I share my life with many four-legged friends, owning 2 dogs and fostering at least 2 others at any given time. My canine companions make up a huge part of my life so, naturally, I want to care for them…naturally. Like human medications popular dog medications, such as flea and tick preventatives, are full of strange chemicals that could have potentially harmful side effects. If you have little ones running around the house, you don’t want them getting into the medication or touching the dog after it’s applied. Since I foster and have rescues coming in from all kinds of places, I have to be up on the flea care year round. Instead of constantly applying synthetic repellents, there are natural substitutes I can turn to that can help keep the little beasties at bay.
Why the ingredients: The essential oils/ingredients used here are all natural insecticide/pesticides, shown to either kill or deter the pests due to their various compounds/naturally occurring chemicals. Indeed, many of them are found in commercial flea/tick preventative.
1. Flea collar
A flea collar is a great way to ward off fleas without always having to reapply something topically, and it keeps the flea control constant and steady.
You will need…
-3-5 drops of cedar oil or lavender oil
– 1-3 tablespoons of water
-Bandana OR your dog’s collar
-an eyedropper (optional)
Directions
Dilute 2-3 drops of your chosen oil in 1-3 tablespoons of water. Some people use the oil undiluted, but I personally feel it should always be diluted, even if it’s only by a little. Next, pick out a bandana to be the flea collar-I think a bandana is preferable because you can take it on and off and your dog’s collar won’t smell. It’s always fun to get creative with patterns and colors here. If you go up to ½ teaspoon you can use up to 5 drops of the liquid. Using an eyedropper or other similar means, apply 5-10 drops of the mixture to the bandana and rub the sides of the fabric together, and then tie it about your dog’s neck in a snazzy way. Reapply oil mixture to the collar once a week. In conjunction with this, 1 or 2 drops of oil diluted with at least 1 tablespoon of olive oil can be placed at the base of your dog’s tail.
2. Flea deterring drink
Can be used alongside any of these remedies.
You will need…
-1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Directions
For every 40 pound dog add 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar to 1 quart of their drinking water. We highly recommend using Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. Not only does it deter fleas, it improves a pups skin and coat condition from the inside-out.
3. Flea comb
This contains lemon and lemon contains something called limonene, which is a chemical that kills and repels fleas but is harmless to us or our pets.
You will need…
-1 freshly sliced up lemon
-1 pot of fresh water
-a comb, sponge, or brush
Directions
Boil a pot of water and add the slices of a freshly cut lemon to it. Turn off the heat after the lemons has been added and cover the pot, letting the mixture steep overnight. The next day dip a comb or your pets brush in the liquid (make sure it’s sufficiently cool) and run it through their hair. A sponge works as well, especially if you have a very short haired breed. A quick version is to bring water to a vigorous boil and then pour over a freshly sliced lemon. Then just dip the comb, let it cool, and use as above.
4. Flea spray
As a bonus, your pup will get a nice gleaming finish to their coat after using this flea spray.
You will need…
-1 cup white distilled vinegar OR 1 cup apple cider vinegar OR a 50/50 blend of both
-1 quart fresh water
-2-3 drops of lavender or cedar oil
-a decent sized spray bottle
Directions
The essential oil isn’t vital, but it certainly gives the spray an extra edge (and a nice smell.) If you’re using it, add 2-3 drops as you add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar/apple cider vinegar/both to 1 quart of fresh water. Fill your spray bottle, and mist your dog, being careful not to get it in their eyes, nose, or ears-aka avoid spraying near the face. To get up around the neck and behind the ears/their chin area, dampen a soft cloth with the mixture and wipe it on. Spray your pets bedding and around it with this mixture lightly as well.
5. Flea (be-gone) bag
This little sachet contains things that smell pleasant to us, but that drive pests away from your pet.
You will need…
-Two 6 inch squares of breathable fabric (such as muslin)
-a rough handful of cedar chips
-1-2 teaspoons of dried lavender buds
-the peel of 1 lemon
Directions
Follow the instructions on how to make a sachet here if you need more detail. Cut 2 6 inch squares of fabric and place them together inside out. Sew all but 1 side and turn inside out. Fill with a rough handful of fragrant cedar chips, 1-2 teaspoons of lavender, and 1 lemon peel. Leave enough room at the top so you can tie it off with a ribbon or sew it shut (tying allows you to reuse it when the contents lose their potency.) Place under your pets bed/bedding or near it to ward off fleas. Change the mixture every month or so.
6. Flea bath
Wash your pup with this weekly to deter fleas.
You will need…
-A half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice*
-1 ½ – 2 cups of fresh water
-1/4 –1/2 cup of mild pet-friendly soap or shampoo
Directions
Stir together a half a cup of lemon juice, 1 ½ cups of water, and ¼ cup of mild pet-friendly shampoo or soap. Bottle and label and bathe weekly to keep fleas away.
*amounts will vary depending on the size of your dog. As a general rule of thumb, use 2 parts water to every ½ cup of soap and lemon juice.
NOTE: You must always dilute essential oil before using them. Pay attention to and read and respect your dog’s body language. It may sound odd, but let them sniff the different scents and see how they react. Whichever one you think they “like” the most, or will tolerate should be the one you use. It is estimated that dogs can identify scents 1,000-10,000 times better than humans. Imagine something you hate the smell of, and then imagine it being rubbed all over your body and smelling it 1,000 times stronger!
I cannot begin to say how engrained into my life dogs are. Their wellbeing is of the utmost importance to me, and if I can avoid strange chemicals, I will do so in the same way I avoid them myself. Dogs are natural beings, just as we are, and should rightly be treated as such.
Cat owner? Take a look at our flea remedies for cats.
What kind of dog do you have, and how do you treat it for fleas? Feel free to talk about your dog in great length…we’re very dog-friendly!
P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book with 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies
By Claire Goodall
Claire is a lover of life, the natural world, and wild blueberries. On the weekend you can find her fiddling in the garden, playing with her dogs, and enjoying the great outdoors with her horse. Claire is very open-minded, ask her anything 🙂 Meet ClaireWe Want to Hear from You! Let us know which remedies work and do not work for you, ask a question or leave a comment:
These are our pups-the little smudge on the left is Beau, and the tall guy on the right is Koda. I truly believe that dogs are one of the best “natural remedies” out there. They can cheer you up better than any anti-depressant, get you out of the house and exercising better than any fitness commercial, give our lives some of the dependable structure and regularity we need and…..there’s too many other things to list 🙂
There is a group called Circle of Change that uses dogs to help veterans with ptsd. Dogs are amazing creatures, and make life so much fuller. Great article! Hopefully, this helps my pup.
We had a severe flea infestation in our carpet. I sprinkled common salt on the infested area of the carpet and to my surprise the next day all of the fleas were dead.
Thanks. Can hardly wait to try these natural remedies. Patchez and Shadow should love it. They have very sensitive skin like me, their owner and can’t tolerate harsh chemicals . As I am disabled, I look forward to sharing their lives with you all; the mischievous mutts.
What did u use
I tried salt… But iodized version… but in summer didnt work so well. Attached a sprayer to a bottle of cider vinegar, sprayed beds and carpets. No more fleas. Since I also can carry fleas in… I spray pant legs. And I spray my dog with a light spritz. Had NO fleas this year! Cant use drops, powders, ect… My dog is very old.
Does Apple cider vinegar actually kill the fleas or deter only?
Yeah i tried salt too… many times and many kinds….even down to fine grain canning salt and nada nothing helped. Trying vinegar though. I already use it to clean since my fur baby likes to.lick random things at least i know it’s disinfected and not goingto harm him or any of my friends human kids that come around
Thanks for reminding me to Spray my legs,shoes and Pants plus my dogs legs when we come home with Apple Cider Vinegar or just white vinegar(economical). I’ll keep a spray bottle in my walker to spray before coming in my apartment building.
just salt, like the kind you sprinkle on food? or the kind you put down on ice? i have a problem with fleas as well, i am trying everything
Hi I’m from Melbourne Australia,
are you serous, salt killed the fleas, how much did you use,]
and why salt, is there something in the salt that fleas don’t like.]
I would love to know email me asap as I have fleas in the carpet
as well, I wonder if you washed the dogs in worm salt water
would it it kills the fleas on the dog.
When my dog gets fleas I take him swimming at the beach. The salt dehydrates the fleas. It also cleared up his ear mites after the medications failed. Dawn dish soap works well also.
salt dries out fleas and kills them you can also use 20 mule team Borax.
DO NOT USE BORAX WHERE ANIMALS CAN PICK IT UP ON THEIR PAWS. BORAX IS Boron and is highly toxic. It will damage vital organs Using Borax outside also contaminates the soil. It does not dissipate. Safey and Health are my business. Check out the MSDS
It would seem to me that if you used salt to kill fleas, when you went to vacuum you would be kissing your vacuum bye-bye. Salt is extremely corrosive and no vacuum will survive. Also if you have anything metal sitting on or near the carpet or rug, that too would begin to rust in a short time.
If that happens, on the rust stain, pour lemon juice (either from a fresh lemon on the bottled lemon juice), until the stain is soaked, and then table salt on the lemon juice and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then pour either hot tap water or boiled water on that and rub until the rust stain is gone and blot dry with a clean towel. I had a rust stain on my carpet (steam cleaned carpets and I have a metal end table….not a good idea lol ), and that method completely got the rust stain out of the carpet 🙂
You don’t leave it in your carpet but only a few hrs or over night. Empty vacuum once done it should be ok
i agree with you i have sezures and my dog helps me out more than i could ever dream of and he is just 8 months old.:)
I tried the vinegar & water spray & it didn’t work. Then I tried the apple cider vinegar & water it didn’t work. I tried some adams shampoo that had the ingredient limoene & it didn’t work. Our vet recommended a few years back joy lemon soap it didn’t work. we increased the vingar ratio more than water it still didn’t work. We have 2 Chihuahua dogs that are inside & go outside to use the potty. We have used the expensive medicine from the vet that works great & lasts until 3-4 months long. My husband lost his job & we can no longer buy the medicine from the vet so that is why I turned to your site to find something that would work. Every time they go outside they bring in even more until they are jumping on me. We are going crazy. We don’t know what to do.
I forgot to mention the essential oils you add to the soap and/or distilled water should be therapeutic grade and below 1% of your entire mixture.
I planted lavender plants all around my house. I notice my dogs and outdoor cats rubbing themselves on the lavender plants. Since the plants have been large enough to bloom, I have not noticed any fleas or ticks on the dogs or cats and I have not needed to use any other repellents. I live in an area with lots of open space.
Recently I added about 6 drops of a quality lavender oil to my shampoo. Since adding the lavender oil I have not had any ticks and it seems the mesquitos are less interested in me.
