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What flea products are the safest - Orals, spot-ons, or washes?

What flea products are the safest - Orals, spot-ons, or washes?

Good news about a new natural flea treatment

Pax sitting in grass of Canadian Rockies

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the damaging effects of conventional flea products. Today, I would like to answer questions about flea product administration and its safety.

Most people agree that the more natural and non-toxic a flea product is, the better. However, you can increase your dog's safety by paying attention to the following areas:

  • Ingredients
  • Method of administration

 Ingredients

Instead of agonizing over a multitude of products, there is a simple way of weeding out the ones that are most likely to be dangerous. When you are choosing a product, look at the label and check the ingredients. If you see any ingredients that are not natural, or you do not know if they are natural, find references online and look for their toxicity. Ideally, look for a safety data sheet to see what to expect. I also suggest checking the EPA website (Environmental Protection Agency) for a list of flea products that have caused problems. (This list was included in the previous blog.)

In my world, anything that has not been grown by nature should ideally be eliminated. If the ingredients are necessary, such as stabilizers and other agents, reduce their amounts to a minimum.

Method of administration

Choosing the right flea treatment method takes nothing more than common sense. Here are a few guidelines:

A) In most cases, oral flea treatment is less than ideal over a product that is administered topically.

B) Less concentrated products are naturally better.

C) It is better if the active ingredients can be washed off after adult fleas are gone, rather than maintaining a high residual concentration of flea product.

Oral flea care  

Considering the above, oral products are the least ideal and the longer they remain in the system, the worse they are. Even if you decide to use natural ingredients, unless they are a part of a natural diet, they are safer when administered topically.

Spot-on flea care 

A high concentration of any product is more likely to cause local skin irritation and their toxicity is also higher. For example, conventional flea products are designed to remain deadly to fleas for a month. These products are highly toxic, based on the environmental agency reports and can cause seizures and, in some cases, death. I have witnessed a dog seizing after a spot-on administration and I always try to avoid them.

A higher concentration of non-toxic natural essential oils is safer than synthetic flea control, but there is one drawback. Their smell is strong and dogs usually hate them.

Wash or bath products 

Naturally, these products would be ideal because they are not administered orally and are usually washed off.

While flea bath products are the least toxic form, most of them only kill the adult fleas. 

FleaHex®, our all-natural flea control product is a formula that has all the important parameters:

  • It is not internal
  • It is not a spot-on product
  • Most of it is washed off within 10 minutes after administration
  • It is administered weekly to maintain the effect and low residue
  • It needs to be administered for four to eight weeks and then only as needed
  • It can be used to treat an acute flea problem or once a month as a preventive in heavily infested regions

To summarize, when you are choosing flea control, make sure that you avoid orals and spot-ons. Feed your dog a natural diet and, ideally, choose a natural wash such as FleaHex® that works for adult fleas and the flea cycle. It also repels fleas and is 100 percent guaranteed.

FleaHex® will be a one-way ticket for your dog's fleas!

Watch this video to learn how to stop using dangerous flea and tick medication:

For more information about FleaHex®, click here!

best natural flea and tick prevention

© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM

 

About the author

Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM is an Integrative veterinarian, nutritionist and creator of natural supplements for dogs and people. Helping you and your dog prevent disease, treat nutritional deficiencies, and enjoy happier, healthier, and longer lives together.

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