Greyhound Gang - Medical

Fleas

Greyhounds are VERY sensitive to many medications. They have a low percentage of body fat, so medications can travel through their systems faster, and in more potency. Traditional flea medications are toxins. Be very careful in what you choose to use on your hound.

Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 04:19:01 -0500
From: Golightly Greyhounds <golightlygreyhounds@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Medical:BioSpot or Frontline?

>Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 17:23:14 -0500
>Could use some input since this is my first greyhound. She came to us with Frontline but in searching around I've also found BioSpot which seems to do a few things that Frontline does not.
>
>Perhaps I can benefit from other folks' experience. Is BioSpot safe for hounds? And if so, which one seems to be more effective?

BioSpot is permethrin (a synthetic knock-down pesticide) combined with an Insect Growth Regulator. Permethrin is not specifically dangerous to greyhounds, but it is a potent chemical in its own right. It's not safe to use on cats. They make a BioSpot for cats - but it's got a different formulation. It's a suspected carcinogen.

Frontline is fipronil, which is relatively harmless to mammals in the short term. It's classed as a suspected carcinogen.

Advantage is imidacloprid, which unlike the other two is not a known or suspected carcinogen. As far as can be determined, it's harmless to mammals in both short and long term.

If your problem is fleas, I'd recommend Advantage. If fleas and ticks are a problem, I'd go with Frontline. BioSpot is not something I'd use, but there are greyhound owners who use it and are happy with it. Don't use it on your cat (unless you buy the cat formula.)

Don't bother with Revolution - it says it kills ticks, but if you read the fine print it kills only one species of tick and that species is not a big disease vector in most areas. The ones you worry about: deer ticks and Lone Star ticks are not bothered by Revolution. From the feedback I've read on various lists, Revolution doesn't do a very good job at eliminating even the limited number of parasites is *says* it can get rid of.

Stacy
GolightlyGreyhounds@juno.com

NATURAL FLEA & TICK REPELLANTS

1)Neem....I just started using Neem products and they work really well. It's an herb. You can spray the pet spray directly on the dog (nontoxic if eaten), you can shampoo w/ the shampoo or add a few drops neem oil to regular shampoo, you can mix neem oil & water & spray around the house, you can attach it to the garden hose for the yard, you can even use it as a supplement for killing the fleas from inside out. You can also put neem oil on the back of the neck like you would frontline, but you have to reapply weekly. Here's the website that carries it 1.
http://www.bytheplanet.com/Neem/Catalog/catalogpetcare.htm.

2)Recipe for natural flea, tick, mosquito repellant.

2 lemons...slice thin w/ skin on
Rosemary leaves or dried rosemary

Cover w/ water and boil for 15 min, strain, let cool & spray on dog twice weekly.

3) You can make a tea out of Eucalyptus leaves to spray the house and yard. Take a bunch of Eucalyptus leaves and pour boiling water over them & cover the pot. I let them steep and cool and them strained and put in a sprayer & sprayed the whole house & yard.

4)You can also use diatomacous earth sprinkled inside & outside the house. It punctures the fleas shell and dehydrates them & is totally safe. Just don't inhale it when you apply it because it is a dusty substance. It is safe to let the dog on it right after you apply it. Some people even feed it to their dogs as a natural wormer.

5) Beneficial Nematodes......these can be purchased form an organic gardening store. You put them in the yard and they eat the flea larvae.

6) LymeDyp for Ticks.....For a particularly heavy infestation. The dog can be dipped in lymdyp, a natural dip made form Sulferated Lyme.

7) Garlic....adding a little garlic to the food is said to keep away parasites. Please check w/ your vet re: safe amounts of Garlic to feed for flea control.

8) Most importantly, keeping your dog healthy and on a good diet will make him/her much less attractive to fleas & ticks.

Natural FLEA Dog WASH - Add 40 to 60 drops of Eucalyptus Oil to soapy washing water and wash dog - reputedly rids fleas.
To stop the cycle of eggs (usually in carpets) ..... Sprinkling Borax Powder over carpet area in house and dog and cat beds, shake out, and vacuum carpets within a few minutes of coating carpet. Put some Borax in the Vacuum bag also. Repeat as often as needed to stop eggs/fleas

**
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 17:47:40 EDT
From: Robin Norton <Greys5@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: MEDICAL, Tick Remedies

The lemon recipe I have is:

Take one lemon and slice it. Place it in a large bowl add a few sprigs of rosemary to the bowl.
Pour a kettle of boiling water over it. Cover with a towel. let steep overnight
Strain into a squirt bottle. spray liberally over your dog each time you go out. Can spray on your feet too. I refrigerate mine and discard after one week and make a new batch.

FYI, I have heard of about 5 cases of allergic reactions to Advantix. (shakes and agitation) I'd stick to the frontline and a natural spray.

Good luck,

Robin Vikki, Tina & Aggie

**
Various Recipes for Bug Repellent using Avon Skin So Soft

Skin So Soft is not sold by Avon as a Bug Repellent. These recipes were provided by Avon Customers and are not approved by Avon Products Inc.

Customer says:
We don't generally have a bug problem here, but for my horses (and I'm sure it would be safe for greyhounds too) I use the following bug spray:

1 cup Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
5 cc citronella oil (this is from the health food store, an essential oil - NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away)

Mix it in a spray bottle. Straight SSS works great on mosquitoes too.

Have tried a mixture of l/4 Skin So Soft, fill the mister w/water, add 20 drops each of pennyroyal, eucalyptus and citronella (this is from the health food store, an essential oil - NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away). Shake up. Spray. Me and the dogs. This *worked* for mosquitoes and black flies

This recipe was posted years ago on the Greyhound-l list:

All Natural Insect Repellent (safe for sighthounds and non-toxic)
        1 Cup Avon Skin So Soft
        2 Cups White Vinegar
        1-3 Cups of Water* (depending on strength needed)

*In the woods, use 1 Cup Water, in the backyard use 2-3 Cups
1 Tbsp. Herbal Repellent "Shoo" OR Citronella (this is from the health food store, an essential oil - NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away) OR Eucalyptus Oil. Mix together, put in a misting bottle, and spray dogs as needed.

Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 06:50:45 -0400
From: "Alisa Bonnette" <bryndelmar@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Mosquito welts

This recipe has been passed around the PWD-L. It's used by a couple of breeders that I know in New England that tend toward holistic and homeopathic remedies. One adds lavender oil as well, as recommended by her (I believe) homeopathic vet.

Organic Anti - Tick, Flea, Mosquito Recipe (from the Tick List)

Ingredients are full strength oils (Important! NEVER put undiluted oils directly on yourself or your dogs):

Tea Tree Oil
Rosemary Oil
Sage Oil
Cedarwood Oil
Peppermint Oil
Sweet Orange Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Citronella Oil
Pine Needle Oil
(also heard you can add almond oil)

Shampoo:
Mix 4-6 drops each with 32 oz of any natural shampoo and you have a natural flea shampoo

Repellant:
Mix 2-3 drops each with 16 oz of (not chlorinated) water in spray bottle - shake before each use and spray lightly over entire body.

Repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and makes the van smell great. Can spray on blankets, beds, too. Good for people & dogs.

Alisa Bonnette
Ben ~ Patchwork's Just the Ticket!
Grace ~ Lands End Amazing Grace
Maggie ~ Maggie Dea Bryn Delmar, CD, CGC (at the Rainbow Bridge) Plainfield, NH