Reunion Rescue's War on Fleas

Reunion Rescue has always fed our dogs and other animals a raw diet. Feeding cats and dogs a raw diet has proved to be a formidable flea-fighting foe. Our website's Health Page is chock full of information about raw feeding.

Last summer, Texas pet owners faced an awful flea problem and Reunion Rescue was hit hard. Each year, we treat our property here at Reunion Rescue No-Kill Refuge with beneficial nematodes.

What are beneficial nematodes for fleas? How do they work?

From Fleabites.net...a nematode called Steinerma carpocapsae is a parasite of fleas. It is known to effectively kill adult fleas as well as their larvae and pupa in grass and soil. Pet owners with large backyards can spray treat their gardens with a beneficial nematode solution to keep their pets safe from flea menace in the summer months. Beneficial nematodes are environmentally safe, so they do not damage crops and gardens. Studies have shown that these ‘non-toxic pest control operators’ can eliminate more than 90% of flea larvae within 24 hours of the first application.

We didn't treat our property last summer and we learned a hard lesson. With heavy rains this winter and spring, we knew this coming season was going to be even worse, so we treated the property not only once, but twice with beneficial nematodes.

For years, the upper level of our residence a.k.a. refuge was carpeted. For my birthday this year, I bit
the bullet and ripped out the carpet and installed vinyl sheet flooring. This can be treated with an I.G. regulator which kills fleas, both adult and larvae, for 7 months. The I.G. regulator is mixed with a gallon of water and can be sprayed on carpet, flooring, baseboards, furniture, kennels and bedding.

Robert McDowell Herbals makes a great product which is safe for your pet. From the Robert McDowell site:

1. If your dog seems to be more plagued by fleas than others, then her blood must be particularly attractive.

2. If your dog is more reactive and itchy than others, then the additional toxins injected by the fleas must be stressing her system more than others.

3. Also, we know that itching and scratching is a bodily response trying to either stimulate the blood to clear toxins from under the skin or an attempt to break through the skin to release them to the outside.

4. Therefore, if we can reduce the toxin levels from your dogs blood and at the same time make the blood less palatable, we can probably make a difference.

5. In herbal medicine the powerful blood cleansers are also herbs which are strong and unpleasant in taste. So, if we provide a course of such herbs, we are able to reduce the toxic load in the blood and at the same time make the blood less attractive to parasites.

I ordered the Blood Cleansing Formula and have been adding the herbal mixture to meals for about a week. 

We use Cedarcide shampoo and spray to deter fleas. Cedarcide products are safe for pets and children. We do not use the yard treatment where we've applied nematodes.

You might think this is a bit overkill, but remember, this is war, war on fleas.

Please share your flea tips and healthy pet information on our Facebook page, Home Remedies to Heal Animals. We are always looking for healthy, holistic alternatives to enrich the lives of the wonderful animals we share our lives with.