As a member of the Etsy affiliate program and an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Blog the Change is an *awesome* feature where bloggers everywhere, but especially pet bloggers come together to highlight great causes and worthy organizations. You should totally be taking part, we’d love to hear what your favourite cause is.
Ain’t no fleas on me!
We are very lucky at Casa de Kolchak. We have never had a flea infestation. Not only that, even after walks in the woods, romps at the park or entire days spent out in our yard, I have never even found a single flea or flea bite ON one of my dogs. At this stage, you’re probably thinking “Who the woof cares. That’s why you give flea medications. So it isn’t a problem.”
We do not give flea management preventatives or use topical treatments here at Casa de Kolchak.
The whole concept scares the woof out of me. The pet companies tell us that they have created a product designed to POISON the insects without in any way harming our pets. I am more than a little skeptical and with good reason. Some estimates suggest that between 2004 and 2009, more than 1600 pet owners reported to the EPA that topical flea medications were a factor in their pets death. The EPA has taken these reports seriously and as a result, the labelling and warning requirements for this products has been tightened up.
Here at Casa de Kolchak, we do not believe in spreading poisons on our skins, no matter how “safe” the manufacturer may claim they are.
And yet? We’ve never had an infestation. Perhaps we’ve just been lucky or perhaps one of our favourite vets, Dr. Peter Dobias has the right idea. It is generally believed that parasites, like fleas, do not prefer to feast on animals in excellent health. Fleas also seem to prefer animals fed a high-carb diet, just another reason we are huge advocates of grain-free feeding.
We could bark all day about why we don’t use spot on flea preventatives.
But frankly, someone way smarter than us has found a really really cool way to spread the word.
Just what is a Timmy Stone?
A Timmy Stone is a way to spread the message about the potential dangers of spot on flea treatments through people’s natural curiosity.
Imagine this. You are out and about, walking the dog, running errands, and doing whatever it is you do. You find a small hand painted rock, with a web address on it.
 |
| One of our Timmy Stones. |
Would you visit the site?
I did and I was interested. I wanted to learn more about Timmy, one of the cats that inspired the site. Timmy is a survivor of the deadly side effects that can come from these over-the-counter pesticides. After being treated with spot-on flea treatments as a kitten, Timmy suffered major neurological damage, a condition that though he is improving, he still lives with today. I wanted to read more about spot on flea treatments, why even the EPA recommends they only be used as a last resort, once you have an infestation and what else you can do to keep your pets parasite free.
Timmy Stones needs YOU!
Timmy Stones spread their message through a big world wide “Easter Egg Hunt”. Anyone who wants to help be a part of the Timmy Stones story. You can request a Timmy Stone by clicking here and they will send you out not just one Timmy Stone, but two Timmy Stones absolutely free of charge.
Why two?
One to keep, as a reminder of what Spot On flea treatments can do and another to place somewhere in your town for someone else to find. Each Timmy Stone creates a ripple, like a stone thrown in a pond and the message will radiate and spread out from a single stone. Anyone can place one. Anyone can find one. The message spreads, through simple curiosity. It’s genius, really.
Timmy Stones can be found all over the world.
They have a really cool map showing all the places Timmy Stones have been found. Is your town on the map? Could you help put it there? All it takes is one person to place one stone and maybe, just maybe an animal will be saved as a result. It’s that simple. It’s that awesome.
Don’t you want to be a part of it?
***Timmy Stones are hand made to order by volunteers and sent to you free of charge. You can help with us with the cost of art supplies, packing and shipping if you wish. Donations are welcome.***
This is a blog hop!
To discover some of the other great causes featured for Blog the Change day, click on the links below.
All posts are the property of Kolchak’s Kitchen and Kolchak Puggle/Jodi Chick. Please ask before reposting content. All reposts must link back to our site. Thank you!