Many years ago, when our dog Espn (pronounced Es-pin) was still a puppy we took him to a local park for a walk. On the way home I was holding on to him in the front seat (the kids were in the back and my husband was driving). I noticed a tick crawling up his back. Quickly I grabbed it with my bare hands (ewww!), took it off his back and tossed it out the window. We thought that was the last we’d see of a tick but unfortunately we found six more on him later on that day.
I was freaking out! At the time we had four cats and the last thing I wanted was ticks on the cats and crawling around where my kids sleep and play. NO WAY!
We dashed over to the local pet store and bought ever tick product we could get our hands on. We were determined to not only kill all the ticks on our dog but also to kill any ticks that might have fallen off of him in our home and was making a nest to give birth to more ticks (Eww! Eww! Eww!).
It cost us $400+ to get rid of the ticks, between the products, a trip to the vet and then to the groomer. From that point on we don’t let our dog go anywhere that might have ticks. A few months ago he picked one up at the bus stop in our condo complex. So now I have to worry about taking him close to home too.
The one thing that really got to me when it came to using the products on our dog and our cats to get rid of ticks is that they are so toxic. Not only did I hate putting these chemicals on my pets but I also worried about what harm they could do to my children who come in contact with our dog and cats.
When it comes to cleaning products, medicines and things along those lines I prefer things that are naturally made. The less chemicals the better. Especially when it comes to the health and well being of my family.
I’m really surprised in this day and age when we are aware of how harmful certain chemicals can be that there are not more naturally made products on the market.
We had the opportunity to try out some natural products from Ark Naturals with Espn. They sent me a bottle of their Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! flea spray and a bottle of Happy Traveler which is a calming product to help with anxiety and stress.
I was really excited about the Happy Traveler product for our dog. He freaks out over thunderstorms and fireworks. As luck would have it we live a couple of miles from a minor league baseball stadium. They have fireworks every Saturday for home games, plus other times throughout the season. It’s great for us because we get to see great fireworks from the comfort of our living room. It’s not so great for our dog who is TERRIFIED of them. For us it’s 5 minutes of fun. For him it’s 5 minutes of pure torture.
The Happy Traveler pills are large in size, maybe a wee bit bigger then a Tylenol pill. They are caplets which means you could open them up and pour out the contents if you wanted to. Meaning you could mix the contents in food or water if your pet doesn’t take the pill. Our dog has no problem taking pills, thankfully.
Our dog weighs just under 25 pounds. As per the directions we are to give him one pill for his weight. They take about 20-40 minutes to take effect. After an hour you can give an additional pill if your pet still seems out of sorts. The pills are suppose to works for 4-6 hours.
We tried the pills several times. Most of the time it was for the fireworks. Once we used it for a known Thunderstorm that was heading our way. Sadly the Happy Traveler didn’t really seem to work well. We followed the directions exactly. We even gave him the follow up pill an hour after the initial one. His over all mood didn’t change at all. He was just as freaked out by the fireworks and storm as he always is. There was no noticeable change.I’m disappointed too. I had such high hopes for the Happy Traveler. Maybe some animals are immune to the effectiveness of the ingredients?
The Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! came in a nice size bottle. I have to say it has a much nicer smell then other flea and tick sprays I have tried on our pets. It almost smells like very strong herbs. It is made with cloves and I can sense them in the scent as well.
I was unable to truly see the effectiveness of the Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! only because our dog doesn’t get fleas (thankfully). He also didn’t get any ticks this summer. I don’t know if I should attribute that to the spray or because we are very careful where we take him so that we don’t open him up to the opportunity of getting fleas or ticks?
If given the choice between other flea and tick products and the Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! I would certainly pick the Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! because it’s made with natural ingredients. I can feel better apply the spray to my pets knowing that the ingredients are not going to harm them in anyway or my children.
Flea Flicker! Tick Kicker! is made by Ark Naturals (www.ArkNaturals.com). They offer a line of products for both cats and dogs that are made with natural ingredients. They have products to aid digestion, clean teeth, reduce shedding and more. Visit the site to check out all the other available products.
I love that the products are safer for my pets and my family. I wish the Happy Traveler would have worked for our dog.
Kimberly
*I received product samples free to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.