Natural Remedies For Fleas

Do not feel like using chemicals on your dog to treat fleas?

Here are some natural remedies for fleas.

Repellent sprays - According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in New York, a safer alternative for flea management can be made with essential oils of cedarwood, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, and thyme. They emphasize avoiding pennyroyal oil which can cause seizures and death in animals. Also be wary of products containing oils of citrus, d-limonene, tea tree, lavender, geranium, linalool, bay, eucalyptus, and rue; they have been associated with allergic reactions in people and severe reactions in dogs.

Diatomaceous earth - Can effectively kill fleas by penetrating the waxy coating on their exoskeletons and causing them to dehydrate. It can be found at herb outlets and garden shops. Sprinkle it on clean pet bedding and on carpets and floors.

A lemon rinse after shampooing - can repel fleas. Make the rinse by soaking a sliced lemon in a pint of hot water, letting it steep overnight. Remove the lemon and any stray pulp, and sponge the lemon water onto your dog's skin. Let it air dry. Repeat daily if necessary.

Keeping grass and shrubbery short - in areas where your dog spends time helps reduce a flea problem, the Natural Resources Defense Council states. Evict fleas from your home by vacuuming frequently and throwing out the vacuum cleaner bags immediately, and by washing pet bedding in hot water weekly.

Be sure to check with your veterinarian before beginning any flea-control program.

For a rundown on the ingredients in flea products,
visit the NRDC's Green Paws directory.

Dogs Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

Because April is National Stress Awareness Month I have been posting blogs regarding stress and health.

Here is another in the series.

In a recent study, Allen, a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, found that stockbrokers with hypertension who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did their non-pet-owning counterparts.

Allen and her colleagues conducted a study of 48 male and female stockbrokers who were being treated with medication to control high blood pressure. All earned more than $200,000 a year, had lived alone for at least the last 5 years and had highly stressful jobs.

Before the study began, researchers asked the participants to quickly count backward by 17 or try arguing their way out of a shoplifting charge.

During these exercises, blood pressure levels reached an average peak way above normal – even above what doctors generally consider "high" blood pressure.

Drug Prescribed at Start of Study

At the start of the study, the brokers were prescribed the anti-hypertension drug, lisinopril. Half of the participants were randomly selected to also get a dog or cat as a house pet. Six months later, Allen and her colleagues conducted tests in the participants' homes to measure changes in blood pressure. They found that stress-induced blood pressure continued to rise in the brokers without pets.

The brokers who owned pets also had stress-related rises in blood pressure, but these rises were only half as high as those seen in the petless group. The pet-owning brokers had average systolic pressures (the first number in a blood pressure reading) that fell within the normal healthy range. Stress-related peaks in diastolic pressure (the second number in a reading) were also reduced.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that while the drug lisinopril helped lower resting blood pressures, pet ownership is better at helping to control stress-induced peaks in blood pressure.

Following the study, many of the participants who did not have pets decided to acquire them, Allen said. "When we told the group that didn't have pets about the findings, many went out and got them," she said. "This study shows that if you have high blood pressure, a pet is very good for you when you're under stress, and pet ownership is especially good for you if you have a limited support system."

Allen is not certain exactly what happens physiologically. "There are lots of theories, but we honestly don't know why pets lower blood pressure," she said. "We suspect that having someone on your side - someone you can always count on that is non-judgmental - psychologically creates a beneficial atmosphere."