I am trying lavender oil added to water as a fly repellent on my horses. It helps when there are only a few flies but I still need fly spray on a hot day…..
when I had horses, I used the avon original skin so soft (oil). it kept fleas, flies, and skettos away from my horses
Use table salt to sprinkle on your floors i.e. hardwoods and carpet. Lemon dish detergent or Dawn dish detergent works very well. But you have to bathe them, brush them or use a comb(while wet) and then let it sit for a while. If you fill the tub up, you’ll see the fleas begin to come out from under the hair and jump into the water where they will definitely die. But you also have to clean all bedding, flooring, etc. at the same time or the fleas will never go away. In conjuction with the cleaning, if you can afford to give them Comfortis once a month, it is a life saver. Some Humane Society’s will sell it to you for about $10 each without a prescription. That’s great because you don’t have spend $120 or more all at one time. Hope this helps.
Didn’t you dog have gas or diarrhea as side effect from Comfortis?
In some websites they talked about the bad side effects from this medicine that is why I decided not to purchase. I will try the bath with Dawn.
Thanks for the recommendation.
comfortis just about killed my little maltese, she had a ceasure, some idiot from a vet said she will come out of the ceasure, but I took her in anyway and this vet said she is allergic to comfortis and she would have died had I not brought her in.
My dog is allergic to fleas. While not everything works for all. This works for my service dog. Be sure to get quality essential oil and not cooking oil. I do like the idea of salt in the carpet, The salt would pull the moisture from the fleas and kill by dehydrating.
Borax sprinkled onto the carpets also works for getting rid of fleas. You sprinkle it on the carpets and pets bed. Sweep it around on the carpet to work it in a little. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then vacuum it up. The borax powder suffocates the flea eggs and they can not hatch. This will help for the return flea problem.
Hey there,I too have been reading about natural solutions and just this week came across sites that said borax is poisonous for children and dogs and cats! I didn’t know this until a few days ago and researched it enough to know I won’t even have it in my home now. Also salt can be picked up on animals paws then ingested and that is toxic as well. It is so hard to know what to do! I can say that I found out many months ago that a grain free good quality food keeps fleas away…I noticed we didn’t have fleas anymore on our five cats and dogs and never thought to attribute it to the food, from what I read fleas go after pets lacking in nutrition,even if just a bit. We use Nutri-Source (not to be confused with Nutro). I found that I pay more but they need 40 percent less to eat when I compare serving sizes and it healthier- it’s so worth it. Please research everything for yourselves, spend hours before you decide what to use on your pets and in your house. Also I just read about animals sick and dying from over the counter “natural” flea control brands, that say they are all natural,organic,safe to use. That they are using essential oils but are not regulated and the oils are not pure…essential oil are always supposed to be diluted and there are really only a few trustworthy makers. So research everything before you try it please! And do not put tea tree oil on your pets either,highly toxic! I just bought a book by Kristen Bell called “Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals” and think that will be my “bible” for my pets as a starting point. I have also started using coconut oil and am reading about organic Apple cider vinegar. Vacuuming everything is a must like stated above. Also I like what I’ve read here about what I can place by their beds. Please everyone, research any essential oil and everything and anything you intend to use in your house on pets, or even yourselves! Strong scents like lemon, clove, peppermint or even a strong candle can be hazardous to pets in the same room when they breathe the air, it can build up in their systems,causing dizziness,breathing issues,death. Seems like so much to always read about and so much information to be filtered through,I know! But you really have to do your homework and then do it again, and again..in the long run you will find solutions that safe and can share your knowledge. For our children’s and pets safety and health there isn’t a choice is there? Hey thanks for reading! Thanks for the helpful information on this site. I hope I’ve helped 🙂
When we brought our puppy she was 4 weeks old and she had fleas, so my daughter Google some ways to get rid of them and we found this salt and dawn liquid detergent shrub but you have to do it once every 3-4 day’s until the fleas are gone, than once a month if their house dogs or every time you let them out it works
So you mix salt with Dawn dish soap? You apply it to the dog for 3 to 4 days and then only once a month? Help! My dog gets adult fleas on him and I also don’t want to give him flea meds. I heard feeding them garlic once a day in their food helps. Roast a whole garlic head and give 1 whole clove to a large dog, 1/2 a clove for a medium sized dog and 1/4 a clove to a small dog.
Please, please, please do not feed your dog’s garlic – it’s doggy poison (worse than chocolate). Works for us, but should not be given to our four legged friends.
I have found that if you keep treating your yard for fleas, you wont have them on your pets or in your house, last year I kept the yard clean and always sprayed flea killer, and even used home remedies for the yard as well such as vinegar and water mix. ,my dogs didn’t get 1 single flea. so this year im gonna do the same with my yard. just keep it cut and keep those sprays working—-1 time every 2 weeks.
Hello Uealene Nelson, I have a big yard with two dogs that are also in and out of the house. I used cedar chips around the areas of the house where there is shade to treat the yard and prevent fleas. There is a small area that has only dirt and I bought nematodes from amazon. It is a high maintenance method in the beginning but it seems to work. You can just google nematodes and you will see a good deal of remedies.
Good luck! 🙂
Hi there, borax might work, sprinkle it all over your floors then sweep it up, the residue punches holes in fleas exo skeletons. Try putting lavender oil on your cloth things, beds etc and witch hazel is also a good option and can be used, diluted on your pets aswell, same goes for tee tree oil good luck!!!
Don’t use tea tree oil on your dogs. I used it not knowing on my pug and it almost killed him. It was highly toxic. It took him 4 days to get over it. He was lifeless and would just lay and shake. If he tried to get up then he would just fall back over.
It sounds like you need to treat your yard, as well as your pets….
We are having a bit of a flee problem right now I have hard wood/tile floor no carpet thank goodness I’ve gave my dogs confortis waited a few day, still they have flees went back to the vet bought cap star these are the top things to buy for flees my dogs still have them I’m at my wits end so I’m glad I found this site I’m going to try some of the things that are suggested on here thanks for all the great ideas
treat your yard 1st ! I didn’t have 1 single flea on my dogs all year last year from keeping my yard flea free.
You have to treat your yard to, an you house, fleas can reproduce asexually so they dont need a mate
Try using “FOOD GRADE” diatomaceous earth. Put it on your carpet, dogs beds and on the dogs themselves. WARNING: USE ONLY FOOD GRADE !!!!
Be careful with borax on carpet or yard, if dogs get in lungs, it can cause respiratory problems. I do use 1/2 cup borax in bath water for them once a week during flea season…then rinse though. Lavender spray is effective repellent. To make, use 1 cup of water and about 20 drops of quality essential lavender oil. (Do NOT use perfume oils as a substitute. they are not the same and can cause skin and, breathing issues…as well as being toxic if they lic)…only essential oils are safe. You can also put one drop of essential lavender oil on pad of each foot to calm them from itching. Vinegar may not repel fleas, but in will sooth flea bites, and remove flea debris/feces…the black stuff left behind. If going natural, it takes longer and you must take a few steps every day consistently for a couple weeks. Sprinkle salt on carpets, bedding and use flea comb with lemon juice and water every night before bed. Put your comforter in dryer nightly for 30 minutes if they sleep with you..then spray your bedding with lavender spray. Also spray lavender spray on dogs in morning before they go outdoors. You can win this battle!
Cathy Borax is Boron which is poison to your dog. Even in the tiniest form.
Exactly as you said, ONLY FOOD grade, but I use this. It is AWESOME! It can be used EVERY WHERE … in the yard, in the bed, in your bed, on the dog, …. the only thing I want to add is that it does NOT work if it gets wet …. make certain that if you sprinkle this in your yard, to do it in the morning after the dew has had time to dry … sprinkle it on your rugs and let sit for about an hour (or over night) …. works wonders!! Awesome stuff. 🙂
I got two lemons and scrubbed my dog with them today and she was kissing me all over and turning her body to make sure I got it everywhere. Then I just left her without washing it off and I can tell she is already relieved cuz she’s not scratching herself. (I’m dog sitting for my aunt and she (dog) runs when she sees the hose)
Wow! It worked Cheresse. I took a half of lemon and rubbed it on my Corgi (tootsi) and she made sure I gave her a complete treatment. Vinegar/water and lemon water works, but you have to rub it in. Right now she is enjoying herself licking the flavor off her paws. She is not scratching. Thanks for the tip.
If your dogs keep getting more fleas outside, try treating your lawn where they go instead of them (or in addition to them). Get the fleas OUTSIDE where you can use chemical that won’t be on your dog. Be sure anything you spray is dry before you let the dogs back on the area.
Sounds like you need to treat your yard too!!! Diatomaceous earth is one option, and there are others, just google it. Good luck!!
that didn’t work for us.
The very best way to get rid of fleas in the home is 20 mule team borax. You just sprinkle it all over the infested areas, wash all their bedding. Within two weeks every flea will be gone.
spray your yard with dawn and water solution to kill all insects in your yard. then treat the dogs with flea shampoo
I am now trying fennel and baking powder..i too have horrible fleas…will let u know how it works…i heard downey sheets under linen on mattress can help…got rid of couch due to fleas and now my carpets…
Hi for the vinegar to work on the fleas on bedding and floors you have to use white vinegar full strength and soak your carpets but test it on a small section of the carpet/furniture first just to be on the safe side. But I’ve used it for years and its never wrecked anything,furniture or carpets. But be aware if you have a flea infestation the fleas will just on to any warm blooded animal/human so clear room out,spray soak everything and run out of room/house and leave for 1-2hrs or longer then come home and vacuum really good and throw vacuum bag out or clean vacuum right away. Ok don’t get mad but you will have to do this all again in 3days then at 7days then at 2wks to kill all fleas/whole life cycle but it will work. Good luck if you have kids just go out and by the zodiak spray and spray at 3 different times/life cycle. Re ad label. Then when fleas all gone wash the carpets.
Fleas do not jump on animals when they go out. They hatch in your carpets rugs and soft furnishings, eggs that fall off your flea infested animals . A female flea can produce 30 eggs a day that fall off the animal and develop in soft warm fabics to produce offspring that will hop back on. Animal to nimal contact is rae. Rule? Treat environment indoors mercilessly!
We use Dawn dishwater. If kills flees immediately. Just give them a bath. Does not prevent flees though,
Hi, thank you for all the information. I just moved to the east bay where everyone says there is a horrible flea problem , especially in September and October; due to the drought the fleas are extreme. Does this really work in extreme casses like California? I am dealing with the nasty things as we speak and doing everything you say, but will this also get ride of larva? Thanks again, I do not not want to give my dogs pestcides that cause cancer but i am feeling a bit desprate.
Pegge im in the east bay of California also and it’s been horrible in the flea dept. I can’t give my dog frontline because he’s allergic. So I’ll try things off this sight and look into treating our yard as well as all our neighbors have dogs and cats that might be adding to the problem. Good luck
Having a 1 and half year old Basset Hound and living in Dubai, how to treat boils, and rashes on body, under neck and legs. Weather is hot and humid in summer.
