Waging a War Against Fleas, Naturally!
by Monica Gardner-Moore
© 1997 Monica Gardner-Moore All rights reserved

Fleas and other insects such as gnats, ticks and flies can be quite bothersome to dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer months. We pet groomers can help alleviate the situation by giving dogs some defense against these critters.

There are many herbs that can be effective weapons, when used carefully and safely. The main ingredients in the flea shampoo that I used to make for my own pets were: water, castile soap, lemons, pennyroyal and eucalyptus. I also threw in some herbs that were supposed to be beneficial for the skin and hair. While this shampoo worked against the fleas, it was too time consuming and expensive for me to continue making. It was made very unscientifically and it seemed to be drying to the haircoat. I soon realized that what I needed was to leave the shampoo making to the experts.

One very good shampoo line that I have used for years is Espree. The thing that appealed to me about their line in the first place was that it used many of the same ingredients that I had researched and used myself. The ones that work best with the flea problems have become my favorite shampoos to use because of their aromatic nature. I no longer have to worry that I will get through sudsing up a dog and THEN find a flea and have to start all over with a pesticidal shampoo (all I have to do is leave the Herb Oil Shampoo on for 10 min and the fleas are dead). Has that ever happened to you?

Here is an even worse case— one day, I bathed a huge hairy collie, I had just finished rinsing all the shampoo off and I saw a flea crawling on his face! YIKES! Don’t you hate it when that happens!? I quickly calmed down when I realized that I had the answer right at my fingertips— Remoisturize with some TheraCare additive! I put this solution all over the dog and waited 10 minutes. Not only did it kill all the fleas (we did find a few more dead ones while blow drying), but he had the most gorgeous, soft, aromatic coat I had ever seen on a collie.....Since then, this solution has been used on every collie that comes in and the owners love the results! Espree also carries a nice Citrusil Spray that not only smells wonderful, but acts as an excellent insect repellent. I highly recommend it's use especially during the summer months as a preventative and to help with existing pest problems.

The other advantage to leaving the shampoo making business to the experts is that you know everything has been made in a scientific, consistent manner. It will be the proper PH balance for the pet’s skin and coat. It will not be too strong or possibly have harmful side effects when used according to directions. A good shampoo line, such as Espree, will give you great piece of mind when it comes to battling fleas.

Copyright 2007 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved