Flea Facts
- Female fleas will lay 20 - 40 eggs a day - half of which will be female!
- Fleas can jump 110 times their length and can accelerate 20 faster than a space shuttle!
- Despite thriving in warm temperatures, winter does not always kill fleas. Many larvae can survive through short periods of cold weather, so long as they are warm in their cocoons!
Tick Facts
- Ticks do not jump or fly but usually attach onto their hosts from the tips of grasses and shrubs.
- Tick saliva also acts as cement, helping to firmly attach it to its host without falling off or being scratched away.
- Tick infestations are more common in dogs than cats and ticks can also feed on humans, birds, reptiles, and wild and domestic mammals.
Warning signs
Fleas and ticks can be easily spotted if you take the time to check your animals. Look out for dark dots on their fur (which signifies droppings) as well as white dots (eggs). If your pet is scratching excessively and has nasty scabs and sores on their skin, or is suffering from hair loss - then chances are a pesky parasite is making a home out of their skin. Pay special attention to the head, neck, ears and paw areas of your fur babies to spot these parasites.
Effects
Besides from extreme discomfort, the effects of tick and flea bites can be much more serious.
Tick paralysis: Ticks release toxins as they cling to the skin which make muscles weak and animals become lethargic and immobile.
Anemia: Since the parasites are sucking excessive amounts of blood from their host, there is a significant drop of red blood cells. Anemic dogs and cats also have little stamina or energy, so they seem limp or tire more easily. Pale gums and lethargy are signs that your pet may have anemia.
Tapeworm: If your pet ingests a flea, they can develop tapeworms - parasites that are half an inch in size and look like maggots. They can cause an itchy rear end as well as weight loss. Try Worm Dr , natural worm medicine for dogs and cats and also add Vondi's Diatomaceous Earth to your pet's food every day to improve digestive health, reduce parasite infection and keep those nasty worms under control!
In your home: If your pet has fleas, they are most likely bringing them inside with them. This means that parasites could be lurking in your carpets and in the bed. Ticks and fleas also harm humans. (The effects on your skin will be itchy red spots). More serious, you could develop Tick Bite Fever - which causes severe headaches, fever, skin rashes and enlarged lymph nodes.
Prevention is better than cure!
Since fleas and ticks lurk in long grass, woody wilds and shrubs in hot summer seasons, try cutting your lawn frequently. Vacuum your carpets and wash your bedding regularly and be sure to mop hardwood floors!
Natural control for ticks and fleas
While commercial tick and flea shampoos, dips, powders, sprays and other treatments can be effective in controlling flea and tick infestations, the chemicals they contain can also be harmful for your pet's health, as well as the environment. Luckily, nature can help to effectively control ticks and fleas without harmful side effects.
Vondi’s Tick & Flea Powder for Cats & Dogs is an effective natural treatment that prevents parasites from latching onto skin. In addition, you can wash your pets in Vondi’s Tick & Flea Pet Shampoo. Inbetween shampoos, use Vondi’s Khakibos Spray on your pet as well as on bedding to keep those persistent pests away NATURALLY. Grooming is also important, so use a flea comb regularly to remove eggs and stray fleas from your pet manually.
Flea Bite Dermatitis
Flea bites can be irritating at the best of times, but some dogs and cats develop an allergy to flea bites. You will notice them scratching and biting themselves excessively and they may develop a nasty rash, itchy skin, fur loss and even inflamed skin with lots of scabs, that may become infected.
Conventional treatment usually means a prescription for cortisone, which may work in the short term, but which can have a negative effect on your pet's adrenal glands. Feelgood Pets has developed three natural remedies that will help the itching, reduce the allergic reaction and heal the skin. They can be used together or separately, according to need:
- Allergy Itch Ease is a homeopathic remedy that helps to stop acute itching and scratching and will provide great relief for your poor itchy pet
- AllergiClear Pets works as a preventative and natural antihistamine
- Skin & Coat Tonic contains natural ingredients to improve the health of the skin and speed up healing
You can SAVE 20% when you buy these three remedies together!
With a little help from nature, you can soothe and heal itchy skin and prevent tick and flea infections as well as flea and skin allergies naturally!
