If you find fleas or ticks on your pet, please contact us to find out how we can help you with our effective, all-natural sprays. To help control ticks and fleas, regular bathing, brushing, and haircuts is one of the tools that can help in lessen the spread of fleas. Grooming, alongside flea preventatives or medications, can greatly cut down on current or future flea and tick infestations.

After years of dealing with ticks on my property and unable to find an effective natural solution we finally found effective, all natural products that worked just as well as the toxic chemicals used by other companies. After years of extensive testing and spraying friends and family Bite Back was launched in 2020 to help bring our effective, all-natural sprays to you and your family.  Learn more at about us HERE.

Repelling ticks & fleas naturally

• Repelling fleas and ticks is needed to help prevent short and long-term health problems, from annoying itching to life-threatening ongoing disease
• Natural flea and tick repellents include citrus juice, geranium oil, garlic, lemongrass, cedar oil and soap blends.
• Adding natural pest predators, like nematode worms, to your backyard will reduce pest populations.
• Giving your pet frequent baths, using a flea comb and inspecting your pet for ticks is important

As temperatures increase and your pet spends their days sniffing out a new trail on your morning walk or rolling around in your backyard grass, they’re a big target for hungry fleas and ticks.

It’s a topic many fur baby owners would rather not think about, but it’s better to be proactive in preventing such pest exposures than it is to find yourself with an infestation of fleas or a pet with a tick-borne illness.

This does not mean you need to soak your pet in chemical flea and tick preventatives. We discourage pet owners from applying harsh chemicals to their pets for this purpose and any other.

Topicals and similar pest-repellent products may lead to issues ranging from skin irritation to seizures and paralysis. If you apply too much to a small dog, or apply a product meant for dogs to cats, the result can be deadly. The other issue is that many bugs are becoming resistant to these widely used chemicals, which means applying one is not a guarantee of protection.

SOME NATURAL WAYS TO REPEL FLEAS & TICKS

Citrus Juice: fleas dislike citrus, so try sprinkling some fresh-squeezed lemon, orange or grapefruit juice on your dog’s fur (being careful to avoid her eyes) – and remember lemon juice can lighten dark hair.

Take a Bath: fleas do not hold on to your pet’s hair well, so a dip in warm tub of water will cause many fleas to fall off into the water. Bathing your dog often is also vital, as fleas are less attracted to clean pets. Try peppermint or neem shampoo for an added anti-parasite boost. After the bath, use a flea comb to remove any remaining fleas. Place your pet on a light-colored towel to catch any fleas that fall off and dip the comb into a bowl of soapy water after each swipe.

Clean Your Home Thoroughly and Often: one of the strategies to controlling fleas and ticks involves making your home less hospitable to these pests.

To do so, vacuum your home often (carpets, floors, furniture, etc.) and empty the vacuum canister immediately outside of your home if fleas are present. Wash bed linens, pet bedding and throw rugs often.

Include Natural Predators: nematodes are a type of beneficial microscopic roundworm that eats flea larvae. You can find them at garden centers and pet stores.

Add them to your backyard and you’ll likely notice a reduction in flea populations within two days. Ladybugs are another natural predator of fleas and can also be found at many garden stores.

Essential Oils: geranium, lemongrass, cedar oil and other essential oils may help deter mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and other pests from attacking your dog or cat.

Consider Protective Clothing: if you will be spending lots of time in an area where ticks are likely, like wooded or grassy area, consider putting a doggy t-shirt on your dog to help keep off ticks. You can even cut up old socks and put them on your dog’s legs for added protection. Make sure, that the clothing is comfortable for your pet and does not cause them to overheat.

IT’S MORE THAN JUST THE ‘YUCK’ FACTOR

If pests attach to your dog or cat, they can easily be carried indoors and spread throughout your home. A flea infestation or a tick on your wall is more than simply annoying; however, as these pests are capable of transmitting disease.

