37 Comments:

• I agree that the scent is quite strong upon application - the cinnamon and clove are very potent - but in researching the ingredients in this product in comparison to the highly toxic chemicals in Advantage, BioSpot, and Frontline, I believe that Natural Defense is much, much safer. Of course, just like people, not all dogs can tolerate all spices, herbs, or other natural substances. Allergic reactions are bound to occur in some animals.
  Unlike the carcinogenic substances that make up the majority of "inert" ingredients in other topical pet pesticides, the isopropyl myristate in Natural Defense is a synthetic lubricant that is extremely low in toxicity - it is a mild to moderate eye irritant, and a common ingredient in cosmetics, skin lotions, and shaving creams, among others.
  Ideally, we would all love to never need to manage fleas and ticks. So far, Natural Defense is the only commercial product that I will put on my dog. However, if she were to show any signs of allergy or distress, I would discontinue use and return to making my own blend of rosemary and lemongrass essential oil treatment. It is quite effective, but high maintenance.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:24 PM, May 06, 2007  

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• why do i get the feeling you work in marketing?

  By  Anonymous, at 2:01 PM, May 08, 2007  

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• Good info. I always wonder about the side effects of these so called natural products.

  By  Matt, at 11:00 AM, May 11, 2007  

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• Yeah, the smell is very strong, it will actually deodorize our entire house for a few days. My dog can't stand the smell right at first, that basset hound nose of his, but so far it is the only topical flea and tick stuff I can use on him.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:52 PM, May 15, 2007  

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• May I point out, to paraphrase Steven Pinker, that a cabbage is a Darwinian creature too. Plants don't contain all these chemicals for the convenience of 21st century pet owners. Plants that contain a lot of "essential oils" are strong-smelling for a reason - they don't want to be eaten by animals!
  
  Drugs have to pass a lot of tests to be put on the market (I'm not sure if animal drugs fall under the FDA or the USDA). If you're worried about toxicity just look up the LD50 (50% lethal dose) and pick the least toxic product. Sure, it's a bit of Internet legwork, but if you love your pet that much don't just home in blindly on the "natural" buzzword.

  By  xenobiologista, at 11:10 PM, May 21, 2007  

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• I was the reviewer who gave the rather lengthy review about specific ingredients. I do not work in marketing - I'm an elementary school teacher - but we have a chemist in our family. In rereading, 'anonymous', I can see what you mean! I really do get into researching things that I use to clean, treat pets, feed my family, etc.
  
  I just really want to encourage people to investigate and challenge anything that is being sold to them. There are some safe products made with care, but they are vastly outnumbered by the products that are designed to maximize profit at our expense. Beginning with my frustration at laundry detergents and household cleaning products that label their ingredients simply as "anionic and nonionic surfectants" or (my favorite) "OTHER INGREDIENTS...98.5%", I've become a diligent researcher of consumer product safety on behalf of my family and friends and students. You wouldn't believe the things schoolchildren are exposed to.
  
  Enough of my soapbox. A last comment about Nature's Defense: we use about a third of the recommended amount. It is just as effective on our 70 lb. bulldog, and much less offensive to her sensitive nose. We also only use it sparingly during flea and tick season as a backup to our essential oils.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:31 PM, May 27, 2007  

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• I've used this product on my beagle, and had no negative reaction at all. I actually rather like the smell. Yes, it's strong, but peppermint, thyme, and lemongrass oils are going to smell. No one should have been surprised by this.
  
  The beagle doesn't like anything being dropped on her back, but reacted no worse to this than to other topical treatments. It hasn't been on her long enough to know how effective it is in killing fleas, but it hasn't done my dog any harm. And with the recent fears that imidacloprid is killing off honeybees, I feel better using these natural oils.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:31 PM, May 28, 2007  

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• I tried this and it worked wonders on my dogs.
  Cut up about 4 large lemons and place in a gallon of boiling water. Don't bother peeling them.
  Let them boil for awhile and then let it cool. I put it in a sprayer bottle and I spray the dogs legs and tummy lightly before they go outside.
  We did wash the dogs with flea and tick shampoo first and treated our home and yard for fleas. The lemon water is harmless and smells great!
  It keeps the fleas and ticks away.

  By  Lisa, at 1:01 PM, June 12, 2007  

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• There is no safe chemical flea treatment - all have side effects. Just read any label - it is the most important part of the product. Read my article, GOT FLEAS?, it is a wealth of important info on flea products and every pet owner needs to be aware. Find it here: www.liquorman.net/gotfleas
  
  I write for an on-line newsletter, The Dog Press. I have recently been named the science and health reporter for their new publication, the National Pet Press. We research and report on just this sort of thing all the time.

