Flea Control Information

Because many pet owners have an ingrained distrust of commercial flea-control products like Advantage or Sentinel -- which they believe can cause health problems in themselves or their pets over the long term -- there has been burgeoning interest lately in "organic" flea-control remedies. For example, the British website CanineNaturalCures.co.uk lists recipes for citrus-based flea repellents and flea collars laced with lavender or eucalyptus, and even recommends feeding dogs garlic to make them less appealing to pests.

Needless to say, most veterinarians and pet experts feel the same about naturopathic flea remedies as they do about flea collars and shampoos -- that they're not likely to do much damage, but they're also not likely to work, and may give a pet owner a false sense of security while a serious flea problem grows into an unmanageable disaster. Tellingly, we even found one homeopathic pet therapist who, on his website, advises pet owners to look into brand-name medications to bring serious flea problems under control.

On the other hand, if your pet (and your home) is currently flea-free, there's probably no harm in exploring some natural preventive remedies. Keep in mind, though, that a company like Novartis -- which makes both Sentinel and Program -- is required to test its veterinary drugs extensively for possible side effects, while there's no telling how feeding garlic cloves to your dog may affect his health years down the road.

There's a flea & tick control products comparison chart at the Drs. Foster and Smith website.

VeterinaryPartner.com has a comparison of topical flea-control products.

You can find more information on their flea control products on manufacturer's websites:

Advantage

Revolution

Program and Sentinel