Here is an email discussion I had with someone that may have some useful information for someone... This discussion started out by someone claiming that comfortis is all-natural, so that must mean it's safe... My reply... Her reply: Thank you for the Comfortis info!! I have asked the vet techs about it and all I could get out of them was how safe it was, what a great product it was, etc. Then the bad news that my dog couldn't take it because he has seizures occasionally. What is that all about? My sister in law gave comfortis to her dog and it did not work. (?) My dogs and cats have had flea medicine only occasionally over the last 20 years. Every few years some fleas infest and I have no choice. It does seem that fleas are becoming tolerant of the "spot on" flea treatments too. The dogs are fed raw only for the last 3 years. I wish I could figure out what the magic is that keeps their immune systems healthy and fleas away. Even though I give them the best of everything (that I can) last spring the fleas invaded. After two months of cleaning and bathing and washing everything in sight did I resort to the chemicals. Everone has been fine all summer and now that the colder weather is here life should be good again here in Central Florida. All info that can help keep my pets healthy is welcome! My reply... Vets and Techs never give the whole picture, and that is frustrating. It's always about the positive benefits of something, never the risks. I'm not saying there isnt a place for drugs and pharmaceuticals, but I am saying they should be talked about truthfully, so owners can truly make educated decisions. Nothing works for all dogs and cats. And sometimes, fleas get bad due to weather and outside influences, but there are natural ways to combat them, even though it seems they dont work as well as pesticides. The advantage there, is that the fleas dont build resistance, and the environment gets more balanced over time. Things like cedar sprays, DE, and beneficial nematodes do work, but you have to apply often, and it's frustrating during the current year's battle, but the following years, the results are really observed. For me, when I first started feeding raw, I stopped the vaccines and topicals, but my dogs still had fleas, for over a year. During this time, they still received heartworm prevention. Several months after stopping the heartgard, is when I noticed the flea problem getting lighter. Of course, the entire time I was battling the yard and house with the methods I described above, so I'm sure those had some effect, but I do believe the heartgard is a major factor. When considering how ivermectin works, it makes complete sense. It is probably one of the biggest contributors to poor immune system health, besides booster vaccines, that one can give to your dogs and cats. It acts like a low-dose poison, much like arsenic, to kill (not prevent) heartworm microfilaria circulating in the blood. This constant barrage of poison to the system keeps them sick enough to be an easy target to parasites, but still appear healthy. A healthy dog will not succumb to heartworm infestation. They may get a very small amount of heartworms, that will go unnoticed by the animal, with no negative effects (much like having a few fleas onboard). Soon, the dog's own immune system learns how to naturally kill the microfilaria, so no new heartworms take up residence. In about 1 to 2 years, those few heartworms that did get through, will die, and no more should take hold. In the learning phase (of your dog's immune system) you can use heartworm nosodes, a homeopathic defense against heartworms. By fighting heartworms naturally, and getting off the ivermectin, you will boost their immune system substantially. Hopefully that is some of the magic you are searching for, even if it doesnt sound that appealing. Knowledge is the key, it just isnt always a pretty key. James |
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