  By  Nell Liquorman, at 3:06 PM, June 24, 2007  

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• I know this is about the dog version, but I put the cat version on my cats, and it's probably the worst product I have ever used. It's been about a week and a half since I used it and the application site on my cat's neck looks like a chemical burn. There are chunks of skin and hair falling out, so really decide for yourself which the safer more humane option is for your animal.

  By  Risa, at 9:52 PM, August 25, 2007  

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• I love the scent. However, I used Natural Defense on my 8 cats and 6 of them lost fur and skin under the collar. I thought initially that it was because of the collar, so I applied the next application between the shoulder blades. It was even worse. Huge chunks of skin (dead, dried out) and fur came off the cats and it didn't kill the fleas, so I ended up with a major infestation. I had to pay $85 for Frontline (after trying Sargeant's drops, then flea baths, and frequent hand combing) to finally kill the fleas. My legs are a mass of sores. I will never use the drops again. I wanted to save money and go natural, but it is not worth the devestation to my animals and my home.

  By  jcprins, at 9:35 PM, September 08, 2007  

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• I've been using this for the past year on my two large labs and they have never had any problems. As for the smell, I'd much rather have them smell like a spice rack than chemicals.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:08 PM, September 21, 2007  

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• I can honestly say I have used this product and I am so far happy with it. I am wondering if maybe the animals treated with it may have been treated with something else prior to this and maybe the combination caused the effects? I first tested this on my own skin, I am highly sensative to soaps,lotions,ect. But it did not cause any redness or hives. So I applied to my dog and he was fine. I checked his skin every hour just to be sure and no reaction.
  
  The alternatives are far worse. I am going to try the cats version on my ferret because everything else I have used in the natural remedies has failed. I will come back and post the results.
  
  As far as the smell, I rather like the lemony smell.

  By  Stacey, at 6:11 PM, November 03, 2007  

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• I recently used this product on my poor cat and she went nuts, scratching and running around and she was so nervous around the house I had to wash her off right away with dawn dish soap. Three days later the stink is now down and she still is acting funny. I think this is a terrible product and will not use it again. It made my son sick to his stomach from the smell alone. Please so a patch test first as I did not. Shame on me.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:16 AM, November 16, 2007  

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• Essential oils and Cats
  
  Warning to cat owners out there; Essential oils can be very toxic to cats and should never be used on them, except under the guidance of a professional. Some cats may show extreme side effects such as kidney failure and mouth ulcers. I would not recommend the use of essential oils for cats.

  By  Heel 2 Heal, at 10:57 AM, January 25, 2008  

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• I must say I wish I knew about this site before using the product! I have 4 cats not all related and they all had reactions!!! My one cat had the worse reaction, with all my cats they lost their hair,but with him it burt his skin so bad it turned black!! I took him to the vet and he was so sick and in kidney and liver failer! we ended up putting in a feeding tube and it took almost 4 month of tending to him to save his life! I contacted the company and they acted like he was the only cat that had this reaction!! by the time it was all said and done it was a $3000.00 flea product. My cat now has to be on supportive medicine to keep his kidneys filtering properly. I sent all my vet bills and vet finding to sentry, and since receive a letter back saying that my cat was already in kidney failer and it was NOT due to their product..WHAT!!! I have never had a problem with this kitty as far as his health goes he has been healthy until I used the product!!! As I read all these comments how can they say it was not becuase of their product. I CAN'T BELEVE THEY ARE STILL SELLING THIS PRODUCT THAT COULD KILL YOUR BELOVID PET!!! This product needs to be pulled from the shelf, what can be done? Help....

  By  Teresa, at 5:50 PM, January 27, 2008  

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• Teresa, two words for you. Law Suit. Take them to court and at least get your money back. Money is the only thing these companies care about. Do not let them get away with this.
  
  With all of the "natural" products popping up everywhere I decided to do some research on this before buying it for my cats, I'm glad I did. Thank you for the help!

  By  Anonymous, at 4:07 AM, April 04, 2008  

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• My Lab has severe skin burning and hair falling out on the area of the back of the neck where this product was applied.
  Effective...Safe...Natural...All MISLEADING and DECEPTIVE.

  By  Anonymous, at 1:44 PM, June 26, 2008  

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• I tried this product on 3 of my 6 cats yesterday. The 3 cats who got Revolution were fine. The 3 who got this product all suffered varying degrees of allergic reaction and discomfort. One scratched violently and ran through the house until he was bathed (and it's VERY difficult to get this oily stuff off even with pet shampoo). My 14-yr-old cat's eyes dilated, she drooled and became weak -- she became so limp after bathing I feared she wouldn't make it. The 3rd only drooled a bit, but I bathed her as well, not wanting a replay of the other two reactions. Never again!