Thank you so much for sharing this information! Buford is our only pet. I found him a couple months ago at a local park. He followed me a couple days. I talked to some of the men that worked there, no one had asked about him, so I took him home 🙂 Where he has become our indoor baby except when we leave. He can be very timid at times, & has a nasty case of separation anxiety. He also is a very good digger so fencing is not an option. I hate “chaining” dogs up, but he can’t be trusted inside alone loose. He has torn up the bathroom wall & tore up a metal cage. I think he got them from an old plastic dog house our neighbor gave us. Buford didn’t have fleas at first, but he did have a nasty case of tape worms. It took 2 treatments to get rid of. Last night I used the flea bath. I wasnt sure what type of soap to use. I had read other sites that recommended regular Dawn. He seems to have sensitive skin. I found & used some Dawn pure essentials. I forgot to add water to it, but had soaked him down good before applying the mix. Lathered him up good top to bottom & continued to scrub, pet, rub it in for 15 minutes. Rinsed him thoroughly, dried him off. Tried to comb & brush him but he was done with the whole “spa” treatment. I also had made some of the apple cider water spray. Was able to rub that on him a little. He is not a fan of spray bottles. Have also used spray around the house. We have mainly laminate & linoleum flooring. After sweeping good I sprayed it on floor and went over it with a dustmop. Examined him good this morning and very very very happy to say after the one treatment he is flea free! And he looks & smells amazing! I know there is a chance of eggs & such. Have very high hopes because we haven’t seen any on floors, surfaces, or kids. All his bedding has been washed hot & dried very hot. Which I do at least once a week. Have a few questions 🙂 How often do we add the Braggs apple cider vinegar to his water? Do you have any suggestions for natural cleaners for the dog house? Also, what natural flea prevention/treatment for his outdoor area would you recommend? I made the lemon flea comb. Was going to use this also as a flea deterrent spray/wipe for dog & around the house. Do you know how long it will keep? How often should I apply it or other spray to Buford? And think this is my last question 🙂 is there anything natural you would recommend for worm prevention? I am trying to embark on a holistic lifestyle. We live in WV organic, green etc is not really popular. Its hard to find items in grocery store & it would be easier if my husband would get on board 🙂 Again, thank you for this post it has really helped 🙂
Fleas are part of the tapeworm’s life cycle, and a flea that carries tapeworms had to be ingested (eaten) by your dog before he can get tapeworms. As far as his “separation anxiety”, and tearing up your bathroom, this is just a guess, but maybe he lived near the park where you found him, and is tearing things up because he wants to go home? Assuming there were houses near the park you took him from, I think you should contact the humane society in your area, to find out whether a lost dog report had been made for him, and also knock on some doors near the park, to see if any of the neighbors know where he lived. I understand about not wanting a dog to get hit by a car, and wanting him to have a home, but it would be a shame if he had a family, with children and adults who loved him, and was dognapped from the nearby park because he liked to hang out there. Just a theory, but though I can tell you really love animals, it doesn’t sound like he was super happy to be brought there. This might sound harsh, but I think before you decide to take home a dog that most likely belongs to someone, you have a responsibility to make every effort to find out if he has an owner (including having him scanned for an ID chip if you haven’t already, that will tell you who his owner is. I wasn’t impressed by the smile face after you said you took him home, because “asking the men who work in the park if anyone had asked about him” is not good enough. Imagine if your child was at a park, and another adult decided to take him home and keep him because “nobody had asked about him”… and dog owners feel the same heartbreak when their dogs disappear, and they never even find out what became of them. Some things for people to think about, even if they decide to take an animal home for its own safety-you still have a responsibility to make EVERY effort to find out whether there are owners looking for the dog after you take him.
I appreciate your sharing about searching for the owner. Once, I was seeing a dog near the highway on my way home from work. Several days I saw him there. I decided that the next day I’d approach him and maybe take him home with me. But, that next day, I was a little later going by that location. I saw a school bus there. Oh My! the dog was waiting for his kids to come home from school! What a horrible mistake I almost made in assuming he was abandoned!
Hello and thank you for your article. My dog has been itching for months and we couldn’t figure out why. He started scabbing and having dry skin so I thought he was having skin problems. This morning while he was on my bed I was inspecting a scab and saw a black bug and another which was bigger and more brown. I caught the black one and it kept jumping so I guess it’s a flea. I didn’t wanna look for the browner one because I was pretty grossed out, I’m very new to this and never thought this would happen to my dog! He never plays with any dogs or interact with other animals.
I bought the Bragg cider vinegar and lavender oil and made a spray and a flea collar, as well as brewed fresh lemon to spray on our couches. I was wondering, if the fleas do stop attacking him, wouldn’t they start to bite on me and my family? Cause from my understanding these remedies are for prevention but how do I kill them completely?
Thank you so much in advance, my dog means the world to me!
Yes, they will bite you and your family—they are bloodsuckers like mosquitoes and spread diseases, so they are bad. You can pick them off and flush them down the drain with hot water—or bathe your dog regularly with flea shampoo (I do it in the tub-most dogs don’t like the hose because the water is cold)—but fleas will always be apart of your life if you have a dog—you just have to treat and prevent as much as you can.
I was wondering if this actually kills the fleas as well? I just made the collar and put it on my westie
They may get on you, and also even bite you, but they are ill equipped to live of humans as our skin is thicker and they cannot bite through to drink our blood.
my dog is named Beau as well, i can’t wait to see how these remedies work out!
Hi I love my little Maltese his name is Bronson he’s a wonderful companion and always looks out for me. I use the vinager lemon and water spray and it works great he also has a flea bath once a month in place of one of his regular weekly baths (he’s an inside dog so rarely gets dirty) but while the fleas are now under. Control I’m on the look out for something to keep his coat looking nice and white between bath times as he starts to get less white a day or so after his bath its not dirt or anything just a yellowing of the coat I was wondering if anyone can help me with this I don’t want to have resort to those coat whitening shampoos they sell at stores I prefer not to use chemicals on him
I am the proud companion of Peyton a lg Yorkie. His Vet. says he is very healthy and no issues except he’s allergic to flee bites. Sad cause we have tried many drops, etc. but I’m told the very best drops will help but if a flee gets on him and bites it will die however my poor baby gets large crusty welps and itches to the point of hair lost and sad very sad his eyes beg for help. I found this sight and will try a more natural preventive hopefully end will this . He’s going to be 8 yrs in Aug. Go Peyton!! 🙂
I use Diatomaceous earth on my yard for fleas. It is a natural product from fossils that gets under the exoskeleton of the flea (dog or cat_) and kills them by drying them up. You can also sprinkle a little into the coat of your dog or cat to kill fleas. It does not hurt them. You can sprinkle some on their food to keep intestinal parasites and ear mites at bay or even cure them if that is the case.
I use DM myself and my dog and yard are flea free.
IMPORTANT~! You MUST buy the FOOD GRADE DM. There is also pool grade DM that has chemicals in it that will kill your pet. Food Grade DM can be purchased at any hardware store or Stores like Walmart, etc…
Question about the deterring drink, how often do pups drink the mixture and can it be used on small breeds such as chihuahuas?
do these work on cats/kittens also?
You can use most of these but avoid remedies 1 & 4. The things on this list that include essential oils should only be used on dogs as there’s a reasonable amount of debate about use of essential oils on cats, possibly because of how they metabolize it versus the way that dogs do.
Hello Claire, my name is Michelle Norby My Husband and i have a Jack Russell mix he is Adorable!!!!! His name is Buster Brown we got him at the Shelter when he was 2 months old. We never had a problem with Barking or Anxiety until Children in our apartment complex were teasing him non stop. I tried to talk to my Landlord and he would not listen. The Teasing continued in that period of time put him through training and is C.G.C so he is my Service Dog however he is barking constantly i have tried time outs and when i put him in the Bathroom when i go to let him out i would find Pop or Pee on the floor i have tried saying sit and down he gets down then he walks to the door and Barks some more. He is so cute ls there any Natural remedies that help with Anxiety or Barking i will try Anything at this point any suggestions please feel free to give me any advice you have. Thanks Michelle.
Hi Michelle, we also have new puppies, also a mixed Jack Russel breed, also soooo cute and lively and…….
Our problem was also the barking thing until a dog trainer gave us this advice and it works very well
Get a small spray bottle and fill it with plain water and every time he barks just spray into his face, they HATE that and very soon you only need to show him the bottle and he knows whats coming if he doesnt stop.
When we take our dogs for a walk, we pass a certain house that has a small dog
who gets out onto the pavement harrasing our dogs. I started with the spray thing and now he still barks but does not put a foot outside when he sees the botlle!!
Good luck, hope it works for you as well
Karen , I use braggs for all of my animals , cats ,dogs ,horses and chickens , it is works really good and is not toxic which I like .
I often treated my cats/kittens/puppies with baby powder. It killed & repelled the fleas and ticks and did not hurt the pets I put it on. I also sprinkled powdered cinnamon on my carpets, let set for two hours then vacuumed it and the dead fleas up. It also made the house smell great. No musty smell ether. Hope this helps.
Does it matter what brand of baby powder?
Hi, we live in BAJA Mexico, and after seeing the treatment of animals here, we started a rescue center, right now we have 21 dogs, all sizes, and breeds, a few have been adopted by Americans that come to our courtyard restaurant, we live right by a surfing point. But it is very hard, financially to care and feed them all.. And reading about how to get rid of fleas, is fantastic, I go to the states (orange county) every two months to visit family, and grandchildren, I will pick up all the ingredients there. We are bombarded by fleas, our poor dogs suffer a lot, and we just can’t afford to buy them all advantage, to costly for us, as we live off our s.s. thank you for all that info. Our dogs will be very happy, and maybe we can rid of all there fleas.
For the fleas, I use Diatomaceous Earth. You can get a fogger and just fog it around your property and the fleas will be gone. It is perfectly safe, and used in many vitamin supplements. It also gets rid of snails and slugs. Can be purchased at many stores and pool supply.
Please if you use Diatomaceous Earth (which is great for fleas by the way) please, please use only Food Grade DE. The stuff you buy at the pool stores is NOT Food Grade and is poison. The Food Grade you can even put in your own food & it’s good for intestinal parasites for you & your dogs). Wolf Creek Ranch website has a link to buy it or you can get it at most health food stores. Even tractor supply carries a Food Grade version.
EXACTLY! There are so many people that just assume that Diatomaceous Earth is all the same but it is NOT. Please be careful and make sure you get, and use, only Food Grade DE.
this does not work
Terry, Andrea, and Lovemypets are right: make sure the DE you purchase is FOOD GRADE! I’d like to also mention the importance of NOT breathing the dust in, since it can cause respiratory problems in humans and their pets.
I LOVE this stuff, but there are those who skip the research and package directions, and then complain about consequences or say it doesn’t work.
I have found a system that works for me, but everybody’s different…just thought I’d share my idea–I ran out of garlic powder (the bigger, 10 ounce one), so I ran the container through the dishwasher. Every week, beginning right before Spring “springs”, I fill the container with half baking soda and half DE, add 7-10 drops of essential oil (lavender, citrus, eucalyptus, and tea tree are some that repel fleas and other bugs), close the lid, and give it a good shake. Then, I sprinkle it liberally onto the carpet in my bedroom, paying extra attention to the perimeter, where the carpet meets the moulding and creates a cozy hiding place for fleas. I also change my bed sheets at this time, so usually sprinkle the mattress, as well.
While sprinkling, I keep the container no more than 12 inches from the floor, and this prevents a dust cloud, which I mentioned was harmful to breathe in. Common sense should tell you to turn all fans off while doing this. I never do, but you could wear one of those cheap painters masks, if you wanted.
