PROTECTION OF PETS AGAINST TICKS AND FLEAS

With the warm winter came the time to apply preparations against ticks and fleas much earlier than we are used to. You can choose from many preparations, but when choosing a medicine, keep in mind any health problems of your dog, the specifics of the environment in which it moves and its lifestyle.

If you have to bathe your pet daily for medical reasons, you will significantly reduce the effectiveness of spot-on preparations (pipettes that are applied behind the neck). If you are an active swimmer, you should avoid swimming outside for at least three (but preferably five) days after applying the spot-on, so that the preparation is sufficiently absorbed and the rate of its washing off is reduced.

Consider very carefully which preparation you choose if your friend suffers from a neurological disease.

It is important to remember that the function of common preparations against fleas and ticks is based on PESTICIDE content (even if manufacturers avoid this term), i.e. substances with an annoying effect on insects. Most of these substances work on insects as a nerve poison . Advanced variants of these preparations work already when the parasite comes into contact with the skin of the treated animal and thus minimize the risk of being "bitten". The full effect (paralysis and death) occurs whenever a flea or tick bites and starts sucking blood. Although these most widely used preparations are considered safe, they can cause serious neurological problems or even death in sensitive or sick individuals and the elderly, as reported by the US FDA and EPA. The highest risk is with preparations in the form of tablets and spot-ons, where there is a one-time application of a higher volume of the active substance.

They are an alternative to the products described above plant-based repellent preparations . These are essential oils and essential oils with which nature has provided certain types of herbs, shrubs and trees as a natural protection against insects and other foreign organisms .

The great thing about them is that they are non-toxic and you can therefore apply them to very sensitive dogs, puppies and senior dogs . With natural antiparasitics, it is also not necessary to apply safety measures as with chemical ones, e.g. that the dog treated by you should not sleep in the bed. In addition, herbal collars and pipettes smell pleasant to us humans. They can also be combined with conventional insecticide pipettes and collars, which complement their repellent effect.

In addition, the mechanism of their effect is preventive - they repel insects and thus reduce the risk of transmission of diseases, for example Lyme disease or encephalitis, which are transmitted by the bite of a parasite. In the case of insecticides, the effect is usually manifested only after a bite.

In our offer you will find herbal repellants from the top Israeli company Arava . It has become famous worldwide for its natural cosmetics for dogs and cats with a high content of essential plant oils and their innovative processing method (nanoemulsification), to achieve an optimal therapeutic and supportive effect for healthy and beautiful skin and fur of pets.

It is precisely nanoemulsification that is behind the high effectiveness of shampoos and pipettes against ticks and fleas - active substances easily bind to the lipid layer of the skin and penetrate through the skin to the crevice. In its shampoos against fleas and ticks for puppies and adult dogs, Arava combines fourteen effective ingredients - nimbus oil, essential oils from geranium (pelargonium), peppermint, cinnamon, lemongrass, cloves, thyme, cedar, eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender. catnip and chrysanthemum extracts and minerals from the Dead Sea. Shampoos will help you if you find that the dog has already been attacked by parasites. Not only will you rid it of unwelcome guests by washing it, but you will also provide it with perfect care to soothe irritated skin.

It is a practical option Arava antiparasitic collar with the gradual release of active substances over a period of six months. The collar contains oils of geranium, clove, lemongrass, rosemary, cedar, cinnamon, mint, thyme and castor oil. It is especially great for dogs who cannot resist any pond, river or stream in the summer, because even frequent bathing does not reduce its effectiveness. In 2019, we used the collar on our "company" bulldog, who suffers from chronic kidney disease, so we did not want to burden his body with insecticides, and we were very satisfied with the effect. He only had two ticks all season!

In pipettes (in variants graded according to the dog's weight, up to 9 kilograms, 10-25 kilograms and 26-50 kilograms) you will also find essential oils from bitter orange, laurel, pine, rue and juniper. The package contains four pipettes. Shampoo and pipettes complement each other perfectly and enhance their effect. It is ideal to apply the pipettes two days after bathing in Arava flea and tick shampoo and repeat the application every three to four weeks. A pack of pipettes will therefore last you approximately four months.

However, even natural preparations have their BUTs, which you should consider! In very sensitive individuals, they can cause an allergic reaction at the site of application (e.g. with an allergy to grass or a certain type of herb in dogs), although we have not yet encountered this in our practice and their effectiveness, as with insecticidal preparations, is not 100%. Even very sensitive people, especially allergy sufferers and asthmatics, can react negatively to some essential oils. It is therefore necessary to consider this fact when choosing.

We hope that we have provided you with as much information as possible on the correct choice of means by which you will protect your four-legged friends from the attacks of unwelcome guests. We wish you and your pets a beautiful spring without fleas and ticks.