"Have you ever wondered why some dogs and cats have severe flea problems, while others are hardly bothered by the little pests? Fleas can be viewed as an indicator of an animal's general health. Parasites in general, and fleas in particular, are most attracted to the weak, unhealthy, or very young animal whose immune system is not functioning well. The long-term solution to a flea problem is to reduce your pet's susceptibility to fleas by improving his/her health." Jeffrey Levy, DVM

By now, I am sure most of you have heard that Hartz Flea and Tick Drops for Cats and Kittens are cancelling the use of their products.

At EPA’s insistence, Hartz Mountain Corp. has agreed to cancel uses of several flea and tick products that may be associated with a range of adverse reactions, including hair loss, salivation, tremors, and numerous deaths in cats and kittens. In the short term, the agreement calls for new labeling of the products. The new labeling will state that the products of concern are not to be used on the most vulnerable animals, including cats and kittens that weigh less than 6 pounds, cats older than 13 years, or kittens less than 5 months old.

Through this agreement, Hartz will voluntarily stop all new production of these products by September 30, 2005 and will not sell or distribute any affected product after December 31, 2005. The company has agreed to a prohibition on sales down to the retail level by March 31, 2006.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

For those of us that know the danger of these toxic chemicals and pestisides to our pets, this is wonderful news!

As mentioned above, Fleas and other parasites are attracted to weaker, sicker animals in the first place and then to put a toxic chemical on your pet to kill and/or repel fleas only weakens the immune system more and is very hard on the liver.

People that have pets with fleas, skin problems, allergies, stomach problems and behavioral problems spend hundreds of dollars at the vet on flea prevention, antibiotics, steroids, tranquilizers, and other medication? Antibiotics, steroids, and many other medications take a serious toll on the internal organs and immune systems of our pets. It becomes a never-ending circle of medication and sickness. Skin problems and allergies are often symptoms of nutritional deficiency and toxic overload.

We are all bombarded with advertising to prevent fleas with toxic, lethal chemicals of all types and strengths for all sizes and breeds of dogs. You probably have been using some of these chemicals your vet has prescribed and sold to you. You may have even seen your dog go into an epileptic seizure almost immediately upon being administered one of the lethal chemicals sold to the unsuspecting public to "protect" their cherished little furry companion. There are some breeds that are killed when administered these chemical products.

You may be using these chemicals and you are troubled because your little pal's health has taken a turn for the worse. You aren't sure why, but you know it all began when a foreign matter was added to your dog's body. Be it a vaccination or be it a chemical to kill worms, ticks, fleas or protozoa, any time a foreign matter is put into your dog's body, there will be a reaction. Most of the time the reaction will happen internally and you will not be aware of how detrimental this foreign matter is. Imagine how extremely lethal a chemical has to be if it is administered only once a month or once a season.

Did you know that your dog's liver and kidneys are adversely affected by the use of flea collars, chemical de-wormers, heart worm drugs? The toxic chemicals result in renal failure (kidney failure), liver damage to the point of the liver becoming unable to filter the blood and complete liver failure. Contaminated blood circulating throughout the body day after day will most definitely contribute to other more complicated health issues, such as diabetes and arthritis to name two of the most common long term side effects.

Did you know these toxic drugs cause severe skin rashes, loss of hair, epileptic seizures, brain damage. The list of adverse side effects amazingly goes on and on. Still people continue to use these drugs because they don't know there is a better, simpler, less expensive, safer, safer, safer way.

There is a safe effective alternative for your dog!

You can do it without chemicals!

Richard J. Holliday, DVM - "Good nutrition can prevent disease. Good nutrition can cure disease." A groundswell of nutrition conscious veterinarians are beginning to recommend to their clients that they supplement their animals diet with a daily dose of fish oil or flaxseed oil, probiotcs and other nutrients for optimum health and vitality. The food your animal eats should provide all of the nutritional components which are necessary for all organs and systems of a healthy body to perform in harmonious unison. A properly functioning body does an amazing job at preventing disease and healing itself, and to do this it requires the energies and nutrients of a well-balanced diet. In terms of finding the proper diet for our companions, this means learning to look beyond our own needs, opinions, and agendas to address the natural needs of the animals that we caretake

Flea problems do not stem from the presence of fleas, but from health related and environmental circumstances which enable to fleas to thrive and reproduce. They are opportunists, preying on the weak and unhealthy. Dry flaky skin, constant shedding and a general susceptibility in the dog immune system provides the perfect environment.