I let it sit on the carpet for 2 days before vacuuming it all up, using the hose attachment for that sneaky perimeter, and vacuum the mattress when I start the process again the following week.
Anybody who does 10 minutes of research will know that the chemical flea products that are so widely used on our pets are extremely toxic to all of us. The last time I used one, years ago, my dog had a seizure for the first time that very evening. It lasted all of 45 seconds, but I vowed to never poison him again.
It takes diligence and commitment, so don’t expect a one-time cure, but our animals SHOULD be worth it. If you’re saying to yourself “I don’t have the time”, then a) don’t be surprised if your dog winds up having seizures or cancer, and b) maybe you “don’t have the time” to have a dog in the first place.
IF YOU USE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH — YES, GET FOOD GRADE – but also make sure it doesn’t have additives. I got one with calcium bentonite, which made it darker and redder, and I ruined my carpet!!!!
I tried DE (food grade) in the yard and it did nothing . The problem was so bad that I couldn’t even walk in the back yard, it looked like I was wearing black socks. With the cold and the rain things have been better, but I know summer is coming, not looking forward to it.
Make sure that the DE that is purchased is the FOOD grade type. There is two kinds.. one for pools and one for consumption. PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU CHECK THAT YOU PURCHASE THE RIGHT KIND. MOST feed stores will carry a 50 lb bag, but the fact is it will not go bad as long as it stays dry.
I have DE but its a powder. I have a sprayer for liquids. Woild that work as a fogger??? please help
I am fighting fleas My yard is sand some grass! the DE is a fogger for out side in the yard? sounds like a dumb question just wanting to clarify have been fighting a loosing battle I am afraid thanks
the sand complicates flea riddance. they love it. neighbor’s cats, bunnies, squirrels, and birds drop fleas. there are some professional pest control services that offer all natural pest control. you could ask them to email to you a list of ingredients and check it out. the reason i suggest it for you is the sand problem…surely the neighborhood cats love your sand and pay you back with fleas. also, the pest control company offers a service contract. so, you could call them back every… how often you need them for re-infestation.
After spending a ridiculous amount of money on flea treatments that were not working I purchased beneficial nematodes at Amazon. Mixed them up with some water and spread around my yard, front and back and we have not had fleas in 5 months. I made it through summer without spending any money on flea products and the nematodes cost me less than $40. The nematodes are suppose to last up to 18 months. I am so thrilled that my fur-kids are not taking in chemicals of any kind that this will be our only kind of flea control from now on.
what did you get off of amazon and do you have anything to use for the carpets and bedding, not dog bedding people bedding
are they plant-paracitic nematodes? i think probably so. do you have a vegetable garden? have the nematodes destroyed your garden…starting with your tomatoes?
You can put a light over a tray of water that you have put a drop of dish soap in to break the surfus. We have our light on 24/7. It works
l’ve tried all natural possibilities, but having 9 dogs and a flee infested lot l gave up.
I got Comfortis flee pills from the USA. The biggest ones are good for up to 80 pound dogs.
l cut them is parts for the smaller dogs to save money. So one quarter for every 20 pound dog.
Within an hour the dogs were flee free and it lasts 1 month. To kill the whole cycle l used it for 3 months.
Now l’ve got no flees since a year and no pills since 9 months. Any new dog gets a bath and a pill before entering my lot.
Good luck!
Heidi, Costa Rica
hey I jus wanted to let you kno im happy that you do that bcuz I here soo much badness and ugly bout mexico and how they treat the animals and things so very happy to here that
What Are Nematodes?
Nematodes are tiny wormlike multicellular animals found in the soil. There are a lot of different kinds of nematodes, good and bad. The good ones we’re talking about here are beneficial in controlling many garden pests like ants, termites and grubs — but they also eat fleas!
They can be found at many garden centers and online. I pre-order mine from Arbico Organics to ensure their arrival in early spring.
They usually arrive ready to use; you just add water as directed on the package, and then you can spray them throughout your yard using a hose sprayer or even a watering can.
Since nematodes are a live organism, you need to use them quickly after they arrive. Apply them in the spring, and ideally again in summer and fall to keep your yard flea-free.
I am looking for a Natural ,holistic treatment for Hyperthyroidism in cats. The compound the vet had me using is simply not working. Silvia’s poor ears can not take this stuff any more. She has lost weight again, has been vomiting… when I called the vet. they told me I’d have to come in again pay an office visit, blood work up etc I am un employed and have no money for all of this. Hell I can’t pay for my own medical needs. There has got to be something Natural out there that I may be able to afford. I know that if I can not get this under control that it could be fatal. I do not want to have to put her to sleep simply because I have No money to pay for all these tests. There has got to be some help for us out there. Please advise. Thank, Michelle
Hi Michelle,
I am sorry to hear your cat isn’t doing well. I am not a holistic veterinarian (or a conventional vet) and cannot officially diagnose/treat anything. That being said, I can share some ideas with you-just know they aren’t coming from a medical professional.
Diet: If she isn’t already, many kitties with hyperthyroidism seem to benefit from a switch to a natural or raw diet. A lot of cat foods today are incredibly high in carbohydrates but lack the protein that cats, as obligate carnivores, need. There are also different brands of dry food that are higher in protein than others, if you did not wish to make the switch to raw.
Current meds: I know that trans-dermal application of hyperthyroidism meds can be a bit inconsistent. Depending on the medication she’s on, if it seemed to help at all, you can possibly get it in an oral form with more consistent results. If you’re applying it to her ears, make sure to wash the ear first to get rid of the dried layer of the previous application/any dirt or grime. All of the above can block the newly applied medicine and make it less and less effective.
Thyroid Gold Support (Resthyro): I really don’t know much about this but have heard that some people have had great success with a natural herbal blend called Thyroid Gold Support (previously Resthyro) which was formulated by a naturopathic vet. It still costs some money, but hardly anything compared to what vet bills can climb to. Something to keep in mind and research further if you want.
Supplements & Vitamins: You could probably call your vet and avoid an office fee (or do some research) to find out supplements or vitamins you can add to Silvia’s diet that can support her body as it recovers. It’s not a cure, but it could help.
Again I am not a vet myself, but hopefully those ideas can spark something for you. I hope Silvia feels better soon!
I had a cat that had hyperthroidism. She got the discease because she had fatty-liver discease. Two homapath doctors beleive that she got fatty-liver discease from vaccination she had recieved. Her heart rate at the time of her death was over twice the amount that should have been. Her heart finally gave out. She was just sly from her 15th birthday. Unfortunatly it was too late for her when I found websites for homopath and herbs for cats and dogs.
Her brother now has kidney failure. I had try to use conventional medicine that didn’t work. I went on website PetWellbeing and order kidney support, which is working very well for him.
Also, have a toy poodle with enlarge heart. Again we tried conventional medicine which didn’t help at all. This time we order from local pet store that deals with homopath medicines and herbs.
If far less expensive to use homepath medicines and herbs than conventional medicine. For example – one bottle of kidney support last over 3 months because I only use about 7 drops 2x a day and it cost less than $40.00 as oppose to over $50.00 that last just a little over a month.
I can not advise that you should change over to homopath medicine or herbs, because I am not a doctor of any kind of medicine nor I am in any kind of medical profession. I am just letting you know that there is a possible alternative and maybe a less expensive method of treating disceases in animals.
I wish you luck in helping your cat and wish her good health for the rest of her life.
NATURE GIVES US ALL THE MEDS WE NEED…ACV-MILKTHISTLE-BREWER’S YEAST-TUMERIC-IT IS ALL THERE AT LOW COST…WE HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO USE THEM…LOVING OUR LITTLE PETS IS NOT A QUESTION OF MONEY…IT IS A QUESTION OF LOVE AND COMMITMENT…
maybe active manuka honey 15+ may help
Try a few drops of iodine on skin. If color lightens within 24hrs iodine is needed by the body.
im looking for an Earmite control on cats and dogs can u help me out
Tea tree oil & baby oil.
Mix 2parts PURE tea tree oil to 1 part baby oil. Use a plastic eyedropper & fill the ear with the oil mixture. Rub it in good & then let your pet shake the excess out. (it’s best to do this outside, as oil will go flying!) The oil will suffocate/kill the mites & the tea tree oil will kill any bacterial infections. Takes about 3 times to kill ear mites, so use it 3 times a week to start. Then just once a month to keep your pet ear mite free!
In conjunction with your tea tree oil mixture, it will work,… but I found out from the vet, when you put drops in the dogs ears, make sure you hold the ear high upright tight for several seconds before you begin rubbing it. That ensures the liquid will get down to the bottom where the ear mites are. And she also said to be sure and pluck the hair out of the ears once a month at least. More if it grows faster. Tea tree oil (1 drop) and water (2 ounces) mixed in a spray bottle will work to keep the ticks of humans too. Spray on shoe and pants bottoms when going outdoors. Ticks are really bad this year wherever the winter was light. But remember, tea tree oil is toxic to cats.
NEVER ever use Tea Tree oil on cats. I’ve been doing cat rescue for over 40 years and have learned a few things (often by trial and error) I’ve come up with an earmite oil that’s safe to use and is actually good for cats (and dogs) I use organic olive oil, organic unrefined coconut oil and vitamin E oil. I keep it in the fridge and put it on the counter in the AM to soften. You can also put the bottle in a bowl of warm (not hot) water to get it warm faster. Warming does 2 things. First it liquefies the coconut an olive oil which solidify at cool temps. Second cats don’t like having cold things in their ears. I keep the oil in the fridge to keep it from going bad. I usually dip a Q-tip in the oil and rub it in the upper ear which lets the oil run down to the inner ear without the possibility of injuring the inner ear with the cotton swab. I do this daily for a couple weeks. I currently am caring for 22 cats and they all LOVE this oil especially if I’m a little heavy handed with the coconut oil which they will lick right out of the jar if I let them.
I also ONLY use cider vinegar (Braggs) which can also be used to control FUS (feline urinary syndrome)
Be VERY careful with tea tree oil on a dog! I used it on my Corgi puppy and it almost killed him. We had to rush him to the vet and they said his heart had almost stopped from it. He had to stay there a couple days. I was horrified that I almost killed my precious pup. I would never use tea tree oil on Cody again!
