HolInsect - Natural homeopathic remedy—for tick and insect bites

Approved for sale by Health Canada - No: NN.Z9K1

Helps maintain skin health after insect bites.

Finally, it's summer! But...

Generally, with the arrival of good weather, that is to say in spring, our animals venture back into nature and leave their cozy winter nests to enjoy walks in meadows, forests, and fields. 

These outings, of course, coincide with the appearance of ticks (did you know that a tick can live 3 years without any food?) which, after hibernating, have a ferocious appetite, followed by mosquitoes in Quebec, flies - the small, the medium, the large - that will buzz around our animals and us until we go crazy! 

Let's not forget stinging critters like wasps, bees, hornets, which are highly attractive to some of our animals who end up with heads three times their normal size, with a risk of angioedema and cardiac problems in weaker individuals. Have you ever tasted a horsefly bite, burning and persistent?

A true moment of pain, I assure you! Humid and warm weather is also conducive to the birth of mosquitoes and sandflies (vectors of the dreaded leishmaniasis, especially in Southern Europe and South America).

The heat can bring atrocious itching to horses, known as Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis (SSRD), leading about 10% of horse owners to tear their hair out over scratching until they bleed, and flies swarming on the scratch wounds, among other things.

(photo Vetofficine)

This spring period, which should be synonymous with joy, rediscovered freedom, and enjoying the sun's rays during walks in an exploding nature, is also a dreaded period due to the simultaneous arrival of these critters whose size is not at all proportional to their nuisance capacity! For our French readers, know that the term "bibitte," in Quebec French, means "annoying little critters." The term is indeed well chosen!

Let's be very clear: natural solutions or magical repellent potions for all these critters do not exist. Some animals will be sensitive to a product, their neighbor will not. The only solution against ticks is to check your animals every time they return from a walk and then a few hours later. And to install chickens in your garden. If you live in an apartment, it's more complicated, and your neighbors might not appreciate it that much.

To combat sandflies, the only solution is to keep animals indoors and protected during the hours when these creatures are active. A last, more athletic, suggestion is to arm yourself with a fly swatter and perfect your backhand with wasps, hornets, flies, and horseflies as your tennis balls!

The importance of boosting your animal's immune defenses

This term is everywhere, applied to all situations: BOOSTING immune defenses.

It is the #1 action.

It is indeed a solution guaranteeing the comfort of your animals and their ability to face external aggressions. In summary, boosting immune defenses means providing the body with weapons to fight against the intrusion of viruses and bacteria, such as Lyme disease (borreliosis) and piroplasmosis brought by ticks, or leishmaniasis brought by sandflies.

(photo Institut Pasteur).

What are the side effects of tick bites in dogs and cats? 

In reality, not all ticks carry borreliosis (Lyme disease), but since they don't indicate it on their business card, they are capable of infecting your animal. A clue: if the skin around the bite develops a red halo, it could signify Lyme disease contamination. Your animal may then show the following symptoms: lethargy, loss of appetite, fever (in this case, consult your veterinarian immediately).

It is also possible that a few months after the tick bite, the joints become inflamed and the animal has a hesitant gait caused by pain. Let's not forget piroplasmosis, a disease caused by the tick after introducing a babesia or piroplasm into the dog's bloodstream when it feeds. Piroplasmosis is a serious and potentially fatal disease if not treated in time.

How to detect the presence of ticks?

Get into the habit, from the onset of warm weather until late autumn, of examining your animal upon returning from walks. We all know this takes time, but it's essential, especially since your animal loves to be petted! Upon returning from the walk, visually inspect the coat and remove any black, legged specks that are still on the surface of the fur. You can also use a fine-toothed comb, like a lice comb.

Then, a few hours after the walk, offer your pet another petting session. If you feel a small bump, part the fur to see what it is. At the very beginning of the bite, the tick is very small, barely visible. To feed, the tick buries its head in the animal's body to drink its blood, which is why it grows bigger and can reach up to 2 cm in size. Know that the transmission of bacteria only occurs at the end of the bite, hence the importance of removing it as quickly as possible (in a speedy manner so that it doesn't have time to get stressed and release its toxins). The tick takes about 48 hours to fill itself. So make sure to remove the parasite before it falls off spontaneously, as this will reduce the risk of contamination.

What are ticks' favorite places?

These mites like to settle on the belly, armpits, around the neck, on the head, back, feet, face, and ears—in short, everywhere! Be vigilant! While humans can tuck their socks into their pants and their sweaters into their pants, besides the guaranteed seductive look, it effectively protects against invaders. Unfortunately, our animals don't wear pants... normally!

  “REMOVE A TICK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE

REDUCES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING LYME DISEASE.” 

How to remove ticks? 

You can remove the tick yourself, but in this case, you must first get a tick remover from your veterinarian or pet store of your choice. First, lay your animal flat on a towel. Note that it is easier to do this maneuver with two people; while one holds the animal in place, the other can calmly remove the tick. Here are the steps:  

• Clear the fur around the tick;
• Insert the hook between the skin and the tick;
• Rotate the instrument counter-clockwise while gently pulling to ensure the head comes out with the body. 

 Once the critter (beast in Quebec French!) is removed 

• Disinfect the wound and the tweezers  
• Dispose of the tick using your preferred method. 
• There you go, mission accomplished! 

** Needless to say, do not touch the tick and wash your hands thoroughly after the procedure. **

How to strengthen immune defenses?  

To strengthen your animals' immune defenses and enable them to effectively fight infections and toxins from tick bites or insect stings, such as mosquitoes, sandflies, fleas, mites, and other critters, give them HolInsect, once a week for 6 weeks, before the warm season.

Increase the frequency according to the risk (2 to 3 times a week) if you are in an area with a strong presence of game (e.g., deer) for ticks, in Southern Europe for sandflies (leishmaniasis vectors), etc.

To boost the body's defenses, give HoliSep during the day after giving HolInsect: 8 to 10 drops directly into the mouth or on food.

To help the body recover, give it HoliMin for 10 days.

Stop the protocol when the critters leave and reduce the doses according to the improvement of the condition. 

This video explains how to remove a tick from an animal using a tick remover.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiZCBu4qHes 

This complex has been tested for many years in different climates, with a variety of insects in Honduras, Cuba, and Thailand, where ticks are a true calamity. Over time, the different ingredients composing HolInsect have been modified to achieve maximum effectiveness. 

Get additional information about ticks by clicking on these links:   

https://www.quebec.ca/sante/problemes-de-sante/a-z/maladie-de-lyme#c2756 

 https://www.inspq.qc.ca/guide-d-identification-des-tiques-du-quebec 

HOLINSECT

Supports immunity and skin integrity after insect bites.

In choosing the ingredients for HolInsect, Martine Jourde, our Chief Homeopath, with 40 years of experience, considered several factors, such as the synergy between remedies to enhance their effectiveness, and a traditional Chinese medicine approach.   

 "Our homeopathic solutions can in no way replace veterinary advice."