Cedar is one of nature's insect repellants, and has been used for centuries, particularly for clothes storage.

Recently, it's been gaining popularity as a way to keep fleas and ticks away from pets. Popularity is growing because of other chemical solutions like Frontline and Advantix have been negatively portrayed in pet journals as shortening the lives of dogs.

Even solutions made from all natural ingredients, such as Sentry Natural Defense, have produced a lot of negative comments from actual users.

A company called Cedarcide is benefitting from this turn of events, and offers a wide variety of solutions made from cedar oil. The cedar spray depicted above seems like a very practical solution. You can spray it on your dog, on their bedding, or inside their dog house...

http://www.cedarcidestore.com

I haven't used any of their products, and am not endorsing them in any way. And they have not paid me for this mention either! I'm just passing it along.

But I do use stuff cedar shavings into our dogs' beds. The stuffing inside the bed is where fleas tend to lay their eggs. So basically, it forces fleas to lay their eggs elsewhere.

So far so good. Neither of my dogs have fleas or ticks, and I do check them every once in awhile.

If your dogs stay outside, you can also buy a cedar dog house, made by a company called Blythe Wood Works. Not only does it help keep fleas and ticks out, cedar wood is very durable, it won't warp and split like pine. And wood is also a natural insulator, keeping things quite warm inside. Here's their website...

http://www.blythewoodworks.com/

Labels: Flea and Tick

A year ago, we posted an announcement of Sentry Natural Defense, a flea and tick killer that uses all natural ingredients, and as such, is supposed to be totally safe for dogs and cats.

However, a lot of pet owners, including myself, have discovered otherwise.

See our original announcement and read the many comments describing how their dogs and cats suffered great discomfort immediately after application.

http://www.doggienews.com/2006/03/sentry-natural-defense.htm

I tried it on my two dogs, and my beagle went nuts within a few seconds. The smell of Sentry Natural Defense is very strong. Mia immediately began scratching the back of her neck by laying on the ground and moving around. My other dog, Max, didn't seem to mind it all. So, I imagine like many products, each dog reacts differently.

Sentry Natural Defense, while made from herbal extracts and oils, goes to show that just because something doesn't contain any man-made chemicals, doesn't mean it's healthier. Mother Nature can be a very dangerous lady, offering up an array of chemicals that can invoke allergic reactions and even kill.

And in light of the recent dog food contamination, people are more likely than ever to look for products with lower poisoning risk. Words like, "All Natural Ingredients" are going to sell very well from here on out. Don't be fooled.

Labels: Flea and Tick