  By  Anonymous, at 7:04 AM, July 05, 2008  

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• I am not sure what all the negative publicity on this. I own a small pet store, and did some research before i brought this in. I put it on my dogs and had customers test it on their dogs. NO Issue - other then smell. I have since sold several cases of it this year and only 1 person brought it back. Not becuase they used it, but becuase they read of all the bad stuff written about it. Yes this stuff is strong smelling, but I find its a lot better then Frontline, Advantage, etc. I dont know if the dog's are getting the wrong dosage, giving the large dog dosage to the small dog are creating the issues, as it seems its all the smaller dogs and cats owners that are writing bad stuff about it. Or it also oculd be they are allergic to something in it. I also keep hearing my sensitive dog this or my sensitive dog that. If you have a flea issue, this is the safest thing on the market. Yes theres home remedies, but like I said its the safest thing on the market. Millions of these have been sold and if they were dangerous they would have been taken off the market.

  By  Sims, at 5:49 PM, July 28, 2008  

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• I am not sure what all the negative publicity on this. I own a small pet store, and did some research before i brought this in. I put it on my dogs and had customers test it on their dogs. NO Issue - other then smell. I have since sold several cases of it this year and only 1 person brought it back. Not becuase they used it, but becuase they read of all the bad stuff written about it. Yes this stuff is strong smelling, but I find its a lot better then Frontline, Advantage, etc. I dont know if the dog's are getting the wrong dosage, giving the large dog dosage to the small dog are creating the issues, as it seems its all the smaller dogs and cats owners that are writing bad stuff about it. Or it also oculd be they are allergic to something in it. I also keep hearing my sensitive dog this or my sensitive dog that. If you have a flea issue, this is the safest thing on the market. Yes theres home remedies, but like I said its the safest thing on the market. Millions of these have been sold and if they were dangerous they would have been taken off the market.

  By  Sims, at 5:50 PM, July 28, 2008  

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• This stuff is terrible for your pet. I put it on 2 of my cats and they had terrible reactions to it. Losing fur, scratching, bleeding from scratching, dandruff not to mention the smell lingers for a week and my cats were pissed at me for weeks.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:29 AM, August 16, 2008  

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• I can only comment on application for dogs. I don't have any cats. I found that when I applied the product I had less of a reaction at the line of application than I did with Advantix, which made my dogs' hair fall out terribly and smelled obnoxious. Yes, it did invigorate the dogs for a little while with the smell, but I'm sure that's natural as the same thing happened with other flea prevention products. I noticed some of the users that used it and had severe reactions mentioned they used it at one point on the dog's fur. The box directions say to spread it down the back to the base of the tail. The high concentration may have been the problem with the use of the product in those cases.

  By  Anonymous, at 5:07 AM, August 19, 2008  

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• I will not use insecticides on my pet. I totally agree that products such as flea collars, frontline, advantix, flea powders, etc...are exposing us to toxic chemicals via the trasdermal and inhalation routes. However, I find it ironic when I read comments from people that hate these products as well and warn against them because they so love animals, but they won't share their remedies unless you pay for a booklet!! And we thought only the big pharmaceutical companies were all about the money!

  By  Anonymous, at 4:50 PM, September 01, 2008  

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• Im glad I read this, I have been using Frontline on my beagle for 2 years and it has recently stopped working. I was going to try this Sargeant's product and glad i read this page first.
  
  
  I am going to experiment with
  
  15 oz boiling water
  1 lemon crushed and chopped
  1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
  1/4 tsp Crushed Cloves
  
  [add chopped/crushed lemon into water and boil. Strain out lemon pulp, skin and seeds. Add remaining spices and put into a spray bottle before walking the dog in the morning.]
  
  
  
  I just sprayed the hound down with the mixture and he started to lick some of it off but was not uncomfortable in any way. Lets see how it works against the fleas in Miami, FL. I will post back in a few days.

  By  boo-koo, at 12:25 PM, October 02, 2008  

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• Follow up:
  
  I took my dog to get a flea dip and washed with flea shampoo. Then I started to use the mixture that I posted earlier.
  
  Result: Fleas came back within 24 hours. The lemon water is not effective in a hot climate like Florida with alot of fleas.
  
  Just for curiosity's sake I purchased the Sentry natural defense product. I just applied it 30 minutes ago. The dog did not experience any discomfort.
  
  I will follow up to advise if it is effective at killing the fleas. I have been using Frontline Plus on the dog for over 2 years and lately the fleas come back after 1 week. It appears the dog has built up an immunity to Frontline. If this Sentry Natural Defense does not work then I will try Advantage product.

