An old t-shirt can be altered to fit your dog's body, and old socks can be cut to make "leg warmers." This may not entirely prevent ticks from making their way onto your dog, but it may work to keep most of them off since they have nothing to latch onto, and will slow the rest down so they do not spend as much time on your dog's skin (the longer ticks stay on the skin, the more likely they are to transmit disease).īecause ticks carry dangerous bacteria, repelling them is a priority. If you are going to be spending time in wooded or grassy areas with your dog, you might want to fashion some cover-up clothing for your dog in order to avoid ticks. Ticks hang out in tall grass and use the opportunity to grab on to passersby when they feel body warmth - which they are very good at doing. Finally, fire ants are known to eat flea larvae, so if you have them in your yard, you may want to practice some controlled fire ant management that limits them to some areas of the yard rather than complete eradification of them. Lady bugs feast on soft bodied bugs like fleas, and a mature lady bug can eat an average of 50 insects a day. Lady bugs can also be found at your local gardening shop, and are also very effective. It is not the type that is known for infecting animals, such as the heartworm. They are highly effective, with a noticable improvement in flea popualation within two days. Keep in mind that the type of nematode that is being recommended here is termed a "beneficial" nematode. Nematodes are small worms that feed off of flea larva, and are easy to find at garden stores or pet shops. In the yard, you might consider adding a natural predator of fleas. Always dump the bag or cannister of the vacuum, since fleas can continue to live inside the container. Using a gentle pet shampoo or a little bit of regular dish liquid, along with a thorough brushing (an outdoor brushing is best), will go a long way toward ridding your pet's body of fleas.Īround the house, laundering pet beds and furniture covers, and vacuuming and disinfecting the floors - not just around your pet's living spaces but all over - will help to control the population of fleas (just make sure you do not use products with volatile organic compounds). A good dip in a tub of water will wash away most, if not all, of the fleas on your pet. Since fleas do not grasp and hold onto the hair shafts, they fall off in the water and drown. Remember the old cartoons where dogs would jump into water to relieve themselves of fleas? Water really does work. If your pet behaves oddly after using or eating anything different, discontinue its use immediately. If your pet licks a little of the juice off of his fur, there is very little risk of harm - always keeping in mind that allergies can happen to anyone. The oil is specific to the cells within the rind of the fruit and can only be extracted using specialty equipment, and so is not found in the fresh-squeezed juice of the fruit. Limonene is found in household cleaning products and insect sprays, in home fragrance products, and may be found in some topical products (i.e., for use on skin). Take great care in using citrus oil products only in areas of the home your pets cannot reach, and do not use it on yourself if your pets will be licking you, or on your pets' hair or skin in any form. Limonene is also irritating to the skin, and when ingested, can cause liver damage in cats and dogs. The oil that is extracted from the rind of the citrus fruit contains limonene, an effective insect repellent as well as an all purpose household cleaner. Take note that oil extracts from lemons and oranges (and any citrus) are not safe for cats and dogs at all. The juice from a freshly squeezed orange or lemon can be lightly rubbed onto your pet's fur to ward off the buggers. Fleas are known to be repelled by citrus.
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