Keys to diagnosis include the appear- ance of fever, repeated symptoms or lameness that shifts between legs. Again, a disease-specific blood test is helpful.
Treatment
No vaccine exists for Erlichia or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and the deci- sion to vaccinate for Lyme disease depends on exposure risk. At the Al- ternative Care Center in Margate, New Jersey, we sometimes use nosodes, a homeopathic “vaccination” in the treat- ment or as a preventive measure for Lyme disease. Homeopathic treatment of active or resistant Lyme disease may use Lym D (from BioActive Nutritional) and Ledum, which can also be used in combination with antibiotics. Some holistic vets believe that
such homeopathy works with the body to boost the immune system in attack- ing the Lyme organism. Yet the only prevention measure approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the Lyme vaccine. Primary treatment for all tick-borne
diseases is the antibiotic doxycycline, taken as prescribed for three to four weeks. Using special tests after treat- ment will show if the disease is gone.
Tick Control
Ticks are tough. Daily grooming and combing to search for ticks remains the best non-medical treatment. Because we have found no truly holistic alterna- tive with the desired effect, I do advise topical tick control rub-on products like Frontline and collars like Preventic. Be aware that veterinary versions of such products are both safer and more effec- tive than retail brands. Risk versus benefit to health is
always the rule in considering the best route to take. The best advice for an individual animal will come from the family’s holistic veterinarian.
Mark D. Newkirk holds a veterinary medicines directorate degree and is the owner and director of Margate Animal Hospital and Alternative Care Center, in Margate, NJ. Phone consultations are available at 609-823-3031. For more information, visit
AlternativeVet.com.
NATURAL STRATEGIES
FOR TICK CONTROL by Linda Sechrist
reason: “Conventional tick control products contain ingredients identified as neu- rological toxins, which disrupt the nerve function in any living being.” Most species of ticks need intermediate hosts, such as deer or rabbits, to
W
breed. However, the brown dog tick found in Southwest Florida does not. “This makes it tough to eliminate these ticks once they have invaded a home,” notes Kordon, who recommends avoiding this scenario and toxic side effects from con- ventional tick control products by taking several natural steps.
Food
Feed your pets only the best, healthiest raw food diet, without the by-products and fillers that can burden their body. “Ticks, fleas and mosquitoes like to feed on smelly, toxic pets,” notes Kordon.
Herbs
Give your pet “Herbal Internal Powder,” an herbal mix that alters the body’s odor so ticks won’t like feeding on your pet. Kordon advises against yeast for this purpose, because it has too many negative side effects.
Applications
Buck Mountain Botanicals makes a Parasite Dust powder that Kordon recom- mends applying to pets, carpets, furniture and crevices, to prevent ticks from suc- cessfully surviving in your home. She also suggests a liquid natural flea and tick repellent called “Whup-A-Bug.”
Environmental Treatment
Kordon cautions pet owners to be “tick vigilant” whenever new mulch is spread on their landscape. “Often, this is an opportunity for a tick infestation to occur,” advises Kor- don, who recommends that homeowners visit a local feed store to purchase food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE). The soft, siliceous sedimentary rock, crumbled into a fine, white abrasive powder, can be applied to new mulch. This crystalline substance will cut and dehydrate ticks and kill them. “A safe food grade is best, in case a pet ingests it,” notes Kordon, who cautions pet owners to use a mask when spreading the substance on their mulch or yard, or even into the crev- ices of a house, where ticks sometimes hide.
“Another effective way to eliminate all tick-stages,” advises Kordon, “is putting infested blankets or clothing in the freezer for 48 hours.”
Dr. Anja Kordon, a holistic veterinarian, is the owner of Animal Health Oasis, 6720 Lone Oak Blvd., Naples. Call 239-297-6519.
natural awakenings July 2010 43
hen it comes to tackling ticks, Dr. Anja Kordon, owner of Animal Health Oasis in Naples, recommends only natural strategies. Kordon explains her
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