  By  boo-koo, at 8:25 AM, October 04, 2008  

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• I hate using chemicals and synthetic products but I cant stand idle while the dog is tormented by the fleas.
  
  Even if it shortened his life by 2 years I think the dog would prefer to have relief from the fleas which make him suffer all day long as they bite him over and over again.
  
  I was so sad to see the dog bitting the base of his tail furiously to scratch the itch. The fleas really torture and torment the poor dog.

  By  boo-koo, at 8:29 AM, October 04, 2008  

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• Here is my experience with Sentry Natural Defense:
  
  Upon application the product has an extremely powerful odor. I left the dog home alone afterwards. When I returned to the house 6 hours later the smell hit my nose immediately when I walked into the living room. I am not exaggerating and I am not a very fussy person. The smell is extremely objectionable.
  
  The good news is that yesterday I did not see the dog scratching with fleas. But when I woke up this morning the smell had subsided by 80% which is good. Sadly, the dog is itching and scratching again.
  
  Bottom line: This product is very weak at killing and repelling fleas and probably only works for households with a very mild flea problem in a cold climate.
  
  Im sorry to say it but Frontline and Advantage are the only ones that I have tested that do the job of killing fleas. Yes they have chemicals and you will need to choose the lesser of 2 evils:
  
  First Evil: Treat your pet with chemicals that may shorten the pet's life in the long term or weaken the pet's health.
  
  Second Evil: Do nothing (or use an ineffective folk remedy) and allow the pet to suffer day in and day out for the rest of its life as it itches and scratches.
  
  Each owner must choose for herself.

  By  boo-koo, at 7:27 AM, October 05, 2008  

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• Here's my story: I bought Natural Defense b/c I really hate putting toxic chemicals on my 2 chi's, plus I have a 3-yr-old and 1-1/2-yr-old who are always ALL OVER the dogs. Initially I just got the shampoo (which smelled awesome) but the dogs were scratching the same day. So today I bought the spot treatment. I read and reread all of the above comments, but decided to take a chance since I had already used the shampoo with no ill affects. I used one vial for both of them and so far so good. They weren't bothered at all by the smell and we actually LOVE the smell, they're like little room fresheners! It's NOT bad at all if you like spicy/earthy smells. I haven't noticed any scratching yet, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. I just wanted to post my experience with it b/c unfortunately most of what I read here was pretty negative and I'm sorry for all the little ones who did suffer.

  By  denise, at 7:28 PM, October 05, 2008  

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• Hello,
  For many years we have used "Garlic Barrier" (garlic oil) in a hose end sprayer and sprayed our yard, bushes and tress. We have no fleas, ticks or mosquitoes. We apply it once or twice (depending on how much rain we get) every 4 weeks.
  Before doing this I would get a lot of fleas and flogging the house was a pain. I found that sprinkling Borax detergent (powder) on my rugs and furniture in the morning and vacuuming it up when I got home for a couple of days did the trick. The borax cuts though the shell of the flea and they bleed to death. You should use caution with the borax and google "borax and fleas" for more tips n uses.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:33 AM, October 20, 2008  

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• So I was reading the May 2008 issue of Dog Fancy and on page 34 there is a list of spot-on flea and tick treatments for dogs. It tells if the product kills ticks, and or repels/kills mosquitoes, who the manufacture is, and what the active ingredients are.
  
  The list of active ingredients for the Sentry Natural Defense Natural Flea & tick Squeeze-on reads: peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass oil. thyme oil. clove oil, and 2-phenethyl propionate. The LD50 (Lethal Dose 50%) for 2-phenethyl propionate is 5,000 mg/kg when given orally to rats. The LD50 for imidacloprid, the active ingredient in Advantage, is the same. I guess Sentry calls it ‘Natural Defense’ because it has natural ingredients in it. However, judging by the active ingredients it is not ALL natural.
  
  I just bought a 4 pack of Advantage for 11-20 lbs. dogs from Petco for $52.99. I looked online and it looks like a 3 pack for dogs under 15 lbs. of Sentry Natural Defense cost $14.99 at PetSmart.
  
  Based on price I was leaning toward returning the Advantage and buying the Sentry. Then I read at Sentry Natural Defense’s website that their monthly applications feature natural active ingredients such as peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass oil and thyme oil. They left out the 2-phenethyl propionate! Sentry also sells a Pro Squeeze-On that contains permethrin and pyripoxyfen, so they are by no means an all natural company.
  
