| Fleas
Fighting fleas
by
Ann Brightman
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Bio-Groom’s flea shampoo contains
pyrethrins in a mild protein-lanolin base.
This biodegradable, pH balanced conditioning
shampoo is formulated to kill fleas while
gently cleaning the animal and leaving
behind the natural oils that are essential
to the health of his coat and skin. The
company also offers two pyrethrin dips,
one of which provides residual flea control
lasting up to two weeks.
One of the problems with many insecticides
is that fleas eventually become resistant
to them, requiring increasingly stronger
products to kill them off. Natural Chemistry
uses a different approach in its De Flea
line. Their shampoo contains ingredients
that mechanically, rather than chemically,
kill the fleas. “The product contains
a very mild acid derived from castor beans
that softens the exoskeleton of the flea,”
explains Scott Smith, Director of Marketing.
“The exoskeleton then absorbs the
solution, the flea’s internal organs
are saturated and the insect bursts. It’s
like a lethal dose of diuretics.”
Scott points out that De Flea products
are not 100% natural in the strictest
sense of the word. “There are two
ingredients that are slightly refined,
so we can’t say these products are
totally natural, but they’re still
among the friendliest and safest of their
type.”
Powders
and sprays for indoors and out
 Natural
Chemistry’s De Flea line also includes
a spray that can be used on the animal
as well as its bedding. “It works
basically the same way as the shampoo
but provides a broader coverage,”
says Scott. In fact, treating the animal’s
coat is only half the job, since it’s
his bedding, as well as your carpets and
upholstery, that harbour the eggs and
larvae that will eventually mature into
hungry new fleas. Dealing effectively
with these parasites involves breaking
their life cycle, and that means implementing
environmental controls.
Sprays and powders are the most common
means of treating fleas in the home, but
be sure to differentiate between products
that actually kill the insects and those
that act as a repellant. Both are effective
tools, but the latter is best used for
prevention rather than as a means of dealing
with an existing flea problem. “Our
Herbal Pet Powder basically repels rather
than kills the fleas,” says Les
of NaturVet. “It can be used on
bedding as well as on the pet. It’s
all natural, and contains a combination
of rosemary, peppermint and cedar oils
in an inert base of calcium carbonate
and corn starch.”
One of the most effective flea control
products on the market today is made by
Fleabusters. Their Rx for Fleas Plus is
a patented powder that’s used to
eliminate fleas from the home. “It’s
a sodium-based product that’s less
toxic than common table salt,” says
Executive Vice President Robert Yarmuth.
“It kills fleas physically rather
than chemically, so they’ll never
build up an immunity to it. It creates
an environment that fleas can’t
live or breathe in.” The white,
odorless powder is basically a benign,
inorganic salt that acts as a desiccant
when it comes in contact with the larvae,
pupa or eggs of fleas.
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