Summer’s here! Warm weather, outdoor activities…and bugs. Lots of bugs…including mosquitoes, which, besides being a pain in the backside for we humans, spread all kinds of nasty diseases. Probably the worst mosquito-borne illness for dogs is heartworm. These nasty little creatures enter a dog’s system via the saliva of a mosquito who has picked up the parasite from an infected animal. The mosquito bites the dog and the heartworm larvae enter the host dog’s bloodstream, where they grow as they make their way to the heart. Once they ‘set up shop’ in the heart, they continue to grow and reproduce, strangling blood vessels and damaging the host’s heart and lungs, which eventually fail. If you’ve ever seen the heart of a dog that has died from heartworm, it appears as though it is wrapped in spaghetti. (Female heartworms can grow up to fourteen inches in length.)

Fortunately, all this can be prevented. Your dog should have a heartworm antigen test each spring. The vet will draw a blood sample and analyze it for the presence of heartworm larvae. This only takes a few minutes and is painless. If the test results are (hopefully) negative, the vet will prescribe a heartworm preventive medication. These are commonly administered daily and may be in the form of a chewy beef-flavored ‘treat’, so most dogs are easily dosed. If the test results are positive, the vet will begin treatment, which may take several months and involves administration of antibiotics for about four weeks to render the heartworms less viable, followed by administration of a medication containing arsenic, which kills the heartworms. During the time the dog is being treated, he must be hospitalized and kept as inactive as possible as the dying heartworms can further choke off the victim’s heart, resulting in the dog’s death.

There are other insects that, while not fatal, can really annoy your pet, such as fleas, ticks, and biting flies. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva, and one bite can send them into an itching frenzy leading to hot spots and dermatitis. Ticks can spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. So…you need to keep these critters away from your furry buddy. There are many flea and tick preventives on the market. Some are taken orally; some forms are administered through the skin once a month. Although these have proven effective, there have been isolated incidents of adverse reactions which unfortunately have resulted in death. Think about it–the directions for the topical treatments advise not getting any of the substance on your skin. The reason? They contain neurotoxins (poison). This is what you are putting into your best friend. I am someone who believes in a more natural approach to my dogs’ health and well-being, so following are a couple of ideas for ridding your dog (home and yard too) of the little pests. But please bear in mind that these remedies take a lot of time and patience. Just keep reminding yourself that natural is best and you aren’t exposing your pet to something that may get rid of the bugs sooner but can cause great harm to your dog.

The first thing to remember is that it’s not enough to rid your dog of fleas. If there are fleas on your dog, chances are pretty good that they’re also in your yard, your carpet, your furniture, your pet’s bed…you get the drift. But let’s start with the dog, since he is the one providing the meal ticket for the little critters. To get rid of fleas on your dog, bathe him with a natural shampoo, which should kill most adult fleas on contact. You can also use natural dish soap for the same effect. Using a flea comb (available at pet-supply stores) dipped in soapy water several times a day after the initial bath should get rid of the remaining pests.

For a flea-free yard, mix two ounces of dish soap with ten drops each of neem oil and red cedarwood oil and place in a hose sprayer. Spray the area one a week during flea season (roughly late summer until hard frosts). Take care not to spray any succulent plants with this mixture as it may harm them. This will kill adult fleas.

For your home, begin by steam-cleaning all carpets and rugs, which should kill the adult fleas. When the carpets are dry, sprinkle them with a mixture of one part Borax salts and three parts table salt and rake it in thoroughly, also paying special attention to cracks and corners where eggs may have been laid. Leave this mixture down for a week and then vacuum. Dispose of the vacuum contents by either burning them or placing in a tightly-closed plastic bag outdoors. You don’t want these hatching in your utility closet! Also wash any bedding (yours or your dog’s) in the hottest water and drying on the highest setting permitted by laundering instructions. Another remedy is to combine one teaspoon of wintergreen essential oil with one quart of hot water in a mist sprayer and spray all carpets, drapes, upholstery, pillows, etc.–any place that eggs may be lurking. This will not kill fleas, but it will kill the eggs.

Dogs Naturally Magazine provides the following recipe for a flea-free oil blend to use on your dog:

1/2 oz. base oil (hazelnut or sweet almond)
4 drops clary sage oil
1 drop citronella
7 drops peppermint oil
3 drops lemon oil

Combine and apply 2-4 drops topically to the dog’s neck, chest, legs, and base of the tail. This mixture can also be added to a bandanna or cotton collar.

I hope you and your dog enjoy a flea-free, itch-free summer!