Hello my name is Susie and 7 monthold puppy is Lucy Belle..My baby Lucy Belle is my heart. .. Lucy Belle means everything to me.. i am disabled and I have a caregiver tht comes in ⚅ 6 hours a day to help me.. Lucy never had fleas until she started working here.. Lucy Belle does not go out side at all.. she is half York terrier and caraway.. shes totally trained for inside and is never around other animals at all.. Lucy Belle got fleas this past summer.. my caregiver has 11 dogs and 2 cat.. dshe said they had flea.. iI believe tht my caregiver brought them fleas in on her clothes or shoes.. my caregive says thts impossible for her to carry fleas in on her clothes.. I say yes you can.. I kno for a fact that can happen.. i spray my baby Lucy Belle 1 x a week with vinegar in a spray bottle.. and it works.. my caregiver was off a week and then when she came back.. she brought the fleas back with her.. so there i go agan with the pure vinegar and dawn baths.. but i still spray Lucy Belle 1x a week with the vinegar spray.. vinegar does worksand makes her coat so so shiney and skin so soft.. no scratching at all.. my caregiver tells me tht shes just a dog.. makes me so upset.. i tell her tht my Lucy Belle is one of GodscCreations with a heart an a dsoul.. I know shes a dog. but to me i dont see heras tht.. i dsee her as my baby girl.. pls try the vinegar spray and bath them in dawn and vinegar.. works great.. I also putgarlic ppowder in her food 1x a week.. fleas hates the taste of garlic when they bite.. garlic smell goes through skin.. the good thing to is tht we canteeven smell the garlic on Lucy Belle but the fleas don’t like it atall…
Never use tea tree on cats it will kill them! Cats don’t metabolize things like dogs.
Please do NOT use tea tree oil on dogs. It can affect their central nervous system and cause temporary paralysis. This happened to my dog and scared me to death.
Tea tree oil is very toxic to dogs and cats and also destroys the kidneys and liver. Please don’t use it.
TEA TREE OIL IS 110% POISON TO YOUR PETS! THEIR LIVER CANNOT PROCESS. PLEASE DO NOT USE.
for dogs (i do not know about cats) olive oil is safe for ears. use a dropper to instill 2-3 drops. then close the ear and massage it around, encouraging the oil to go down. this smothers them. checking for ear mites is as simple as putting your finger into the ear; if it feels like there is salt in the ear, the dog has ear mites.
Do you have anything for ticks? I live in Northern Wisconsin and we have ticks galore and would like something to deter them from my pup. She has really long hair and it’s hard to detect when she has any until they are bloated. Thanks
Just the comment I wanted to ask. I stay in India, and ticks are a much bigger problem here. Would love to know some non-chemical way of getting rid of them – I currently use the store-bought tick collar, spray and another chemical.
We have two 8 lb. Pomeranians that get occasional fleas/ticks. As for the flea info, what is a specific dosage, if any. Just checking. Thanks!
Kathy – give your dog a bath once a week with a herbal flea and tick shampoo (can find them online and sometimes in the pet store ) when you’re soaping her down massage the soap into her coat (leave it on for 3 minutes) and work from the ears backwards, massage every inch of her – by working the soap into her coat it will help dislodge any ticks and just the act of massaging her will help you find the ticks with your fingers. You might consider having her coat trimmed during the summer months as well.
Good luck!
i would like to know how i could make something that kills fleas and ticks . but i would like to have a spray so i can do my yard as i have 4 dogs that spend alot of time outside as i do.
I have two pugs, one has seizures and I need a flea prevention that is not toxic for her…thanks
wet the face and ears first and wait about 5 mins and then rub dawn dishwashing detergent and make a ring around her neck at first and then start rubbing them down all over with this and leave it on for about 5 mins. It suffocates the fleas and doesn’t harm the cats or any other pets.
Dawn dish washing liquid dries their skin out bad
They now make a dawn dish washing liquid that contains aloe, much gentler on their skin, had a hard time finding it at first, but now the local Kroger carries it
If you add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar to rinse water, the Dawn won’t dry out skin. Vinegar rebalances skin and repels fleas. Also add 1/2 to 2 tsp olive oil (depending size of dog) to dog food for shiny coat and healthy skin.
great advice! it works for me, too! only, i found that any soap will suffocate fleas in 5 minutes. so, i use plain ole gentile soap. i was concerned that the dawn may dry out my dog’s skin.
Awesome post! I’ll definitely start to use the flea collar. Thank you! 🙂
We have a 7 hear old English Setter and have adopted 2 elder Setters in the past that gone to heaven. None of them had a problem with fleas. Ticks has always been the bad problem though. We sometimes use the spot on flea/tick killer, but have only used half of the necessary dose because we hate the chemicals, but fear tick borne illnesses more. We’ll try these and see if any help.
Thanks for the information.
I agree that putting something strong smelling on our dogs is cruel so I haven’t tried these ideas before this, but if you love your dogs like we do and you use it successfully then it’s worth a try!!
Love this….. But, I do have one big dog 60lbs, two little ones 10lbs and 6lbs how much vinegar do I put into a gallon of water…. thank you so much for this info…. I hate using the flea meds the docs give you and they cost too much….
1 tablespoon to a quart, or 4T/gallon. my dog was sensitive to it at 1st. i’d read to use 2T/quart. i ended up giving him pepto bismol.
My Rottweiler bitch whelped five days ago… as I couldn’t treat her while pregnant (didn’t know of the above then) fleas were prevalent. I bathed both her and the pups with a natural flea shampoo (pups a weak solution in warm water)… they were okay, but now I notice the fleas back… are any of the above remedies safe around small pups?…or is there an alternative?…
Hi Sue,
Congrats on your puppies! I love Rotties. Does the mom still have fleas as well, or just the babies? The first thing that comes to mind in terms of naturally treating them so young would be to use the flea comb and/or continue with the diluted flea bath. I would hesitate to use essential oils with either the pups or the mom (since she’s still nursing.) The flea bath will only be a temporary fix, and you’d have to stick to doing it diligently to keep them at bay-which I know is a big job with all of the little ones.
For now though, as much work as it is, they are so young that I think your best bet is to stick to the flea baths and a flea comb (you can purchase one, or make the one above.) You can use mild dish soap in water for the bath itself. After the bath, if possible while they are still wet, manually go over the puppies with the comb and pick off the fleas, dropping them in a bucket of sudsy water after they are removed. Keeping a little bit of something like Vaseline on hand can also be handy-when you spot the flea, put a little blob on it to keep it from scampering away while you remove it. Same goes for momma if she still has them.
Vacuum like a fiend as well, to make sure there aren’t eggs or other fleas creeping about, and wash your dogs bedding as much as you can. If you can throw it in the dryer, use the highest heat setting as well to make sure eggs get killed off.
If you have a holistic vet anywhere in your area, you can also try giving them a call. Best of luck and let me know if you have anymore questions!
Your dogs are just beautiful!
What about cats?
You can use the remedies that don’t involve essential oils (2,3, and 5) as cats do not metabolize them the same way dogs do.
my lab always has ear problems, last year I bought the ear infection stuff from the vet, it worked alittle. But it never fully goes away. I can’t get in her ears to clean them, what is the best thing for them. thanks
I understand you are not a holistic vet, however, I’d like your advice: I used ammonia to clean my house, and it all pooled in a few areas of my tile floor, due to the foundation. I mopped it up, however, friends have told me that it still smells like chemical ammonia (not cat pee). Since then, both of my cats have developed seizures; I am unsure why, but they randomly fall off tables, chairs, wherever they jump. They always rest/sleep off the ground, high up.
Also, the older,white haired, 9 year old, has tons of fleas. Incidentally the 9 year old definately has worse reactions or problems. She has fits if you scratch an area that she is more sensitive in. She has patches of hair which she tore up 3 years ago, with a previous owner, and the hair growth has been scarred and never returned. (If you have any ideas for natural hair growth, that’d be great!)
These patches are at the nape of her neck and the rump of her tail. I have started to bath or comb this out everyday. I will treat them as prescribed above, without the essential oils. And I need to buy diatemaceous earth! I have lots of plants, inside and outside. A friend of mine suggested that the fleas and potentially chiggers or something malicious could be living in the soils in my house and right outside my front door.
The younger, 6 year old, hardly has fleas, presumably because she is black bodied with some brown. She also is a lighter furred cat mix. I love all my plants and both my cats very much!
If you have any further ideas, please advise. Thanks!
Thank you!!
What is good for fleas on cats??? I use Front Line,but does’t work to good. thank you.
My comment is the same as Sara’s, I have cats and was wondering if you have a flea spray formula?
Dollar Tree flea shampoo is cedar and sage oil it costs a dollar and I put it in a spray bottle and spray carpets. I cant remember the brand
do not use cedarwood essential oil if dog has seizures. i used a non toxic shampoo that did not specify cedarwood on label. my dog had a seizure with in an hour. the complete ingredients was only available on their website. also never use rosemary, tansy, sage- there a re a few to watch- look up list to be sure. also my dogs seizures stopped completely for over two years after i changed from commercial food to raw frozen, natures variety. log the seizures. see if there is a pattern. if they happen around the full moon it may be atmospheric pressure or parasites involved. i use ocular compression as described by rice university vet school with great results. if your dogs seizures are infrequent this may be worth trying. my dog only gets fleas when her immune is off- both times immediately before major surgery.
Your Dollar Tree shampoo sounds natural, but read ingredients carefully, my daughter used flea shampoo with chemicals on her little dog and he died the next morning!
i am so happy to find this site. i have so many flea problems living in the forest and around flea carrying wild animals. thank you.
These are some great tips! I love the vinegar water, spray and fleabegone bag. I’m going to have to steal these ideas and recommend them to my clients. I always recommend people at least try natural treatments before resorting to chemicals.
PEPPERMINT. That is all you need. I mix mine in a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. You can mix in a spray bottle with water but you will need a drop of dish soap because of the surface tension of the water. Either way….spray it on your pets, your window screens, your shoes, your skin, your clothes …anywhere you think bugs may get onto. Peppermint also smells delicious.
Have a safe and bug free summer!
Elaine does it also kill fleas? thxs so much for that info!!
uh, Elaine… That might (somehow, miraculously) be fine for your dog… but for many other dogs peppermint is one of the poisonous ones…
I have NEVER heard of peppermint oil being toxic to any living animal. Peppermint is even GRAS. General regarded as safe (even for intake) I give my dogs peppermint (NOW I USE THERAPUETIC GRADE) not what you buy from GNC or somewhere like that. I have even used peppermint on horses, goats, etc. Maybe it was the type of peppermint that is mixed with something else and isn’t labeled correctly,. Peppermint can help an animal if they are overheated as it increases circulation, helps tummy issues, can keep horses from being anxious., The uses are endless.
My dog has cancer, he is 3 yr. old male Catahoula. Vet. says he has about 2-3 yrs to go. (?) I have to be very careful and keep him away from ANY toxins. I don’t use flea shampoos, collars, and etc.. I concentrate clean air (we live in the mountains) and chemical free atmosphere.
So I am very happy to find this website. I will try the peppermint, apple cider, and lemon, for his fleas, or to keep them away. He has been itching a lot lately, so I guess it’s fleas. It doesn’t seem to be dry skin.
Actually peppermint can be toxic to even people. I used peppermint oil and it was the pure oil and just the smell of it in the house makes my husbands throat start to close and heavy chest and starting to cough. My daughter also has trouble breathing when I use peppermint oil. They both don’t have asthma. But just can’t stand the peppermint oil. So I am leary of using it on my dogs
what’s the ratio of peppermint to rubbing alcohol? so rubbing alcohol is good for puppy’s skin?
thanks,
Aren’t mosquitoes attracted to sweet scents? Not a bad idea to use on screens but I have a bad mosquito problem around my house.
