I hosted a Q&A discussion on how to build a strong base for your dog as the best first step in tick prevention, flea control, and protecting against heartworm.

To view the recording, click the "watch" button above. Or, let's get into it!

If you missed part one on how to protect your dog from fleas and ticks naturally, that's ok! You can always jump to my step-by-step guide here. We covered the most common question I hear from dog owners, my recommended flea and tick prevention treatments, and the importance of preventing fleas and ticks before they become an issue. For part two, I'll be sharing more natural options I've found to be effective to avoid tick bites, Lyme disease, mosquitoes, flea infestation, and flea bites.

With anything you do, before implementing something new with your dog, it's important to speak with your veterinarian. Your vet knows you and your dog, and your geographic area which is important in the case of ticks, fleas, and especially heartworm. My goal is to arm you with informed questions and answers, to help you be the best advocate for your dog!

Here are my 7 support pillars to help your dog stay well and safe from fleas, ticks, and heartworm:

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#1: Whole dog approach to wellness

My experience getting Lyme disease was one of those aha! moments that became a big reason why I do what I do as a canine nutritionist. A while ago I contracted a fairly serious case of Lyme disease - and yet my dogs, even though I had pulled ticks off of them, always tested negative. I take meticulous care of my dogs, giving them the best of clean, whole nutrition and thinking of their wellness on all levels with an eye on stress, toxins, exercise, and all things that work together to keep them healthy.

As for taking good care of myself? Not so much. Many of us dog parents joke that our dogs eat better than we do. True in my case and also true that I was stressed, not exercising enough, and on and on down the list. So why did I get Lyme and my dogs didn't -- even though we all spend time outdoors together, hike in the same wooded areas, and were equally exposed?

Inside-out health & strength

My opinion is my dogs are strong from the inside out, with healthy immune systems thanks to plenty of antioxidants and other immune-boosting foods, no stress internally or externally, and their bodies have the barriers and tools in place to resist and fight viruses, bacteria, and disease. Conversely, my resistance was down, so Lyme disease was able to take hold in my system.

When caring for your dog's health and wellness, look at your dog as a whole (this goes for yourself too). It can make all the difference and give your dog a strong first step in avoiding things like Lyme disease, flea infestations, and heartworm with the right kind of armor.

What does this mean for your dog?

It means feeding your dog a species-appropriate diet, providing plenty of safe opportunities for exercise and play, managing stressors in their environment, using safe and effective tick & flea control methods as needed, and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome with probiotics and fermented foods.

Let's talk more about what we mean by the right kind of armor for your whole dog.

#2: Looking at food as medicine

Nutrition is the best preventive. A balanced, healthy immune system courtesy of a healthful diet doesn't encourage ticks, fleas, and heartworm to thrive.

As I say in almost every nutrition/wellness session: You're either feeding to promote health within the body, or disease.

• Health starts in the gut.
• Fresh, whole food is unprocessed so the nutrients go right to the cellular level for a healthy gut, promoting a strong immune system that naturally protects against viruses and bacteria.

Just adding 20-25% fresh food can make a profound change to your dog's health

You don't have to feed all fresh or homecooked food to give your dog profound benefits. Studies show when pet owners make fresh, whole foods just 20-25% of their dog's meal, they greatly increase the strength of their dog's immune system to prevent disease conditions like joint issues and allergies while decreasing the incidence of diseases becoming all too common like cancer.

By adding some of the immune boosters below to your dog's bowl, you can give your dog's immune system a great base to fend off ticks, fleas, and heartworm and the allergic reactions, disease, bacteria, and skin irritation/skin infections they might bring.

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#3: Understanding more about conventional allopathic medicine

Allopathic medicine (or conventional medicine) uses a standardized approach for all dogs that focuses on the symptoms from the outside to solve problems on the surface. What it doesn't do though is try to support and heal the dog from the inside out.

Using pesticides/neurotoxins for flea & tick "prevention"

• Conventional flea & tick treatment tries to treat fleas and control ticks by focusing on killing them with pesticides using your dog's own body as the delivery system -- with the potential of severe side effects.
• Repeated use of vaccines (over-vaccinating), antibiotics, and steroids may cause systemic imbalances making your dog more vulnerable.

Pro Tip - When you need to vaccinate your dog, use the week before and the week after to build up your dog's immune system to handle the stresses a vaccine puts on the system.

(see suggestions below for immune-boosting foods and herbs that strengthen, de-stress, and detox your dog's system)

You'll find more recommendations on herbs to de-stress and detox before and after vaccines and flea/tick/heartworm treatment here in my step-by-step guide on de-stressers for your dog - note burdock root especially for flea/tick/heartworm (how to make burdock root "tea" here).

Dangers of common conventional flea and tick treatment

Many tick control products, medicinal flea collars, oral and topical treatments for fleas and ticks are on the FDA warning list and have been known to trigger serious adverse reactions, ranging from seizures to difficulty swallowing, tremors, and even death.

Replacing pesticide-based flea and tick medications with natural flea and tick prevention products protects your dog AND avoids loading your dog's skin, coat, and bloodstream with toxins in the process of trying to kill fleas and ticks.

Avoiding conventional pesticide-based flea and tick meds and replacing them with natural solutions is important for all dogs in all life stages and even more so for vulnerable young puppies and senior dogs.

#4: Why & how herbal therapy naturally works to protect your dog

Using herbs is the most natural thing we can do to bring our bodies back to harmony and health.

