(Picture Credit: Maggie Clancy)
As the parent of two cats and a dog, I’ve always been hyper-diligent when it comes to flea and tick prevention. After all, once fleas are in your home, they’re pretty much everywhere; three flea-infested animals sounds like a nightmare.
I’ve always used traditional flea and tick prevention methods, typically prescribed by my pets’ veterinarian.
While I keep my animals on their respective prescriptions–it also prevents heart worm–there are still times I wish my animals, especially my dogs, had a little extra protection. I love to take my dogs on casual hikes, and love to sniff around in bushes and brush.
That’s why I was excited for the opportunity to try out two products from Earth Animal’s Natural Flea & Tick Prevention Line: the Herbal Bug Spray and the Nature’s Protection Tick & Flea Spot-On.
Could these essential oil-based sprays and spot-ons really keep my pups guarded against even the buggiest of bushes? I was ready to find out!
How Did The Flea & Tick Herbal Bug Spray Work?
I was really excited to try out the spray, which is advertised as something that can be used by both people and pets. How cool is that? I applied some to both of my dogs, and it had this lovely, minty scent.
It has two main essential oil components that ward off bugs: peppermint oil and Virginia cedarwood oil. According to Earth Animal’s website, both offer natural protection from fleas and ticks, and the cedarwood even has some anti-fungal properties.
My pups weren’t exactly thrilled with being spritzed, but they didn’t try to rub it off on the furniture, either. I applied some to my ankles, and we went on a solid 30-minute walk near some grassier areas.
I live in Los Angeles, so there are definitely not as many mosquitoes as in other parts of the country, but my ankles remained unscathed by bug bites. After doing a thorough check, I didn’t see any fleas or ticks on my dogs, either.
My cat even let me get a spritz or two on her. I was psyched!
Did The Spot-On For Dogs Hold Up, Too?
While I still applied my vet’s recommended flea and heartworm prevention medication, I was interested to see if the spot-on treatment would be an effective extra barrier.
Like the Herbal Bug Spray, the Spot-On also has Virginia cedarwood oil and peppermint oil. This treatment also has almond oil, which helps spread the ingredients and keep them on the skin.
Again, this smelled absolutely lovely. Both of my pups were smelling fresh and clean after I applied the Spot-On treatment.
I tried this out for two months, and neither of my dogs had any fleas, ticks, or skin irritation from the product.
A Nice, Natural Addition To Flea Prevention
The flea and tick treatments from Earth’s Animals are a nice way to increase protection against fleas, ticks, and other unwanted bugs and creepy crawlies. I’d definitely recommend them!
It’s important to remember that just because a product is natural, however, doesn’t mean that your dog will be 100 percent okay with it. Be sure to try out the product on a small spot of skin to see if there is a reaction before spraying it all over your dog. That said, allergic reactions to the oils in the products are not common.
Give these products a try with your vet’s approval! They definitely helped prevent flea, tick, and other bug bites on my pups even on our nature walks!
Have you tried natural flea and tick products before? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!