You are correct about being leery of commercial flea and tick control products. The EPA did not officially begin inspecting these kinds of products until 1996. Due to a large number of incidents being reported that concerned the safety of these products for pets and around small children, the Environmental Protection Agency announced in late 2009 that it was stepping up its efforts to review more of these products.

Be aware that it is not just products that have to be obtained from a veterinarian that are of concern. While products like Frontline and Advantix are powerful and convenient, the effects of these chemicals are still not widely known. There are also more readily available products that are being reviewed as well. One of these products, Bio-Spot was marketed as a natural way to treat fleas and ticks. It has since been pulled from the market and a class action law suit is pending on the part of pet owners who have lost their dogs due to the harmful effects of this product.

One of the best things that you can do is to monitor your pet for fleas and ticks by checking them daily. This is especially important to do after each time that your pet goes outside. Although the EPA has already banned some products that were found to be unsafe and there are even more that are still under review, anything containing pyrethrin or permethrin has been found to be safe for all animals and small children. You can find this in many over the counter flea and tick shampoos. Sentry and Hartz also make a variety of flea and tick control products that contain this ingredient that are both affordable and readily available.

If you want to spray you home and yard with this product and also use it on pets and livestock, you can find larger quantities at farm supply stores like Atwoods or Tractor Supply Company.

Keep in mind that the diseases carried by fleas and ticks are equally as dangerous for pets and small children, so controlling the population of them is still important. Boosting your pets immune system can also fight off diseases and infections caused by ticks. To do this, give them a daily vitamin that is rich in B vitamins and also contains Omega 3s. One thing that has also worked well for me is putting a teaspoon of vinegar in your dog's water bowl when they have been exposed to a lot of ticks outdoors. Ticks that are already on your pet will detach when vinegar is in the dog's system, and it helps to keep other ticks from attaching themselves. It is not as effective as other methods, but it does help. Your dog will not like the taste of the vinegar at first, but if you can get them to drink just a little bit of it, it will provide some protection.