Oh Dog!  DeDe enjoyed her Dear DeDe segment so much!  But now the cats are plotting because they too want to blog.  I dunno what to do!  Pretty soon I won’t get to write ANY posts on MY blog!  I guess I better enjoy it while I can.

So today I want to talk about a flea and tick product that we love. It’s called Diatomaceous Earth.  DE is the remains of microscopic plants. It’s a fine powder that naturally kills fleas and ticks by piercing the insect’s exoskeleton and absorbing the insect’s body fluids.  Food grade DE is safe for ingestion.

Why do we use DE?  It’s a chemical-free alternative to pest control.  Chemicals have side effects that can make people (especially children), pets, and wildlife sick.  It’s a less expensive alternative to pest control.  We use it because DeDe tolerates it.  She has health problems, including sensitive skin, and the DE does not make her sick.  But mostly we use it because it works!

We spray our yard with DE mixed with water.  We sprinkle it on our coat and brush in.  And we take internally for parasite control.  DE can also be used to control insect infestation, including bedbug infestation.

Jen bought a 3 lb container of DE just before spring and she’s used less than half of it so far.  So for less than $10 she’s treated us and our yard for fleas and ticks and tapeworms.  She’s also used it for indoor and outdoor pest control.  That’s MUCH less expensive than a monthly dose of prescription flea/tick preventative.

For more information about how to use DE, check out the Wolf Creek Ranch website.  They have some great info on using DE.  http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

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I want to take a moment to share with you some friends of mine who also have some cool blogs.

My brother from a different mother is Loup Graham.  We have a different perspective on life (he does not like Barney! *sigh*).  But he is the coolest!  Loup lives in Canada and blogs at loupslifelessons.blogspot.com.

I have a cat friend that blogs too.  His name is Denzil and he has some really cool adventures with his Daaad and friends.  You can read his adventures at  http://denzil-pemberthy.blogspot.com/

Bassa is a Causasian Shepherd dog that lives in Georgia (the country, not the state in the southeastern US).  I’d never heard of the breed until I met her.  You can check her blog out at http://bassasblog.wordpress.com/