 30 days, 10 female fleas under ideal conditions can multiply to over a quarter million different life stages.)
Completely developed adult fleas can live for several months without eating, as long as they do not emerge from their cocoons.
Newly emerged adult fleas live only about one week if a blood meal is not obtained.
Optimum temperatures for the flea’s life cycle are 70°F to 85°F and optimum humidity is 70 percent.
We’re currently test-marketing a new product: Natural Training Treats. These are 100% Beef jerky strips seasoned with Flea-Free. Flea-Free is our garlic and vinegar based all natural flea control supplement.
Garlic and vinegar naturally make a tasty seasoning mix for beef jerky strips. So far, the dogs we’ve used as guinea pigs (guinea dogs?) are really chomping these down.
Are you interested in a free sample? Leave a comment or contact us on the contact form and I can probably send you some to try for free.
We are happy to spotlight our good friend John at Doggie Dolittle Mobile Pet Grooming in Randolph, New Jersey. John is a graduate of Penn Foster Career School for Dog and Cat Grooming. He has extensive training in all 5 dog personalities & behaviors: Fearful, Submissive, Happy-Go-Lucky, Dominate, Aggressive. John will give professional attention to your pet, has a flexible appointment schedule, and has affordable rates.
Doggie Dolittle does grooming not only dogs, but also includes cats, ferrets, and rabbits.
Dog grooming begins with an evaluation for fleas and ticks, including checking ears and removing hair from them. Other pre-grooming services include nail cutting, belly shaving, and anus cleaning and sanitizing. For dogs with long hair a skip tooth blade is used for proper cutting. Next comes a dog bath, followed by drying the hair with a forced air dryer that blows out all of the under coat and dead hair. The pet’s hair is then cut with a finishing blade. Finally they will do a brush out to complete the grooming process.
Cat grooming includes bathing and a comb-out when their coat is in decent condition. For cats with a heavily matted coat, shaving is recommended. For indoor cats, they trim the sharp points of the nails. They prefer trimmin nails and bathing indoor cats in their residence to minimize their stress level.
John has been using our Pet Scents Herbal Shampoo for several months and says “It includes all the ingredients fleas hate…”.
He serves all of North Central and Northern New Jersey and his hours of operation are M-F 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays by request. For customers that live in high rise condos he will groom your pet in your residence. You can call toll-free at (866) 965-3548. DoggieDolittle website. Check them out!
We’re currently test-marketing a new product: Natural Training Treats. These are 100% Beef jerky strips seasoned with Flea-Free. Flea-Free is our garlic and vinegar based all natural flea control supplement.