I have read all the information above and really like the idea and want to do this with my yorkie. However, I noticed that one question has not been answered which also applies to my little baby. How much apple cyder vinegar to put into a quart of water for a 5lb dog. I’ve cut the dosage down to about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per quart of water for this size and need to know if this is the appropriate amount. Thank you for your time and tips. They are very much appreciated.
Are any of these safe for cats? I have 3 indoor cats and a husky who is indoor/outdoor..
When you mention cedar chips for the bags, will the cedar chips for gerbil cages work? or is there a different kind that is better?
I have used cedar shavings and chips for bedding in my doghouse, in the summer. Unfortunately, they do not repel fleas or ticks, in my experience
I have a pit who is indoor/outdoor. What can I use for my backyard that won’t cost so much?
Maybe lemon eucalyptus oil is good too since it’s suppose to deter mosquitos. Mosquitos carry heartworms. I just don’t know if it repels fleas.
Because cedar shavings( used in pet bedding) is very offensive and bothersome to the respiratory tracts of dogs and small animals kept in cages- I don’t recommend the cedar oil. Please consider other safe oils as flea repellant. I THINK rosemary may be an option but really if the cedar oil is identical to an extract of cedar shavings used in pet bedding- bad idea. THE ONLY REASON PET SHOPS SELL THIS UNHEALTHY BEDDING IS BECAUSE THEY AND THE MANUFACTURER MAKE MONEY ON IT. THERE ARE SAFER BEDDING OPTIONS AND CEDAR IS DEFINITELY NOT ONE OF THEM! Btw- many people also notice breathing issues around cedar shavings. Asthmatics or people with allergies- be careful.
Growing up I wanted to be a vet, and I’ll never forget my first “diagnosis” when I was 5 years old (this will connect I promise.) My pet rat, Whiskers, was showing signs of an upper respiratory infection. I noticed it early, brought her to the vet, and explained what I had determined what was going on (I read my book on rats daily.) I learned then that cedar shaving bedding was terrible for their airways, and never used it as bedding since (and I went on to have 6 more rats, 3 hamsters, 2 mice, and 3 ferrets!)
I feel comfortable with the use of cedar as used above for a few reasons (these are just my opinions of course.) First, a small amount of cedar chips-which are different than the shavings-cannot compare to the dusty bedding that small animals spend their lives in. There is not the same amount of oils, nor are there the clouds of minute particles that the shavings give off. As far as the oils go on the skin, they are not inhaled, and always diluted. Secondly, I have never had a dog react badly. They anatomically quite different, not to mention larger, than creatures like rats/rabbits/birds etc. and they are not being exposed in the same way here. Again, some cedar chips or a small amount of oil is very different than living in irritating shavings all day every day.
I also know a lot of people who have dogs that run or snooze on cedar chips in their garden all day long and do just fine-toss those chips in a sachet to tuck under their bed and it’s really no different ☺.
Thirdly, I have yet to track down a scholarly/scientific article about dogs and cedar-only peoples personal stories. The published reports on the negative effect of cedar are on the shavings, and dealing with rats or other small mammals that live in cages.
I have to clarify I am not saying there is no danger or that it’s safe for everyone. Of course there is ALWAYS going to be a dog that is sensitive or allergic or reacts badly, and that is a risk taken with any form of treatment, be it natural or otherwise.
That’s just my two cents ☺ Thank you for bringing up these concerns -it’s always good for people to know about, and if you’re worried, there is always something to substitute! It also gave me a reason to share my Whiskers story, and I have secretly harbored that 5 year old pride for all these years :p
My chiauhuahu loves cedar chips, we live in oregon so they are in a lot of parks and front yards. He plays in them great for potty training. Glad to know they deter fleas. I will definitely be using for landscape in our yard. Also I use dawn dish soap to barh thor it sufocates the flees and they fall right off, vet recommended it and its safe they use It for wildlife in oilspills. Use a lot though till he is blue, twice a month in summer with oatmeal baths between to keep skin from getting dry. He sleeps with me fleeless same day.
Absolutely right Claire. There is no ONE treatment that is right for all pets. If you try it as Claire noted I’m sure and it bothers your pet or there is any bad reaction. Discontinue right away and wash your pet immediately with Luke Warm water with a mild detergent. But to our loving little friends something needs to be done to rid them of the infestation and natural ingredients are always better than Chemicals. I have seen Dogs die from flea infestations alone. They are as bad as or can be worse than any parasite in left untreated. Just like ticks they not only bite the animal they suck their blood. Which in severe cases will cause anemia which can be deadly to an animal. So a little trial with natural ingredients could maybe prove to be one that rids your furry little friend of their infestation, which I’m sure they will greatly appreciate and love you for. But for the sake of the “Skeptic People out there. Before using on your pet. Test it on a small area away from eyes, mouth ears and genitals to see how your pet reacts to it. I have used this same Method for years after learning the harm that the typical flea and tick Meds can cause. Yes even some that us vets have used before and that are still out there harming our pets. A good Veterinarian will warn you of the damage Even Frontline and Trifexis can cause. I wish you all well and hope you can find what works for your pet.
Clair I need help with my dog. She has fleas, and i don’t want to give her away. I have children at home who love her, but her fleas are all over now. What should I do to get rid of the fleas and not my dog. The fleas are all over the carpet now and getting on the children. I have a 9 yr old, 6 yr old, 2yr old and a 3 month old baby. I need help please
I totally agree with SnowStar here, cedar chips are horrible to use for almost any pet it’s just plain harmful. Even to use to get rid of fleas your still endangering your pet and their respiratory system. I worked in a pet store for many years and learned several safe and effective ways to get rid of fleas. Best way was to bathe your pet in Dawn dish soap, fleas hate it. Also, feeding your pet things fleas dislike such as garlic or yeast. For dogs, you can add vinegar to their water (do not do this for cats they are too sensitive). You can make your own flea dip, use 2 cups of rosemary and 2 pints of water, bring to a boil. Once it’s boiled remove the rosemary leaves and add 1 gallon of warm water and saturate your pet completely. Allow them to air dry do not towel dry. You can also place finely grated salt throughout your home. Fleas that come in contact with the salt begin to chaff and bleed to death. Be sure to vacuum every day or two of application. To get them off your pet slice up a lemon and boil it in a pint of water, let it sit overnight then dampen your pets fur with the solution (do not soak your pet in it). You can also out this in a spray bottle and spray in areas of your home you think may be infested but be careful of staining. These are just a few of the ways you can get rid of these pests without using harmful products like boric acid or cedar chips. Hopefully this helps anyone who needs it. Good luck and bless you for caring about your pet so much.
Would luv to receive your emails or any info that you make available! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this wonderful advice I’m definitely trying it on my poor pup. I’ve been trying to get rid of his fleas for ages but all the stuff just irritates his skin and makes him chew on it like mad! I swear trying to get rid of the fleas was worse than not trying to get rid of them but nevertheless we kept trying different methods.
Also, your dogs are absolutely gorgeous!
I have just been rubbing coconut oil on my two little dogs. It seems to work for the short haired dog, but it’s harder to get to the fleas on the one with longer hair. It’s kinda messy too, so I don’t recommend it if your dogs sit on the couches lol. I’m anxious to try these other ideas!
Thanks for the information. It is very helpful!! I have a couple questions about the flea spray, as we mixed up a batch for my mom and dad’s dog last evening. 1. How often should it/can it be reapplied? 2. How long can we keep the solution before needing to mix a new batch? Their dog is a short-hair chihuahua and doesn’t require alot of the spray to cover her body.
I do a lot of the above, i wash my dogs with DAWN soap. It opens the phosholipid layer of the fleas, exosketeton and kills them . I soak the dogs and also aply it to their body in the tub and scrub with a small nail brush. if its realy bad, esp on m y 15 year old guy, I go up and down his body with the high vibrating nozzle of my shower head. i sometimes use a nit comb and comb upwards to catch some really bratty bugs. Then I rinse them in vinegar and smetimes baking soda. i’ll start adding some cedar or lavendar now. love the bandana idea. i used to make a collar of soaked eucylyptus pods.
A couple of years ago we had an infestation of fleas so bad that nothing worked. I ended treating my yards with chemicals so heavily that it killed everything. I did not want to but nothing else worked. The next year I got smart and used Beneficial nematodes, I drenched my yard in them and it was wonderful. I did not have to use anything on my dogs at all for fleas because in 2 days all the fleas were gone in my yard. I highly recommend them but only use the ones on the sponge. The other ones do not work as well for spraying according to all the gardeners that I talked to. As long as I do this I have not needed to use anything at all on my dogs. Wonderful things they are.
Marie, where did you get the nematodes? I ask because I heard about using them years ago, and now that I have a major flea problem in my yard, I haven’t been able to find them anywhere. I’ve been to lawn and garden shops, looked online, and asked nearly everywhere I can think of. Most of the time, people have no idea what I’m even talking about.
My poor dog is also allergic to flea bites, and has literally scratched and chewed himself bloody. he goes insane if anyone tries to spray anything even near him, and will not stand still for having anything liquid applied to him. Bathing him is a huge battle,too- one that we deal with once a week, but apparently that isn’t enough to even dent the flea problem here. And he’s a good-sized dog, so bandannas help with the ones near his head, but do very little for anywhere else on his body. I’m hoping the nematodes will do the trick, or at least get things down to a dull roar.
Years ago I was told to use garden lime on the garden and that did kill the flees I am about to do it again as my golden retriever has a bad case of flees even he has a flee collar on and still got flees so will use the vinegar as well some great hints on hear
Marie where did you get the nematodes?????
did you guys find out where u can get this??
YOU CAN GET NEMATODES AT HOME DEPOT. I AM GOING TO BUY IT THIS WEEKEND. EXCITED ABOUT THIS ORGANIC SAFE PRODUCT
I tried the vinegar,water, baking soda and salt solution;( it not only explodes into a watery mess but it never fazed the fleas on my dogs at all, I tried the vinegar in their drinking water;( that wasn’t a cure for my dogs either nor would they drink the water til after I changed it and washed the bowl in front of them, I tried the garlic in the jar that’s in a little juice and put it on some food and they didn’t care for that at all, so other than putting out the cash expense on comfortis (the once a month pill) I just don’t know what else to do, HELP, my 3 dogs are miserable and I bathe them every other day
I stuff the garlic in my dogs mouth haha I just press a garlic clove and sometimes give him it with kefir/yoghurt or cheese or just on its own he hates me for a second but them forgets 🙂
I mix apple cider vinegar in his food. Because if hes hungry he will eat and get the liquid but it usually soaks into his food 🙂
There is a lot of controversy about giving canines Garlic.
Every vet I have every used has advised against giving garlic.I have been told it can be poisonous to some dogs.
Can any of these remedies be used on cats?
Thanks for all the info. I have two little dogs 4 pds and 12 pds. The smallest one has extreme allergies.
Thanks for all of the great info! I am trying to switch my dogs, Dixie and Selah, to a more natural approach to prevent ticks and fleas. I was wondering if lemon or sweet orange essential oils are safe for my dogs since I know ticks and fleas hate citrus smells. I wanted to add lemon or orange to the vinegar/water spray mix instead of lavender since I already have some on hand. I wanted to double check first since I’m getting mixed info from the internet. Thanks 🙂
Use Food Quality Diatomaceous Earth rub some into your dogs coat and sprinkle some in his bed and flood. Make sure it is Food Quality.
