When it comes to your environmental footprint, have you considered how your pets affect your family’s impact on the environment? What about how greening up your pet’s environment can not only green up your act, but improve your pet’s quality of life? The following are some considerations to improve everyone’s environment and your pet’s quality of life.

Holistic Pest Control for Pets

We all love our pets, and many of us have increasingly turned to holistic pet care products and practices… yet many of us are under the impression that the only way to control fleas and ticks is to use prescription drugs and wide spectrum pesticides on the yard.

Giving your dog or cat one of the popular prescription drugs for repelling fleas is not the best route to go when it comes to flea control, no matter what commercials or even some vets might say. The chemicals in these medications put a lot of undue stress on several of the animals internal organs.

It might take a little getting used to, but with a few minor modifications to your routine, you can get rid of all the chemicals and the bugs without risking your pet’s health or that of the environment.

As far as the internal medications that people often give their dogs and cats, these can be replaced by adding a bit of brewer’s yeast and garlic to your pet’s regular food.

When it comes to holistic pest control, though, more focus needs to be placed on the environment // the backyard. It might surprise you what the careful placement of a few plants and some diatomaceous earth can do!

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that is made up of the coral-like fossils of microorganisms called diatoms. Be sure to only use food grade diatomaceous earth, whether you use it internally or externally.

Diatomaceous earth has been used as a food supplement with livestock and other domesticated animals for over two decades now. Food grade DE is also taken internally by people similar to how food grade bentonite clay is taken internally, to absorb and remove toxins from the absorbetn intestinal walls. DE is used as a deworming aid and cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of several types of parasites. It should be noted that DE is not considered a dewormer, and though many people have reported good results, another solution may be required in the case of worms.

For cats and dogs, add 1 teaspoon food grade Diatomaceous Earth (kittens 1.2 tsp -  puppies 1/2 – 1 tsp.)

Internally DE can be used to better protect your pet from a wide variety of pests, but it can also be rubbed throughout the coat for excellent protection against all insects. The sharpness of the microscopic edges of the diatomaceous earth will quickly dehydrate any insects hitching a ride on your furry pal. As long as it’s food grade, this is perfectly safe and effective. You should try not to inhale it, but food grade DE has not been shown to cause any lung sensitivity, unlike pool grade DE.

Another advantage of DE is it’s affordability.

Rub your dog or cat’s coat with a handful or two (or more if you’ve got a very big dog) of food grade diatomaceous earth once every week or two. Try to rub it in as close to the skin as possible.

Plants that Really Repel Fleas and Ticks

Now this is where things get fun. Sure, you can just add lots of pennyroyal to the border around your yard, or better yet, build a little herb garden or other plants you can use in the kitchen at the same time you repel insect pests from your pet and yard.

Start an herb garden in your back yard. These can be in pots or small plots of garden, but the cool thing is that *many* different herbs repel fleas, so take your pick: pennyroyal, lavender, any kind of mint, thyme, rosemary, oregano, fennel, rue, scented geraniums… are all plants that fleas would rather avoid. Get creative. This could be as simple as adding a border of mint and pennyroyal around the yard and trees.Or you could upt more thought into it, use the lavender you grow for soothing bath potions and cleaning/healing cuts and scrapes, catnip… for the cat, sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano for cooking! (sell your excess organically grown herbs on eBay!)

Mint is nice because it’s hardy and fast growing, but it can be very aggressive. Pennyroyal is probably the most popular choice specifically for repelling fleas and ticks, though any combination will help repel unwanted insects.

No Pesticides or Herbicides

The simplest way to improve your pet’s quality of life while also improving your environmental footprint is to stop using pesticides and herbicides of all kinds. Whether for direct control of things like fleas and ticks, or for personal enjoyment, there are alternatives that are much healthier for everyone involved. Again, it might take some creative rearranging of the way you do things –adding some supplements to your pet’s food, rubbing their coat with natural repellents more often, but these are adjustments that can be made.

Wash Your Dog Less

this might not apply to many dog owners, but for anyone who washes their dog once a week or more tends to be drying to the coat, and strips the skin and fur of its natural oils, which help protect the skin. Washing the pooch as little less often may be good for you and save a ton of water too.

Chemical-Free Cleansers

the simplest, gentlest cleansers are the best. Many dogs have sensitive skin that can have allergic reactions to strong or human-grade detergents. I really love Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Castille Shampoo for dog washing. If you have a Whole Foods or similar natural foods store, they probably sell bulk PLAIN liquid castille soap, which you can doctor with your own essential oils. You really can’t add too much tea tree oil -that’s good for conditioning the skin and repelling all kinds of pests. The same goes for lavender and eucalyptus. Runners up are geramium and cedarwood, as far as my experience goes with creating homemade dog/cat shampoos that smell great and help repel bugs.

If your furry friend is especially dirty, add some Borax to the bath. Borax is perfectly gentle and safe to use on skin. Just sprinkle some right into the matted area. The gritty texture helps break up the dirt, while the natural detergent quality makes it slip out of the fur.

Have you got any holistic pet care tips that also save money or lessen your environmental paw print? Tell us about it.