How To Naturally Protect Your Furever Family This Summer
#TaelerArmy — Here are some nifty natural remedies to help protect your home and your adorable tail waggers this year! Let’s face it: fleas are evolving and they’re developing immunities to our tried-n-true pricey store bought remedies like Frontline. 10 years ago, this was gold! Sadly, not so much anymore. Living my life on the road is a busy and adventurous lifestyle in a tiny house on wheels. My house may be mobile and less than 300ft but that doesn’t mean I don’t run into fleas! But there are some awesome ways that you yourself can combat fleas without wasting your money, I’ve done that for you! I put my money where my mouth is. Now you too can naturally fend off these buggers like me and protect your home/pets without breaking the bank! Your wallet and pets will thank you!
Coconut Oil: Coconut Oil is an AMAZING dual purpose item that is popular in many kitchens and it’s readily available at most grocery stores, pharmacies, even your local Dollar Tree. Not only is it great for humans it’s also great for your pets! Coconut Oil will condition their fur, if eaten it’ll provide essential Omega 3s, will relieve aggravated skin due to allergies, dry skin, flea bites, etc. If you want to feed Coconut Oil to your dog be sure to start slow & be mindful of the ratio of weight per spoonful of Coconut Oil. Example being 1/2 tablespoon per 10 pounds more info - Google. If ingesting make sure you buy Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil so that you aren’t feeding your pet processed/chemically infused Coconut Oil. Don’t overfeed Coconut Oil to your pet as it could cause Diarrhea. To treat for fleas: You can either rub the oil in between your hands until melted or melt it in your microwave. (If using microwave be mindful to cool slightly so as to not burn your pet). Coat your hands and thoroughly rub down your pet: back, stomach, neck, legs, top of head, avoid eyes, ears, nose. The Coconut Oil will suffocate the fleas acting as a barrier that is conditioning their fur/skin and causing fleas to jump off or die off. This method can be repeated as much as necessary. Don’t forget you must treat your house too. If you don’t address the environment then the flea cycle will continue. Look for methods that work in conjunction with each other! Read below!Apple Cider Vinegar or (ACV) is another item that is inexpensive and should be in every household! So many uses! Great for humans and again their pets. We have to remember that all the topical chemicals we put onto our pets eventually get absorbed through their skin and into their bloodstream. With ACV its beneficial to pets and their “hoomans” both externally and internally. Externally, it’s another deterrent because fleas hate the odor and taste of ACV and at the same time the ACV like Coconut Oil will condition their skin helping to shine their coat and soothe irritated skin AND help with odor control. Ain’t nothing quite like that wet dog smell! Lol! ACV provides several options: ingesting it which depends again on weight which if you Google can be anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of ACV added to your pets drinking water per 50 pounds weight of your pet, bathing your pet with it after shampooing massage/coat your pet with ACV & let sit before rinsing, or creating spray of ACV combined with warm water doing 1 part ACV to 2 parts warm water which can stay on your pet and pet areas like beds cat trees, etc. Avoid spraying the eyes. Ingesting helps kill fleas as well as helps their digestive systems, blood sugar, acts as an antiseptic, muscle aches, insect bites, and more! Its important to remember that when shopping for ACV buy Raw Unpasteurized Organic ACV with the Mother component. This is the best form of ACV for you and your pet!Rosemary! Yes the herb! Rosemary is less of a flea killer and more of a repellent/prevention. So think of it like a shield deflecting swords and arrows lol. Rosemary is not only good for flavoring foods, its also apparently known as a natural flea repellent! Depending on what you have readily available or what you can find, Rosemary has 2 ways you can use it as a natural flea treatment: spray/wash, or oil! The spray/wash treatment is a little involved in comparison to Coconut Oil & ACV. Take 2 pints of water and bring them to boil then add 2 cups of fresh rosemary and continue to boil another 30min. Then turn off the heat to let cool. Strain the leaves keeping the water. Pour into a glass container w/ lid. Only use after its fully cooled. Wash your dog with shampoo, then pour the rosemary water over all infested areas of your dog avoiding eyes & ears. Do not rinse just let dry naturally. Some do not recommend this option for cats as some have adverse reactions to this particular method but its almost impossible to tell if your cat will or not until it happens. Play it safe! The 2nd option is Rosemary Essential Oil, which can potentially be irritating to cats and dogs skin so its recommended to put a few drops on their collar and spray their hangout areas instead! Boom!Dish Soap! Yep, that’s right — not only does Dawn Dish Soap help in oil spills, it can help your home’s flea infestation. Get a plate or bowl with a mixture of warm water and dish soap. Its suggested that it’s most effective at night since fleas are nocturnal and this method should be freshened every day until problem is solved. If your spaces are large put out several plates or bowls as fleas can jump almost 300ftt across and well over 100ft high! Eww!Homemade Herbal Spray: this option I found very helpful as it contains ingredients that are always kept in my home and I’ve used this one in conjunction with the Coconut Oil and ACV treatments and dish soap method! This concoction is: 4 liters of vinegar, 2 liters of water, 500ml of lemon juice, and 250ml of Witch Hazel which can be found in first aid/cosmetic skin care aisles at Walmart, Target, CVS, & more. Combine these liquids into a large spray bottle and spray every area of carpet and furniture and basically any area that could be infested only after after vacuuming house carefully emptying contents outside, and washing all bedding.Baking Soda: Not only good for odor control, Baking Soda is a great natural home remedy for fleas when combining it with you best friend — the vacuum! Vacuuming is your best asset in treating your home for fleas as it removes the fleas from the deep parts of the fibers in your furniture, clothing, and carpets. Spread Baking Soda throughout your home on all carpets and furniture and infested areas. I found it to be most effecting when I took the time to rub it into the fibers letting it sit before vacuuming and emptying outside. If you need an extra punch try also adding finely ground salt into your carpets and let sit for 1-2 days. It apparently dehydrates and affects adult fleas which is helpful in disturbing the flea cycle.Lemon Spray: Thinly slice a lemon adding it to a pint of water and bring to a boil. Let sit overnight and presto you have a flea deterring citrus spray! Pour into a spray bottle and spritz your home. Don’t soak only dampen.
At the end of the day we work hard for our money our homes and we LOVE our pets! If we aren’t willing to plug ourselves with harmful chemicals then maybe we should also be paying attention to what we put around our homes and on our purrfect pets! 6 out of 7 of these are Taeler tested and Slinky approved! We use these methods along with his seresto collar to keep him healthy and our furever family happy! He gives 4 paws up in his pawsitively flea free home in Taeler’s Tiny House On Wheels! Slinky wants all of his furry friends to be safe and flea free this summer. Doing so without breaking the bank means more money for chew toys and woofins! After all, a dachshund really can make a difference! — Taeler Hendrix