  I have decided, despite the cost, to stick with the Advantage. I really dislike the fact that Sentry stated on their website that their product ‘featured’ natural active ingredients, list the natural ingredients, and then left out the 2-phenethly propionate that is also featured in their product. It seems like they are trying to trick people into believing that their product is ALL natural, when it is not. I hate it when a company uses the word game to make us think we are getting something that we are not.
  
  Natural does not mean ALL natural!

  By  Reanna, at 12:06 AM, November 14, 2008  

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• "2-Phenethyl propionate is the ester of phenethyl alcohol and propionic acid. It has shown antifungal activity[2] and was tested as a natural pesticide."
  **The above quote came from wikipedia. It seems the hard task is for a manufacturer to say something is natural, AND HEALTHY FOR YOU!!! Many things are naturally occuring. Mercury is a natural substance, but is a deadly poison as well. I have been reading this blog and I just dont know what to do. I have cats and dogs. Never had fleas but the ticks in my area are bad. My cats groom my dogs constantly. Cats fare far worse when ingesting toxins than dogs, due to a cat's difference in metabolic processes.
  I tried to save a stray cat once that I found in the woods and believe the flea and tick products I used led to his death. I read and followed ALL instructions, but that was before many of these products decided to include extra warnings about animals that are under weight, or may have health issues. That product contained Pyrethrins. Pyrethrins are the insecticidal chemicals extracted from the pyrethrum daisy (natural, but deadly in some cases). Also, Permethrin is a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide an acaricide and as an insect repellent, and is NOT natural. It just seems that when many people who sell these products, or get paid to endorse them, one never knows who to trust.IT'S ALL SO CONFUSING!!! Help!

  By  Anonymous, at 1:31 PM, December 05, 2008  

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• PLEASE NOTE: We have had some reports of reactions such as skin irritation and hair loss at the site of application (see reviews below). In addition, the oils in the Sentry Natural Defense Squeeze-On may temporarily discolor white hair or fur. We recommend testing the product initially by applying a few drops in nape of the neck, and wait 24 hours to evaluate any response before applying the full dose. If you do see an adverse reaction, wash your dog with a shampoo or dishwashing liquid that contains detergents, as this is the most effective way to remove the oils causing the reaction.
  
  I found the above information on this web site:
  
  http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Sentry-Natural-Defense-Flea-Tick-Squeeze-On-for-Dogs/207000.aspx

  By  Anonymous, at 1:52 PM, December 05, 2008  

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• Fleas are attracted to weak animals. A dog or cat with a healthy immune system have less fleas. Keep your pet on a raw food diet and minimal vacc. and he will not attract as many fleas as the pet on commercial pet food. I know, I have been feeding raw food for 7 years now and no vaccs. I live in SC and I have 16 cats and 5 dogs plus run a boarding facility........I flea comb the cats every other day. One cat will have 3 fleas on him and another will have none. I use natural defense spray maybe 4 times a year......... It is not about what we put on the animal it is what we put IN the animal that works............

  By  Anonymous, at 4:40 PM, December 10, 2008  

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• I wish I had found this site before I had purchased and used this product (the shampoo). I had mentioned it to my sister because I actually liked the smell of cloves. My sister used it on her dog on Christmas day this year and the poor dog ended up in the Vet ER. She was admitted for servere dehydration due to vomitting and diarrhea. She also had developed such a bad rash that her entire little body was blood red.
  
  The vet said that they were going to contact poison control and when they did, they notified my sister that they have had several calls about this reactions to this product. Imagine the guilt I feel.
  
  To all who have suffered I feel for you. Something needs to be done about getting this product off the market and holding the company responsible for damage their product has caused to our family memembers.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:40 PM, December 29, 2008  

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• I wish I had found this site before I had purchased and used this product (the shampoo). I had mentioned it to my sister because I actually liked the smell of cloves. My sister used it on her dog on Christmas day this year and the poor dog ended up in the Vet ER. She was admitted for servere dehydration due to vomitting and diarrhea. She also had developed such a bad rash that her entire little body was blood red.
  
  The vet said that they were going to contact poison control and when they did, they notified my sister that they have had several calls about this reactions to this product. Imagine the guilt I feel.
  
  To all who have suffered I feel for you. Something needs to be done about getting this product off the market and holding the company responsible for damage their product has caused to our family memembers.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:41 PM, December 29, 2008  

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• The above posting was written by me also.
  
  Today is 12/31/08 and we have just returned from putting my sister's dog down. There was nothing else we could do for her. Her whole little body just couldn't undo the damage this shampoo had caused.
  
  I will not rest until this and all other Sargent products are off the market. Anyone who might be interested, please post.

  By  Anonymous, at 2:16 PM, December 31, 2008  

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