- checking login information
Loading...Flea and Tick Collars
- Annie B. Bond
- January 20, 1999
- 8:11 pm
- 22 comments
While flea collars seem tempting to use, read the ingredients carefully and check the chemicals for safety at Scorecard, the Environmental Defense Fund’s database of chemicals. According to the Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC), ingredients on some flea collars are carcinogens, neurotoxins, or both. An effective and natural collar can be made using repellent essential oils.
Choose an absorbent collar for your pet, such as the widely available heavy-duty woven nylon collars. The collar will absorb essential oils, and no additional collar is needed. Essential oils that repel fleas and ticks include citronella, rosemary, and rose geranium. Buy only 100 percent pure essential oils, and using an eyedropper, put just one or two drops on the collar. Repeat each week. Some animals are very sensitive to the strong smell of essential oils, so start with just one drop and increase to two if they seem to tolerate the smell. If ticks are the biggest problem, use rose geranium; for fleas choose citronella if for a dog, but not for cats.
Caution
Pennyroyal shouldn’t be used around pets, especially pregnant pets.
Cats are sensitive to citrus, so avoid citronella.
Make sure not to get the essential oil in the pet’s eyes or directly on their skin.
Read more: Pets, Pests, Remedies & Treatments
Annie B. Bond
Annie is a renowned expert in non-toxic and green living. Named one of the top 20 environmental leaders by Body and Soul Magazine, Annie has authored four books, including "Home Enlightenment" (Rodale Press, 2005) and "Better Basics for the Home" (Three Rivers Press, 1999).
.jpg)
Go to the Source
The Complete Book of Flea Control for You, Your Pet, and Your Home by Ted Kuepper
A 78 page book that presents information on controlling fleas using techniques that do not require insecticides, as well as descriptions of insecticidal products and their proper use to maximize effectiveness and minimize contact. This book makes it clear when to use a particular type of product and why. buy now
Common-Sense Pest Control by William Olkowski, Sheila Daar, Helga Olkowski (Contributor)
From ridding your apartment of cockroaches to dealing with the regional deforestation threats of Gypsy Moths, this is the authoritative book on how to control pests by using the natural mechanisms of control that have kept our planet from being savaged, prior to our human disruptions. buy now
Our Children's Toxic Legacy : How Science and Law Fail to Protect Us from Pesticides by John Wargo
An expert in pesticide policy traces the history of pesticide law and science, focusing on the special hazards pesticides have presented to children past and present, and suggesting urgent reforms are necessary to protect them. buy now
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
people are talking
and yummy too
ty
v interesting
I choose the love and peace that is inside yourself. Love and Peace
why did I not find this one funny? poor baby..
22 comments
+ add your owncollars don't really work
I've often thought about those purchased collars --- they smell so bad for me I feel so very sorry for the poor pet wearing one ---- they're smell is so much greater then ours.......thanks for helpful info!
helpful info..thanx for sharing...
We've got to be very careful and if vet's advice is needed
my holistic vet doesn't use flea deterrents. she believes that they're more harmful than helpful. she said most animals don't get fleas and if they do, treat the animal at that point. my regular vet, which i no longer see, thinks the opposite. i guess you just have to go with your gut.
really good info.
My cat had for a short time flea collar. She didn't want to eat and drink anything so we took it off. She also had allergic reactions. Apparently these measures flea concentration is low but she hated that smell.
Not everyone pet can wear those things. Besides collars shoudn't be worn as soon as something starts to itching your cat but only as the fleas do not persists after multiple washes.
I have just had my 13yo staffordshire bull terrier put to sleep thanks to a tumor on the spine - right where we have applied the advantix & frontline her entire life. Do yourselves a favour. Don't use frontline. Don't use advantix. They contain pesticides which are KNOWN carcenogens. Do your research. :(
I learned the dangers of flea collars the hard way when my kitty went into convulsions. It wasn't until I had her at the vet's and he took the collar off that I even suspected it as the culprit. Her neck was raw and blistered under the collar, she'd reacted so badly. It took months for her fur to grow back on her neck. I've never put a flea collar on a pet since then.
Just spend the money and get Frontline. Vet recommended. Works quickly. Just a few drops.
login to add your comment
use your care2 login
add your comment