If your dog is unhealthy, suffering from poor circulation, poor digestion, over-vaccination or food allergies, his ability to deal with and fight off fleas are decreased. A healthy dog with a well-balanced diet and strong immune system will not be bothered by these pests, which is why the first thing I would recommend is switching to a raw diet. (if a raw diet is not something you are willing to do, then I recommend switching to an organic, dehydrated health food called Honest Kitchen or Life's Abundance). Providing a well balanced diet and proper supplementation will surely help your dog and avoid future flea infestations.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes are highly recommended for flea sufferers as they are essential to a healthy immune system. If you are not feeding a raw diet they are even more important. By assisting the transport of nutrients through the body and aiding in the breakdown and removal of waste products, probiotics and digestive-enzymes help alleviate the food-allergy problems found in many commercially fed dogs.

Garlic does wonders to fight fleas. It will support the immune system, skin and liver. A pinch is fine, do not give in excess. Apple cider vinegar added to your pets water can also help. Others add B-complex vitamins, trace minerals and zinc and their dogs are never bothered by fleas.

Burdock root, dandelion root and red clover naturally eliminate waste which helps the immune system fight the flea bites. A low-alcohol tincture is best, squirted directly into your pets mouth or added to it’s water.

Transfer Factor is an all natural substance that works by "teaching" your own immune system to identify infectious agents that attack your body every day. Transfer factor provides "immune data" collected from the mother’s own immune system and then passed on to her baby. The mother transfers valuable immunity information to be used by the new life to assist in staving off infection and disease. These powerful immunity agents have been identified and are called transfer factors.

For severe itching and inflamed or red spots from flea bites, yucca or licorice(the herb, not the candy! lol) is great as an anti-inflammatory and a calendula flower rinse or aloe juice will promote healing and help fight the itching. Dilute aloe juice with 4 parts water. You can also apply Lavender essential oil to the dog's fur and skin via your hands or mix with a small amount of oil and or spring water and spritz onto the pet.

CAUTION: Most Essential Oils are not well tolerated by cats. Please only use 100% pure, grade A essential oils and only in very small amounts with the supervision of your holistic Vet or Aromatherapist. Essential oil can also be used to repel fleas from your pet. (we will get into that another time)

Remember the flea spends 80% of his time in the surrounding environment, not on your dog or cat. Treat the area with products containing essential oils of juniper, citronella, eucalyptus, cedar, Canadian fleabane or citric oil. Canadian flea bane and citrus oil contain d-Limonene which kills fleas.

Diatoms are also workhorses as flea killers:

In certain sections of the United States and other parts of the world,there are glacial deposits that consist of diatoms that were prehistoric one-celled animals. When these diatoms are mined and ground into a fine powder, organic farmers have used this gift of Mother Nature to eliminate lice, worms of all sorts [including heart worms], mites, ants, spiders and other parasites from their chickens, ducks, pigeons, dogs, cattle, horses, goats and all their other farm animals as long as the powder has been available to them.

At last, there is something a lot more healthy and beneficial that you can do for your dog. To eliminate parasites, you can draw upon Mother Nature's pantry and provide your beloved companion what Mother Nature has provided for centuries. Organic farmers have been using natural remedies to get rid of parasites for their pets and their livestock for years.

"Worm-Out" is a product made with pure, safe, diatomacious earth and diatoms and is used by sprinkling it on to your dog's coat and working it down into the skin where when a flea happens to walk across it, the flea's outer body shell will be sliced and the flea will dehydrate and die quite quickly. (You can also sprinkle it on youir pet's food and will kill intestinal worms while providing your pet with a natural source of essential trace minerals. Sprinkle it around the foundation your house outside and inside, around baseboards and under furniture Worm-Out has shown to eliminate crickets, ants and other pests from even venturing inside. More About Worm-Out & Parastem

The Whole Dog Store has a Special running on the Worm-Out and and another great product called Parastem. Click Here To Order

Remember, fleas are a symptom. The key to dealing with parasites is to make your animal undesirable to them, and to take steps to prevent an infestation. A healthy dog or cat should not be troubled by an occasional flea. There is no substitute for excellent wholesome nutrition, so make sure the nutrition is going to your animals, not the parasites.