The biggest risk of ticks is not that they will take over your home, but their propensity for feeding on different animals, from mice and deer to snakes.

They also like to take their time when they eat, feeding for long periods of time that makes them perfectly suited for acquiring and transmitting disease. It takes only one bite from a tick to transmit multiple tick-borne diseases, including these: Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Hepatosomatic, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Cytauxzoonosis, Tularemia, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis.

Fleas, on the other hand, breed quickly and can be difficult to get under control once they find their way into your home. Even one or two fleas can lead to uncomfortable itching if your dog has flea allergy dermatitis, which is sensitivity to flea saliva (and is very common in many dogs).

Aside from allergies, fleas can also transmit tapeworms, cause cat scratch disease and can even cause severe cases of anemia, especially in young and small animals. Taking steps to prevent flea and tick bites is more than just removing the “yuck” factor; it is a health issue.

DON’T GIVE YOUR PET ANTIBIOTICS AFTER A TICK BITE BEFORE DOING THIS FIRST

If you find a tick on your pet, they may have been exposed to tick-borne pathogens, but exposure is not the same as infection. This is an important difference, because many veterinarians will unnecessarily prescribe antibiotics if a dog’s blood shows exposure has occurred.

Up to 90 percent of dogs may have exposure to these tick-borne pathogens at some point in their life, but most dogs immune systems fight off these infections on their own. If your pet tests positive for exposure, it is important to follow up with the Quantitative C6 (QC6) test, which differentiates exposure from infection.

Another important point is that most tick-borne diseases take many hours to be transmitted to your pets, so removing ticks soon after they attach may help prevent possible illness. It’s important to inspect your dog for ticks regularly, especially after you’ve been to a high-risk area like parks and trails.

IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA INFESTED WITH TICKS, TEST YOUR PET FOR TICK-BORNE ILLNESS EVERY 6 MONTHS

In the case of tick-borne disease, early treatment is important to prevent chronic disease. If you live in a tick-endemic area like NJ or know your pet tends to get bit by multiple ticks each year, we recommended testing for infection every six months. The easiest way to do this is to ask your vet to replace the standard heartworm test with a more comprehensive annual blood test that identifies several tick-borne potential pathogens long before dogs show symptoms.

I recommend screening for heartworm, Lyme disease, and two strains each of ehrlichia and anaplasma, for dogs in tick-laden areas.

Getting this simple blood test every six to 12 months is the best way to avoid unneeded chemical applications, identify infections before a chronic disease occurs and prevent overlooking cases of dogs infected because of pesticide resistance (a growing problem in the pest control industry).

We also recommend that pets living in tick-infested areas who test positive, also be screened for Babesia exposure (a disease caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells). We recommend St. Francis Animal Clinic in Freehold.

KEEPING YOUR PETS HEALTHY, IS THE BEST PEST PREVENTIVE THERE IS

It’s extremely important to feed your pet a balanced, species-appropriate diet that will help keep their immune system functioning optimally. Fleas are not likely to be attracted to a healthy pet, and in the case of ticks, a strong immune response will help fight off tick-borne pathogens your pet is exposed to.

You can also help your pet’s immune system by providing pure drinking water and limiting her exposure to unnecessary vaccines and medications, environmental chemicals (including lawn chemicals sprayed by our competitors). The following tips will help to protect your pet from pests naturally:

• Small amounts of fresh garlic may be given to dogs and cats to help prevent internal as well as external parasites
• Apply a light dusting of food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) on your carpets, bare floors, and pet bedding, as well as down your pet’s spine (avoid their head), to kill fleas. Bite Back carries and all natural dust from Nature-cide for this purpose.
• Keep your lawn mowed and clear brush, leaves, tall grass and weeds from your yard and areas your pet frequents
• Keep stacked wood off the ground and away from your house
• After the growing season, clear perennial plants and other brush from your garden and yard
• Contact Bite Back Tick and Mosquito Control for an effective and lasting all natural spray to help keep your yard free of these pests.