[Hound Dog Mom]

During flea season I bathe the dogs every 2 – 3 weeks with Dr. Harvey’s herbal protection shampoo, then I brush them with a flea comb and the next day I apply Sentry Natural Defense topical (comes in a tube like Advantix/Frontline, but it’s chemical free and contains only essential oils). They get Earth Animal’s herbal flea and tick tincture in their food 6 days a week. I wash their bedding every 2 – 3 weeks and add borax to the detergent. I spray the yard every 2 – 3 weeks with Vet’s Best Flea & Tick Yard and Kennel Spray (has peppermint oil and clove extract). This will be my second summer going natural. Last summer I used no chemicals and had no issues with fleas or ticks (and my dogs are outside a lot).

I’m with Marie on the heartworm preventative deal – that’s something I’m not risking. There’s a story online somewhere (maybe dog aware?). About a woman who raised deerhounds – raw fed, no vaccines, no preventatives, etc. She had, I believe it was, two of her dogs get diagnosed with heartworm one summer. Many will say dogs raised naturally and with a strong immune systems won’t get heartworm, but that’s not true. They may be less susceptible but they’re not immune. I work at a shelter and have seen too many dogs die of heartworm and many more that have had to endure the harsh treatment to get rid of the heartworm once they have it. Not something I’m chancing with my crew. They get heartworm preventative May – October every 45 days. I use the preventative that only does heartworm (not the preventative that also has a dewormer) and I administer milk thistle for one week after they receive the preventative. I also have them tested two weeks prior to receiving their first dose of the year and two weeks after receiving their last dose of the year.