Natural Flea & Worm Control for Pets on a Raw Diet

At Raw Essentials, we support pet owners who want to reduce chemical exposure while keeping their pets healthy. While conventional flea and worm treatments are sometimes necessary, they may not be required for every pet at every interval. With a targeted, individualised approach, monitoring, and a species-appropriate diet, many pets thrive with minimal chemical intervention.

Fleas: Prevention Starts with Diet

Diet Matters: Fleas are less attracted to healthy pets. A well-planned raw diet supports optimal skin and coat health, which can naturally reduce flea burden. Avoid supplements or treats with yeasts, artificial additives, or ingredients that trigger skin irritation.

Regular Monitoring:

• Flea combing: Check your pet’s coat thoroughly for fleas and flea dirt.

• White paper flea dirt test: Rub your pet’s coat over damp white paper. If black specks turn red, it’s digested blood—evidence of fleas. Black specks that remain black are likely just dirt.

If fleas are detected, conventional treatment may be necessary. We stock Advantage for dogs and cats; Revolution is another option. See our Environmental Factors information, which suggests some caution with isoxazolone treatments.

Natural Repellents & Environmental Control

• Shampoos: Use natural, flea-repelling shampoos with oils like Neem Shampoo (cats are more sensitive; use cautiously).

• Flea oils: Such as Washbar Flea Repellant can be applied and combed through dog coats (not for cats due to ingestion risk).

• Vacuuming: Daily during flea season helps reduce environmental load.

• Wash all bedding weekly in hot water.

• Diatomaceous Earth (DE): Can assist with environmental control—use carefully to avoid inhalation. Denz NZ has guidance.

Worms: A Balanced Approach

The Raw Deal

Because worms target animals with unbalanced guts or compromised immune systems, your best bet to protect your pet from worms begins with strengthening their health in those areas. This is where a raw diet comes into play. Raw food, can significantly overhaul the terrain of your pet’s gut, including its overall pH and general microbiome diversity. These changes make it harder for pathogenic bacteria, viruses, worms, and so forth to gain a foothold and prosper within their gut.

Safe Raw Feeding in New Zealand

All our raw food is frozen for safety to kill parasites. At Raw Essentials, every batch of raw food is frozen for the required periods before processing or sale. If you buy fresh meat from the butcher, hunt your own pet food or feed home kill, always freeze it for at least 3 days before feeding it to your pet. Freezing is a crucial safety step to minimise the risk of parasitic transmission.

Options for Management

• Faecal Egg Counts (FEC): Where available, these offer a helpful, non-invasive way to assess whether worming is necessary - reducing unnecessary treatments. Often more practical for dogs than cats. Please consult with your primary vet to arrange testing.

• Diet matters: A healthy gut is less prone to harbouring a significant worm burden. Pets that hunt wild prey or scavenge outdoors are more likely to ingest live parasites. Our raw food is frozen to meet industry standards to reduce this risk.

• Judicious worming: When a parasite burden is confirmed or suspected, worming is appropriate. We support a targeted, individualised approach rather than routine chemical worming on a fixed schedule. If conventional treatment is required, please consult your vet. We stock Drontal worming tablets.

Some research suggests that low levels of parasites may play a role in gut health and immune regulation, helping maintain microbial balance (Hotez et al., 2008; Maizels & McSorley, 2016). Overworming could potentially disrupt this balance, contributing to inflammation or allergies.

Lifestyle & Environmental Tips

• Freeze any fresh or hunted meat before feeding to reduce parasite risk.

• Prevent scavenging and hunting of wild prey to limit exposure.

• Maintain gut health: Healthy microbiomes can reduce susceptibility to internal parasites.

Key Takeaways

1. A healthy, raw-fed pet may be less prone to external and internal parasites.

2. Regular monitoring—through flea checks and FEC—reduces reliance on chemical treatments.

3. Environmental management, such as vacuuming and washing bedding, complements natural parasite control.

4. When treatment is required, veterinary supervision ensures safety and efficacy.

At Raw Essentials, we guide you toward a natural, holistic approach to parasite management that balances safety, effectiveness, and overall wellbeing.

References

• Hotez PJ, et al. “Helminth infections: the great neglected tropical diseases.” J Clin Invest. 2008;118(4):1311–1321.

• Maizels RM, McSorley HJ. “Regulation of the host immune system by helminth parasites.” J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138(3):666–675.

• Raubenheimer D, Machovsky-Capuska GE, et al. Australian Veterinary Journal. 2016.

• Hendriks WH, Tarttelin MF. “Nutrient composition of moist cat foods sold in New Zealand.” Proc Nutr Soc NZ. 1997.

• Davies M, Alborough R, et al. “Mineral analysis of complete dog and cat foods in the UK.” Sci Rep. 2017.

• Craig JM. “Additives in pet food: are they safe?” J Small Anim Pract. 2021.