What is a good safe natural treatment for fleas on rabbits?
Elaine, When you say peppermint are you taking about the oil, or real peppermint? And, how much rubbing alcohol? Thanks!
Hi, my collie cross -Millie- has got fleas i have tried the one spot drops and they haven’t worked what a waste of money, all cons in my eyes very few do work. What would you recommend to be the best & fastest way to kill these fleas, I hate seeing her biting away, thou she doesn’t have many, as i have used a comb a few times and found one, but you & i no how fast they reproduce.
I HOPE TO HEAR FROM U VERY SOON
Helen
My boyfriend just bought me a puppy to have as a companion as he travels for work. He bought me a Boxer, 11 weeks old, I’ve only had her for 4 days now! Today though, I noticed that she had a baby flea on her. So seeing as she’s only a baby I want to use something harmless to her. I heard that lemon, lime, and oranges (juiced) mixed with water can get rid of them and baking soda/salt mixed around the house will get rid of them too..would you suggest this? If not, then what would you suggest? I feel so bad because she’s so young! But I want remedies for both the house and to put on her and I want what works best! Please help me!
Hi, I had a friend tell me that you can just take the peels and rub them all over their bodies and it’ll get get rid of and keep them away as they dnt like citris and it will keep your dog from getting sticky also. He said he did this with his dog and hasn’t had flea problems for 2months!
Awesome info – thanks. Do you think these remedies work for ticks as well? We live in South African (Pretoria) and the ticks are not only tiresome during summer but really do pose a danger of tick fever as well. I’m working on a kids article and a kids book – would it be okay if I include the link to this and some of the info (giving you credit of course!).
Would not the lemons and oils make the dogs coat sticky??? Or cause them to constantly lick themselves??? We have two longhair mini doxies.
OMG, these are such GREAT IDEAS!!!! If you’re looking to just try to keep fleas off your pet, these should work. But keep in mind that they won’t kill flea eggs and won’t kill fleas that are already in your home. Food Grade DE can be lightly sprinkled on your carpets, furniture, etc. to try to kill off fleas, though. Unfortunately, because of where I live, the WONDERFUL IDEAS above will not help me and I have to use internal medication and external vet medication on our pets.
Dear Claire,
I mixed half a cup of distilled white vinegar with half a cup of warm with water and 2-3 drops of lavender oil. I first washed his neck with his shampoo and rinsed him and patted the above mix on him. I was flea combing him and mixing up the process as I went along. Then I patted some more of the mix and dried him off with his towel. He licked himself afterwards and I’m afraid the lavender oil could hurt his insides. What should I do?
the lavender will not hurt him as you use vinegar, i would cut down to 2 drps after you patted him down with it and I would use the bandana around his neck..i use that on my pitty..
only make sure that’s real lavender oil as well.
I want to get away from commercial poisons whenever possible. Need help with ticks (Maryland), fleas (everywhere), heart-worm, mosquitoes, etc. What do you offer up as preventative yard/woods remedies? I’m only on 1/2 acre, fenced, mostly grasses. But the 1/4 piece of land is hell on ticks. Thank you in advance.
How can I kill tiny ticks from my yard that get on my dog
Hi my dogs name is toby he is a year and half the fleas are eating my dog to bits i have tried everything does that cedar oil or lavender oil do they work?
For the flea comb, how long are you supposed to leave it on for? Should you bathe your dog after the lemon solution sits on it for a while?
i have a dog half pug and half terrier and he constantly scratching. his skin so dry can you tell me what i can use to help him with the itching? i know they have all kinds of exspensive things out there, i dont have money to buy that stuff. if u have an idea for me would be great! thank u
Thanks so much Claire . U r the best nature lover, I like that , I was so lucky to find ur Web after so long time of search. Wish u the best .
I was wondering how often you should use the spray on the animals. I don’t want to do it too often but I also don’t want to not have them protected.
what about a cat flea prevention
does this work for cat’s to… if not what can help…. please and thank you….
I’m trying to find a solution to removing the fleas from my pets faces. Are any of these safe enough for that in case it gets in their eyes?
I dust my dogs with diatomaceous earth powder. It works great but tends to be a little messy.
Hi all. Frontline seems to have stopped working. I have started to use organic coconut oil an an essence citrus lavender teatree eucalyptis all sorts any thing sweet orange any citrus the bugs do not like…. I let my dog smell it before i put it on her !! she ran when i gave her lemon the other day. so is important she /he is happy with it!! coconut oil stops the flea tick gripping and , I myself eat this . no other coconut oil is good only organic and you can smell the coconut in it. I have found other grades not so affective.I have found cheap one on amazon which smells good and works.. I AM NOT SELLING THIS PRODUCT NOR MAKING MONEY FROM IT !! Just make sure when you buy any coconut you should be able to smell it.. IF NOT YOU MAY AS WEL NOT BOTHER X took me quite a bit of researching to find this out and still not guarantee it will always smell ok XX…. so check it out!
but if you get good grade then let dog smell 1st . believe me it will run if does not like it !! then do not use it but remember to do 6 parts coconut to a drop XXX
… good luck all xxxx
also get a tick removing tool from vets or pet store and read the instructions , these are only a matter of ££s and ticks can cause your pet to die if they are from certain areas .. check your pets and if you know they have ticks please remove them, they could possibly jump on you next.. for next blood
meal. they have 3 stages deer, rat, you. dog or cat , mouse what ever way you could be next why let pet suffer !!
hello , hope you can help me with my laso apso he has a horrible yeast problem, skin has turned black in many areas and I have tried acv in ears and baths and also his water. we have had him on grain free diet. the smell is aweful and his ears are always infected. please help. he has had drops from the vet as well as steroids and it goes away but always comes back.
our poor boy is just not a happy dog…
I have been a dog groomer for about 15 years and have learned all kinds of home remedies. First you can apply Monistat ( just like you may already have) to the yeast infection. Also, once you get the infection under control, just add a drop or two of white vinegar into the ear canal. This will set up a aciditicy that will not allow any funk to return. Also, any bad itchy skin you can use gold bond powder. Careful to avoid eyes and other other color dog besides white this powder you can see. But works miracles. Good luck
I am absolutely flabbergasted and SO totally excited. I made your fleas shampoo recipe with my homemade soap. Just used it on two of my Dachshunds. I expected the shampoo to repel fleas and I’m guessing it’s going to since it KILLED the little buggers too! Already sprayed their clean bedding and did their collars with your recipes. We have had horrible flea problems for several summers now. I hated using chemical shampoos etc. on my babies. Now I DON’T have too! Off to bathe the other three. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! 😀
We are first time dog owners, and our puppy, sully, came to our home with fleas, we’ve had him since June, but, just can’t keep the fleas away!
I’ve used the lemon in boiled water spray, he has used capstar twice now, and has had advantage multi, since his first vet appointment,,I have gone through boxesof salt and baking soda, and vacuum several times a day,, I’m lost as to what to do now,,I can’t seem to get rid of these fleas! Please help!
my little Shi Tzu has gotten fleas and she is miserable. I am two weeks from payday and I don’t know how to make her feel better. She is so smart and in tune to my feelings, and I want to help her as she is all I have right now,so if theres a home remedy out there please help me help her. Thank You very much
I have a long-haired dachshund and he has irritated skin as well as super infested with fleas. We have to wash him everyday and we just have him a flea collar a week ago and it’s not working and neither is the treatment.
I also have a two month old in the house and the fleas have somehow got in his crib and my bed. The dog scratches and bites himself so much he bleeds. Help!!! I can’t wash my dog everyday, it’s getting hard to handle.
Are there any natural ways to control heart worm? Thanks!
I use garlic/yeast tabs.
Haven’t had a flea in years with three dogs in the house.
Grain free diet helps, too.
Someone else mentioned using garlic tablets too. I thought garlic was toxic for dogs?
So for a large breed puppy, I’d give him 1 tablet per day? How do you administer the tablet?
When I have to give my dog a pill I get a spoonful of peanut butter and stick the pill in it then I wipe the spoon with my fingers….pry her mouth open and stick it to the roof of her mouth…it works every time!!
I don’t have any reply answers but have been reading with interest all the solutions mentioned.. we have a little Chorkie..(supposedly) that bites and scratches all the time.. she is a very cranky little thing about being touched.. wild cat more like it..the vet even gave up trying to examine her.. but she tolerates baths very well..but the flea shampoo I used seemed to make her sickly for a day or so.. she also has hard seizures..do you know any help for them.. the vet wants $250 every time to take blood before he will give meds for them.. we’re retired and that’s a little much.. really enjoyed reading all these natural helps.. thanks
This is great if you have dogs but I have two cats, will it work for them? My one cat is extra allergic to flees to the point his back side is almost bald and nothing seems to help…
thank you so much
I know you’re against chemicals, but whenever my dogs have fleas and ticks, I wash them with Head & Shoulders. The pirithyrin (sp?) zinc that’s in the shampoo kills the fleas and stuns the ticks and they fall off. Works like a charm every time. Also, I just learned that a drop of rose geranium oil on the dog’s collar as well as on your sneakers and socks will repel ticks. I just started using it this past week, and have not found any ticks on us.
As far as my cat is concerned, I comb him with a flea comb and when I find the offensive insect, I dip the comb in a cup of some warm soapy water with a few drops of vinegar while the flea or tick is attached to the comb and drown the insect. I do this every night. It’s a labor of love, but my Fred seems to enjoy it.
Regarding Thyroid issues: I am not a vet or a medical provider; however, you may want to consider feeding your cat (this applies to dogs too) homemade food with the appropriate vitamins added. I basically make chicken soup. Water, chicken parts (legs, thighs, breasts, necks, gizzards too). Boil it for several hours and let cool. Remove chicken from the bones and put the meat and skin only back into the broth. Throw the bones away. For dogs, add some carrots and green beans and powdered vitamins to the soup (I use Nupro for dogs). For cats, just the chicken and broth with the powedered vitamins (also Nupro for cats). Within one month, the difference in their coat and their health is night and day.
I use Cedarside on my dogs for a natural cedar flea repellent. It works and smells so yummy.
diatomaceous earth is THE best and least harmful for all fleas and ticks
to the bugs its like crawling over broken glass
For the drinking water with vinegar…How often should you give this to your dog, once a day ? or weekly?
I need help, my dog and cat have flease so bad, we have tried flea collars we have tried high dollar flea shimpoo, frontline, we have treated our carpet and they are still here. Im not sure what to do. I gave my animals a bath together tonight and the water was so red I thought something was wrong and I know its just from the “flea dirt” but its still scary. Any suggestions?
The red is dried blood. Your pet can get anemia and die if not brought under control. Please have his blood checked…may need blood transfusion. My chocker spaniel died a couple years ago from this. Nothing on the market or from the vet worked on him. Wish I had tried these remedies…maybe I would still have him.
