Product Review: Earth Animal Herbal Flea & Tick Drops

To begin, I have never been convinced by the efficacy of anything herbal, particularly when it comes to the health of myself or my pets, and especially not when it has to do with something as important as flea and tick prevention. But after years of struggling with my dogs’ flea infestations, I knew something had to change. That change started this spring with a bottle of something I never thought I’d buy—Earth Animal Herbal Flea & Tick Drops.

These drops, a veterinarian-formulated liquid oral supplement, have given us a flea and tick-free summer for a third of the cost of traditional topical flea and tick medications (which have never, ever worked for us). In fact, for about $20 for a single 2 ounce bottle, we’ve had flea and tick protection for over six months. For that reason, I want to begin this review by saying that I payed for this bottle, as well as a second one ordered just last week, with my own money. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know I only write them with the utmost honesty.

Nary a flea or tick

I’ll start with what you want to know—yes, these strange, herbal drops work. At least, they work for us. Considering our travel between urban Philly and rural Jersey, as well as Dipper’s exposure to plenty of dogs, cats, and other flea-bearing critters, my dog seems to be a pretty good case study.

Earth Animal Herbal Flea & Tick Drops work by making your dog or cat’s blood taste and smell bitter to biting pests. The more your pet receives these drops, the worse they taste to fleas and ticks. The formula is made of varying flower essences and alcohol, and dosage varies depending on your pet’s size. Dipper, at around 11 pounds, receives eight drops each evening in his dinner.

I began adding these drops to Dipper’s food in April or March of 2017 and, as of this review’s publication, enjoyed an entirely tick and flea-free summer. I did discover one tick shortly after introducing the drops to Dipper’s diet, but I haven’t found any in the months since. Still, the discovery was enough to scare me into buying a box of K9 Advantix II, which Dipper hated as usual. During that month with topical protection, I continued to add the drops to Dipper’s food, which I think gave it the time to bitter his blood enough to repell fleas and ticks. The other five doses of Advantix have been gathering dust ever since.

Dipper tested, Dipper approved

Dipper has always hated the way conventional topical flea and tick prevention has felt on his skin, compulsively shaking like he wants the oily residue off of his skin. I’ve even had to keep him from stopping on walks to roll over and rub it off—and that was days after application! With that sort of misery, I almost wondered if fleas were actually worse. Now with these drops, I no longer have to sacrifice Dipper’s comfort. He doesn’t even taste it in his food! However, I can’t say he’d take well to having it added to his water, as the drops certainly have a strong herbal smell.

These drops are one step of Earth Animal’s three-step program for flea and tick prevention, which includes an herbal powder and a bug spray. We only use the drops, and have had no reason to consider integrating the other steps with our flea-free status, but I’d certainly consider integrating these steps over using a topical flea preventative in the event of an infestation.

Added protection for skeptics

The flea and tick drops are actually the second Earth Animal herbal supplement we have tried and continue to use. Shortly after Dipper’s surgery for bladder and urethra stones last year, we purchased the Earth Animal Urinary & Kidney Relief Drops. While results from the urinary formula are difficult to observe, Dipper has not appeared to have any adverse reaction to either supplement.

Still, we don’t rely entirely on these drops to keep free from urinary ills or pest-borne disease. It’s critical to talk to your pets’ veterinarian about the right vaccinations and heartworm medication. And like regular vaccination, it’s important to make sure you’re following the directions for regular use—I have a feeling fleas and ticks would return quickly if I were to stop giving Dipper the drops.

As an aside, it’s probably worth noting that I give both drops—the urinary support and the pest preventative—to Dipper every single day. While this only adds an extra minute or two to our daily dinner routine, if you’re a scoop-and-serve kind of pet owner, this may not be the solution for you.

Ultimately, even if you aren’t ready to step away from the flea and tick prevention methods you’re used to, you may find that supplementing your efforts with these Earth Animal drops may finally get rid of those last few pesky fleas.

Have you tried any Earth Animal products? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!