• The goal of herbal healing is to stimulate the immune system to naturally protect against viruses and bacteria.
• Herbs and plants provide medicinal properties that work synergistically with the body to support and help your dog's body deal with thousands of toxins surrounding us all daily.
• Herbal medicines are bioavailable to our dogs and easy for them to absorb and metabolize; manufactured substances are not.
• Herbal preventions work naturally from the inside out and change our dogs' odor to deter fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other bugs.

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#5: Immune-boosting foods and herbs for your dog

Adding immune-boosting foods and herbs to your dog's diet helps to protect your pup from the inside out by stimulating the immune system to work more efficiently.

A strong, balanced immune system is key in preventing and fighting off any number of diseases and infections, including fleas, ticks, and heartworm.

My favorite immune-boosting foods and herbs for dogs are:

• Omega 3s to decrease inflammation (feed 1 oz of fish per 35 lbs of dog weight each day)
• Zinc to power your dog's immune system - the highest zinc content can be found in oysters

Pro tip - oysters canned in water (not oil) can be found at the grocery or online.

• Antioxidants - neutralize the effects of chronic inflammation

Pro tip - feed the rainbow: red - berries; orange - carrots, oranges; yellow: squash, yellow peppers; green - kale, dandelion greens, spinach; blue - blueberries, spirulina, blackberries, purple cabbage, eggplant

• Probiotics - add to your dog's food daily to increase your dog's good gut bacteria for a strong immune system - can either be a probiotic supplement or fermented vegetables
• Mushrooms - balance the immune system and fight off disease and are natural antioxidants and prebiotics

Pro tip - mushroom supplements I love: Mushroom Matrix

• Anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric and ginger - add 1/4 tsp per 10 lbs body weight of turmeric plus a little pepper to supercharge it; add 1/4 tsp of ginger for small dogs, 1/2 tsp for medium dogs, 3/4 tsp for larger dogs

Pro tip - if you don't want to make it yourself, check out this premade liquid turmeric.

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#6: Herbal protocols for flea and tick prevention

Herbal protocols are how we deliver the benefits of herbal therapy (vs chemicals). When we're dealing with fleas and ticks, dogs are obviously better off with treatments that repel ticks and fleas before they land and bite your dog's skin than killing fleas and ticks by pesticides via your dog.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to deliver herbal flea and tick treatment:

• Daily herbal internal powder, herbal flea & tick collars (cedarwood & peppermint), herbal "spot-on," and herbal spray
• Herbal dog flea & tick shampoo and conditioner to keep your dog clean, free of allergens, and with scents fleas & ticks find repulsive (lemongrass, citronella, cedarwood, peppermint) but smell great to us!
• Raw Baltic amber collar - the natural acid content repels fleas and ticks, as does the static electricity from the friction of the beads rubbing against a dog's coat. The longer the collar is worn the more effective it is. Many of my clients have had great success with these.
• EM Collars - effective microorganism collars repel ticks and fleas naturally through the clay beads in the collars that have the natural microorganisms baked in. EM technology has a long history of successful use around the world and especially in Europe in organic farming and with animals.

And don't forget the old-school must-haves that support all your other efforts:

• a regular tick check with a close eye on your dog after you spend time outdoors
• a flea comb to go through your dog's coat with a "fine-toothed comb" to spot and remove any adult fleas at the first sign of a scratching, itchy dog
• frequent vacuuming to get rid of flea eggs in carpeting, furniture, etc.

Treating your yard not just your dog for fleas and ticks

Herbal sprays with similar "turn-off" scents to avoid flea infestations and tick infestations are also available for your yard. Keeping lawns short, getting rid of leaves, brush, and standing water are all helpful in discouraging ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes.

#7: Homeopathic remedies for heartworm support and prevention

Preventing heartworm and minimizing/avoiding the stresses of heartworm medication calls for knowing your dog, your geography & the prevalence of heartworm disease in your area, and collaboration with your holistic or integrative veterinarian.

• All the immune support and nutrition we've discussed is exponentially more important if you're giving your dog heartworm medication, particularly for a senior dog or a dog compromised by any other issue.
• Discuss with your veterinarian the possibility of only giving heartworm treatments to your dog during certain times of year when the temperatures are consistently at least 57 degrees Fahrenheit and mosquito larvae can survive in the environment.
• Blood test your dog at least yearly to ensure your dog is protected from heartworm and tick-borne illnesses.

It's important to understand, I'm sharing my 7 support pillars with you because I want to help you and your dog have the best possible base for overall health. I'm not advocating to throw all medications out the window. I want to help us all think about our general health and wellness first, get that as strong as possible, and from there look at how we can best set ourselves up to prevent ticks and fleas or any other issues that may arise.

I will say this a million times over but before making any changes to the protocols you already have in place for your dog, please consult your veterinarian. They know you and your dog best.

Next up in the Fleas and Ticks Channel on Dogly

Now that you know the 7 support pillars to help your dog stay well and safe from fleas, ticks, and heartworm and how to naturally prevent fleas and ticks from making your home and pets their own, you're ready for the third step-by-step guide to natural fleas and ticks prevention. Learn how typical flea and tick treatments work and how to make the change to natural prevention for your dog here.

Continue on to the next guide or hop over to the Fleas and Ticks Channel if you'd like to ask a question in the Community discussion or start any of the step-by-step guides. And if you ever need more personalized wellness help, please reach out!