Question:
This flea-and-tick season I am using only natural products on my 4-year-old female Yorkshire terrier (who weighs 11 pounds), but I can't find any information on potential side effects of these products.I am giving her Brewer's yeast tablets with garlic (one per day). The shampoo and spray we use contain "neem oil, lemongrass, catnip, citronella and other essential oils." Is there a downside to using these products?I have a theory that the powerful insecticides in Frontline may have caused seizures in my 8-year-old Yorkie several years ago, and I don't want to take the chance with this puppy. We live in a woodsy area, so fleas and ticks are an issue during spring, summer and fall.Also, do you have any tips on removing/preventing tooth tartar?.
E.A.U, Annapolis, Md Nov 19, 2006
Answer:
The downside with the insect-repellent product (other than ticks not being repelled) is your dog licking it off her fur. Over time, this could become a problem. So don't put the repellent on easy-to-reach areas if she does lick herself a lot. Use a flea comb, and check her all over every evening during the flea-and-tick seasons.A raw 1-inch to 2-inch beef marrow or shank soup bone should be a great source of chewing pleasure for your dog, and it is the best tooth cleaner. Remember that cooked bones splinter easily.An annual health check is still called for, at which time her dental needs will be determined.SELF-AWARENESS IN ANIMALSA captive elephant at the Bronx Zoo used a mirror to touch, with her trunk, a mark on her head that she could see only in the mirror. Behavioral scientists are telling the press that this finding puts elephants in the "cognitively elite" -- with only humans, chimpanzees and maybe dolphins -- because they can recognize themselves before a mirror. Relying on such a simplistic test as
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