An increased focus on environmental issues in the past few years has brought many eco-friendly products to the marketplace for pet owners. I’m sharing a few of my favorite products here; some that I’ve tried, and some that I am planning to try.
- The Doggy Dooley – The dilemma of dog poo. No, I am not poo-fixated, though I do seem to blog a lot about it. This is one of those products I wish I’d invented. This product is buried in the ground and works like a mini-septic tank. The manufacturer provides a 6-month supply of natural bacteria/enzymes to break down the waste. I’ve also seen DIY plans online to build your own pet waste composter. Check out the plans here: http://www.cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html
- Beneficial Nematodes – A natural, ecologically safe way to battle insects in your yard without insecticides or harm to your pet. Nematodes are a natural predator to many pests, including fleas.
- Cedar Oil Spray – The EPA has been investigating the safety of spot-on flea treatments like Advantage, Frontline, BioSpot and others since early 2009, and issued a new statement in January stating that the agency was intensifying its scrutiny of these products. In our search for an alternative product we discovered cedar oil spray. Cedar has been used as a natural insect repellent for many years. Here’s a local product produced with Northwestern Red Cedar, using only fallen or damaged trees.
- Diatomaceous Earth – We’ve been using Food Grade DE as a natural dewormer with much success. This is fascinating stuff that can also be used in the landscape to eliminate ants, cutworms, and many other pests. Because it is not absorbed into the bloodstream and works in a purely biomechanical manner, we feel it is much safer for pups than chemical dewormers. We struck out trying to find it locally, but found the best price online at More than Alive.
- Compostable/Biodegradable Pet Waste Bags - Poo will decompose quite rapidly on its own, but wrap it in plastic and throw it in a landfill, and it may still be around 100 years later. These bags are made from corn and can be composted or disposed of with a clean conscience. There are several products available, some just biodegradable, others compostable. We found the lowest price on the compostable product called BioBag at www.OnyabagsUSA.com ($4 for 50 bags).
