The Safety of using Natural Flea Repellent Products - who is approving them?:mad:
I am interested in educating myself in using safe NATURAL - "Alternative/Holistic" type of Flea Repellent products. But, I am wondering about their safety, i.e. the essential oils - ingredients - i.e. as per the instructions on the containers - to "spray them" etc. on our pets. When a cat or dog is grooming themselves, and CONSUMING the ingredients of these products:eek: - I am wondering about the safety and the effects on our pets, as a result of licking these ingredients!:( When a product is "developed" and bottled and sold in stores - IS THERE some type of an organization that first inspects this product before allowing it to be sold? Who is TESTING these products, and how can I be certain that they are truly SAFE? :eek: Can anyone just mix some ingredients, and put a name on it and then just sell it to retailers? Who is PROTECTING our pets? Does anyone know how this works? I am very concerned about this subject. Just because a product is "natural" - that does NOT mean that it is SAFE. Our cats and dogs are at risk! I have begun to read about some of the flea repellent "Natural" type of products available, BUT, I am wondering about the SAFETY of them! :eek: I would appreciate any comments or information. Thanks!:confused:

Natural remedies have the advantage of having been used for hundreds, even thousands of years in some cases, the people using them have had an opportunity to testify when they have worked and when they have not, and what side effects have been noted. Just like with different foods, people have learned over time which foods are safe, which are poisonous, which they sometimes have allergic reactions to. And in this case the fleas themselves may mutate in some way so that they are less susceptible to the more common remedies.

No one is overseeing these products, or approving them. I can create an all natural product and start selling it. I wouldn't buy anything I created, but with good marketing someone else would. Please research the ingredients and products yourself before using them on your pets. A good place to start would be by taking a list of ingredients to your vet. There are plenty of Holistic vets out there, maybe you could try one of them. The grocery store flea treatments and preventatives at the grocery store DO have poisons in them. If you chose to use a more reputable brand from your vet you can always get a prescription and then buy them from a site like PetMeds for much less.

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Originally Posted by teachnk

No one is overseeing these products, or approving them. I can create an all natural product and start selling it. I wouldn't buy anything I created, but with good marketing someone else would. Please research the ingredients and products yourself before using them on your pets. A good place to start would be by taking a list of ingredients to your vet. There are plenty of Holistic vets out there, maybe you could try one of them. The grocery store flea treatments and preventatives at the grocery store DO have poisons in them. If you chose to use a more reputable brand from your vet you can always get a prescription and then buy them from a site like PetMeds for much less.

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What I am getting at is that FDA (etc.) approved products that we can purchase that are in stores, which have been tested (unfortunately on animals:mad: but that is another very troubling issue!)... but these "natural" type of products, i.e. "natural" flea repellents, that are out there, (online and in stores), that anyone can purchase, is in my opinion very dangerous. They are allowing anyone who buys one of these "natural" products, which have NOT been tested ( rigourously, like other non natural products need to be!) to be able to treat their pets, and misleading people to believe that because they are natural, then that means they are safe. This is sooooooooooooo untrue. Our pets are the ones who are suffering, i.e. with for instance, pain in their stomachs, from licking these "essential oils" from their fur when grooming, after they have been sprayed with a "natural flea repellent", etc. etc. Although I am very PRO alternative and holistic, natural products, I am very worried about these "natural" products being available, from anyone wishing to put them in a bottle and sell them!:mad:
Thanks for your reply though. I am very concerned about this and have become astounded that this is happening.

As my Dad used to say," I know how to raise children, if I didn't know, all you kids would be dead." So if these products are in the world like I said for thousands of years and haven't killed anyone using them it seems kind of neurotic to hang around obsessing over them. I would hope that like any remedy, people use them when necessary and when they no longer need them they discontinue use. Their animals could just as easily poison themselves on household chemicals or discarded cigarette buts or shrubbery and flowers in the yard or drown or something. Relax already, no one's holding a gun to your head making you use these products.

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Originally Posted by wildandblue

As my Dad used to say," I know how to raise children, if I didn't know, all you kids would be dead." So if these products are in the world like I said for thousands of years and haven't killed anyone using them it seems kind of neurotic to hang around obsessing over them. I would hope that like any remedy, people use them when necessary and when they no longer need them they discontinue use. Their animals could just as easily poison themselves on household chemicals or discarded cigarette buts or shrubbery and flowers in the yard or drown or something. Relax already, no one's holding a gun to your head making you use these products.

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TSK TSK TSK! The members on this site are polite to each other. :) Your opinionated-critical "tone" of your words towards me was NOT polite. I feel that you do NOT understand my questions. I will forgive you :rolleyes: and hope that in the future, you control this type of "name calling" :o - accusatory type of remarks in your replies towards us.

In India, we use neem oil to treat scabies--it works--I had ot resort to this after Ivermactin failed on my beagle. True, once it was under control, I started applying human Antiscabies lotions locally and soon he developed immunity.

There is no standard regulatory testing that you are asking about but the chemicals in the flea collars are much more toxic than many of the alternative remedies.
It would help to know the ingredients. With a break down of the ingredients I can tell you what is safe and what I would be apprehensive about.
Eucalyptus, for example, I would steer clear of.

Any more you can't even trust many dog foods or produce because of the lack of quality standards now.

Just an agrumentative sort, I guess. Are you planning to write hate mail to the bad guys after someone tells you where to find them? Festooned with little cartoon face stickers like a 12 year old? Wow, that'll show them.

No, all natural products for humans or animals are not tested and approved by any group, And to be honest most of us in the natural health field want to keep it that way. The added cost of testing would end up keeping a lot of products off the shelf, and we don't as a general rule want government to be controlling every part of our lifes.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

no, all natural products for humans or animals are not tested and approved by any group, And to be honest most of us in the natural health field want to keep it that way. The added cost of testing would end up keeping alot of products off the shelf, and we don't as a general rule want government to be controling every part of our lifes.

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Not to mention the fact that when they DO test natural things they do a biased study to discredit the product unless they want it marketed.

I used to mix lemongrass oil and citronella oil in water and spray it on my dog. It worked and he never had a problem.

This morning I saw an all natural flea repellant on the Early Show (CBS). Boil a couple of lemons, complete with the rinds, then let it cool, mix with water and spray on the dog. It's supposed to work.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

no, all natural products for humans or animals are not tested and approved by any group, And to be honest most of us in the natural health field want to keep it that way. The added cost of testing would end up keeping alot of products off the shelf, and we don't as a general rule want government to be controling every part of our lifes.

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Actually, most any cosmetic products natural or not, are NOT tested by the FDA or any other group. Anyone can put together anything, lotion, ointments, repellents, without any overseeing from any group! The FDA only monitors it when it becomes a drug, or is meant for INTENTIONAL ingestion, like a frozen dish. I am a proponent for the natural way, I have a dog... he licks the lotions and creams and even wears them when needed for skin protection and treatment with no adverse affects. If you research the ingredients on regular bottles of repellents, you would find that they are filled with known neurotoxins and poisons, while if you research say Rosemary Essential Oil, the most you may find as far as adverse affects is not for use with people who have high blood pressure. My dog eats my rosemary in the garden! I guess what it boils down to is you have to be the researcher on ALL of your products, cosmetics, etc... because no one else is.