A natural approach to eradicating fleas
As the warmer weather approaches, all sorts of biting and irritating pests appear.
If you have a dog or a cat, fleas can quite easily become a problem making life miserable for the whole family.
Yet there are simple and natural solutions to deal with fleas on your pet.
Weekly vacuuming of the house and the airing of rugs and pets' bedding is a must to prevent outbreaks.
All vacuuming should be done in one day and animal bedding, mats and cushions taken outside, aired in the sun all day and then thoroughly vacuumed before bringing them back inside.
Essential oils are an excellent natural choice for controlling fleas and other parasites on your pets, as they don't disturb the natural oil balance of their skin and coat.
If you shampoo your pet weekly, you can discourage fleas and other parasites by adding one drop of lemon grass or citronella oil to their shampoo.
Large dogs, such as Great Danes, will require two drops for the oil to be effective.
Cats can be treated by adding a drop of cedarwood or pine oil to the tip of their tail and then working it up through their fur.
Brushing the animal's coat with cedarwood or pine lotion will disinfect them, condition the coat and collect the parasites and their eggs.
Secure an old piece of thick flannel material over the teeth of a steel brush.
Prepare a bowl of warm water, add either four drops of cedarwood or pine oil, and soak the brush in the lotion before brushing your pet's coat.
Rinse the brush repeatedly in the lotion during the brushing.
If the animal is suffering seriously from flea infestation, add four drops of cedarwood oil directly to the piece of brush material.
Rub well to disperse the oil before securing to the brush, and use with plain water, rinsing several times while brushing.
However, treating the animal will not be effective if you don't maintain good hygiene habits.
All sleeping areas and bedding should be kept dry and treated with an appropriate repellent.
Herbs such as dried pennyroyal, cedarwood shavings or pine needles can be scattered on and beneath bedding.
Alternatively, you can make a large pillow for your pet to sleep on and stuff this with insect-repellent herbs. Include the previous three, or stinking roger, wormwood, tansy and native peppermint.
Spray bedding, and all other areas that may be affected, regularly with a flea repellent spray.
Dissolve 30 drops of pennyroyal oil in 10 millilitres of methylated spirits and then add this mixture to a pump-spray bottle containing 500 millilitres of water.
Use on a fine mist setting, spraying liberally, but not saturating, the bedding material.
Essential oils can be purchased from specialty shops and most health food stores.
A natural approach, combined with careful hygiene, can significantly reduce a potential flea epidemic in your home.
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