Have you noticed how long our evenings are lasting? The weather is warming up, flowers are starting to show themselves and even the bare patches in my grass are starting to fill in. Goodbye winter, hello spring.
An unfortunate side effect is the return of fleas. I was talking with my dental hygienist the other day and the topic came up. Katie also grooms dogs part-time; she loves animals and enjoys helping both humans and dogs look their best. She's seen how miserable fleas can make both pet and owner. Her 'salon' has a no flea policy to protect her clients, her own pets and her family.
If you have a domestic no flea policy, you probably enforce it with a topical product. Check your shelves, because Pfizer just announced they are stopping production of Promeris because it has been found to cause autoimmune skin disease. Unfortunately they stopped short of recalling, preferring instead to sell off their current supply.See http://bit.ly/hTLaHT for more information.
Nobody wants a dog with fleas upon its knees. However, it wouldn't hurt to estimate how much of a risk fleas are for your dog and if a gentler method of flea control would be enough. We use a topical flea treatment from May to September. The remainder of the year we just supplement their food with nutritional yeast and garlic powder. The summer is more high risk for us because we spend a lot of time hiking and the dogs are in fields a lot. We still only use about 1/2 the dosage. It's worth asking your veterinarian if you could try a reduced dose, because these products are essentially chemicals. There are plant extracts that can be used with success, especially for dogs that spend little time with other dogs and in fields or forests. If a senior dog prefers the couch to the backyard there's less likelihood that fleas are an issue. As a natural deterrent, mix a cup of nutritional yeast with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon for a small dog or a tablespoon for a larger dog, on your dog's food each day.
Vacuuming both your rugs and your dog's bed regularly also helps to keep the flea population low. You might also want to try a bed with cedar chips inside.
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