Apple cider vinegar will not harm if it gets close to your animals ears eyes anywhere , it is used as a medicine for humans drinking or bathing in it , the fumes are stronger than actual smell on skin and leaves are fresh feel.
i have a older female and she gets fleas really bad ,i bathe her with dial anti bacterial soap or ajax dish soap,also antibacterial,,it seems to help her and i use a cheap cleaning brush to remove the fleas in the tub,she is clean and feels so much better after the baths,,
Do you have a recipe for dog shampoo? I would love to make my own not toxic healthy shampoo.
Hi loved your natural flea remedy ideas I do a few things to help with keeping the flea life cycle down I sprinkle sea salt lightly over carpets let it sit then vacuum it up I also use borax wash powder a table spoon in vacuum bag kills fleas and flea eggs by dehydration and w ash my pets bedding in it !
Hi. The flea remedies u suggested worked great. Thank u so much. Unfortunately I have one more problem. One of my dogs, Blaze, is german shep and doberman mix and he is constantly itching, scratching, and biting his lower back area by his tail, to the point where he is losing hair in this area. I took him to the vet and she gave him a shot of cortizone and it worked great and even grew some hair back. But the shot only lasts less than 2 weeks and costs $35. I don’t have the money rite now to b able to do this every 2 weeks. Is there anything you can recommend? It breaks my heart to c him scratching so much and not b able to help him. I have tried just about everything I could find that is store bought but nothing has worked. Hope to hear from u soon and thank you again for helping resolve my flea problem.
Did you ever find a resolution to this problem? I have a maltese with the same problem. When she can she’s under the rail of my bed rubbing back a forth and when not doing that she’s chewing sometimes to the point where she’s drawing blood.
Sounds like allergies. Try changing to a limited ingredient/grain free diet to rule out allergens and be careful what you bathe her with. Some dogs are allergic to chicken so maybe try to completely avoid this common pet food ingredient. Also check with your vet first, but you can also give her Zyrtec for allergies. My mom gives her Bischon a half tablet daily with very positive results. Good luck!
I would like to know the answer to this too. I have a lab that is constantly scratching even after a bath. I have tried the natural remedies, however not very consistently.
You could try using oatmeal either in his bath or just put it on his fur and rinse it off. Just use the plain oat meal unless you want raisins or anything else sticking to your dog. I do this with my dogs when they can’t stop itching. Just make sure the oat meal reaches the skin and is moist.
I have two toy poodles that I have usually treated with Sentinel for 6 months of the year, but money was tight, so I thought I’d try an essential oil mist recipe I found on-line this season. It seemed to be working until September when the fleas got the better of us.
I was chasing them on the dogs and killing them by hand, then spritzing the dogs with the e.o. blend which was in a water base. Every time I thought I was winning, there’d be half a dozen more on each dog within hours. It was maddening.
Then my mister ran out and I decided to switch to fractionated coconut oil as the base instead of water. It is light enough to not clog the mister and won’t stain the furniture. It’s also good for the dogs whether they absorb it through their skin or lick it off themselves.
The up side of this is that I am not having to chase the fleas any more. When I see one, I blast it with the mister and rub it around a bit. The flea suffocates in the oil so I can just leave it there to fall off or whatever. And the e.o. oil spreads over the fur when I give them a final brushing. It’s a lot easier for me this way.
My pooches and I are really bonding with all this grooming, but I am going to make sure I have enough money for Sentinel next spring. I plan to continue grooming and misting, experimenting with different e.o. recipes, maybe rotate the e.o.s in my mister so the dogs don’t sensitize, but I can’t deal with another year of chasing fleas 4 and 5 times a day.
I read that NYS banned brush burning two years ago and that’s why the fleas are so awful now.
IS it ok to use Eucalyptus oil in place of cedar or lavender in your recipes?
I’m having a huge issue with fleas. I have fogged my house twice and had an exterminator come and spray my house and I still have fleas. I do believe my dog is bringing them in from my backyard. I have also sprayed my yard twice. What can I use to spray my yard? I an suck
Do you have anything that will work on carpets, so I do not have to put everything away and then stay in a motel for a coule days? I know our dogs have fleas, and I know they have to be in our carpet, so please let me know thanks.
I am sick of using all these harsh chemicals around my kids and dog. I am getting eaten alive by fleas, the plus is my kids nor my dog have not been bitten. Please help before I go nuts.
Just a quick question, for the drinking wanted with added vinegar, should that be everyday? Once a week? Don’t want to give it to my dog everyday if not necessary. Thanks!
Hi Claire, thanks for all your wonderful tips. I’m a bit confused by your flea collar recipe. Your recipe says to mix 3-5 drops of cedar or lavender oil in 1-3 tablespoons of water. But your instructions say to “dilute 2-3 drops of your chosen oil in 1-3 tablespoons of water”. So I guess you’re saying you can use 2-5 drops of oil in 1-3 tablespoons of water?
You also wrote “If you go up to ½ teaspoon you can use up to 5 drops of the liquid.” I don’t understand what the 1/2 teaspoon refers to.
For the lemon water mixture that you use with a flea comb, can you divide the steeped lemon water and save some for use the second day? If so, do you need to refrigerate it?
Thanks in advance for clarifying your instructions.
Hello, do you soak the bandana in the flea collar mix?
Using an eyedropper or other similar means, apply 5-10 drops of the mixture to the bandana and rub the sides of the fabric together, and then tie it about your dog’s neck in a snazzy way. Reapply oil mixture to the collar once a week.
but what about cats and kittens
what would be the measurements for a 7lb. dog for the flea deterant drink?
I don’t have a dog at this time but fleas and chiggars love me! Is there a method that would suit my use? Probably some sort of a spray on my legs because I’m not going out in public with scented scarfs wrapped around my ankles, lol!
Anyone out there, that has dogs/cats with flea problems, itchy skin. I know this works and you ought to try it. Coconut Oil. Give 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per 10lbs(small dogs), and 1 tablespoon per 10lbs(large dog) initially, then you can lightly spray it on, less if dog has long hair. But, they lick it off, when they clean themselves. Makes their skin, soft and the coconut oil repels the fleas, and their hair grows back, if that is a problem. I found this information on face book health website. Coconut Oil, is the oil for everything that lives/breathes. You can also eat coconut oil for Cognitive thinking, just saying!
this sounds good. i use it for cooking and moisturising for us, so i feel it’s a safe ingredient too. i’ve never thought to use on my puppy. how much coconut oil do you put in spray?
When you say “Give 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per 10lbs(small dogs), and 1 tablespoon per 10lbs(large dog) initially”, how long is this period & do you put it in their foods?
I’m scared to use cider vinegar on my puppy that’s all.
thanks,
I am dealing with fleas right now & NOTHING holistic is helping at all. I have used DE, diatamaceous earth all over the house, pets, bedding.. nada. I tried lavender EO too. I did give them some ACV, maybe I need to do it more often. Then I got wondercide.. works fine for a few days, then they are back. Same goes with the pesticide toxic crap..fine for a few days & then whammo they are back with a vengeance. I have neem oil too. Nada. Same deal. My poor dogs are going crazy!! Not to mention me!! I can’t even pet them, or have the baby near them!! She hates this too! I need something that kills the eggs.. I can kill the adult fleas, just fine. Dawn is another thing that kills them, but they always come back. YES I am vaccuming.. it doesn’t matter. I am going crazayyy!! Help!!
What’s a good alternative to rid my home of fleas other than poisons?
This is fab info, thank you – great work 🙂
I bathe my babies in Vinegar and shampoo. This works other than all the little fleas flee to their heads. Now what do I do? My poor babies are itching like crazy and I am at my wits end. We have done tea tree shampoo, flea collars, the drops, shampoos, lemon jiuce nad water spray, you name it. I can get hte one sin the hosue under control but the ones on my babies are the problem. Any help????
I had 2 labs die of internal cancers within 6 months of each other. A naturalist vet told me it was because of the flea drops I had used on them all of their lives. He said “those are pesticides designed to KILL the fleas once they have ingested the canines blood. What do you think those chemicals are doing to your dog as they mutate into the blood stream?”
THANK you for these options, I was getting weary of flea combing every day. 😉
I am so glad I came across your website!! I am curious though, I have a German shepherd//Rottweiler mix always with itchy skin or biting himself ( I was told he has allergies ) but I also have two cats. Which one of my cats have some skin problem as well as she constantly bathes herself until she creates sores. I every month use frontline on all my pets. But it just doesn’t seem to be working for their skin and around the house.I really want to use the essential oils for my dog and I but will I harm my cats from the smell of the oils?
Heather,
My brother in law had this same issue with his Pitt. His sweet baby just could not stop itching. After 3 Vets, 3 opinions, and 3 treatments, he switched him to a grain free, preservative free food, and the itching is GONE. We use Halo, which seems to make our dog feel great- but he uses another brand. Just read the ingredients, and do a little research. Buy smaller bags, too, to start, in case your dog doesn’t like it, or has an issue. Hope you can find a solution!
Claire,
I was wondering if you have a cure for growths that come out of a dog’s skin; I took my dog to the vet and she gave her an antibiotic but she still has this nasty growth. She will roll on the ground and break it and it gets bigger. The vet checked it and there was pus in it. I put Tree Tree Oil on it before but because it is such a strong smell the dog rolls around right away. Thanks for any ideas!
Is the ACV in water safe for young puppies (2-3 months) too?
I find oil works best on small dogs … Baby oil or olive oil or even mineral oil killed them instantly no more fleas just put in a spray bottle alone … Sprayed my four month old yorkie and my yr old mini pinscher … After I sprayed we’ll as I rubbed it in good the fleas were falling off dead on my hands after bout twenty minutes or so I towel dryer my dogs and no more scratching … Fleas we’re gone …. Need to do this a few times bout every five to seven days in case they have more hatch it kills fleas within seconds
Im at my wits end Jacqueline..Im going to try this tomorrow…
Also will the distilled white vinegar mixed in the water hurt my little shih tzus ??? One is turning 16 yrs young in May ( appx. 12 lbs) and has an enlarged heart and the other is 8 and (appx. 22 lbs)… they both drink out of the same water bowl.
Jacqueline, thanks for posting about the baby oil for fleas. I read something similar on another site. The person said she bought one of the small spray bottles(the kind hair stylists use), and mixed baby oil and water 50/50, and sprayed the fleas on her dog. I was a little skeptical, but I got the bottle, mixed it up, using store brand baby oil, and I could not believe how quick it killed all the fleas. Mixing it 50/50 works just as well, and the dogs coat was not nearly as oily. It doesn’t need to be full strength to kill the fleas. I had gotten a bad infestation. I’ve been using this for 2 weeks now, also putting dawn in water with a light, and i am glad to say, I am making good progress also using D.E(foodgrade), and spraying with Ortho Home defense once a week. Got to hit them from all directions.
So do you have to have a certain kind of olive oil to put on your puppy because I want to try it on my 2 year old chihuahua that needs something done for him
You are awesome! I’ve loved taking the natural approach to things. Thank You!
I gave my dog a garlic tablet once a day as a treat and she need had a flea or tick on her at all her 14 years. Did that to my lab also and he stayed outside and never had any on her her as well. I did give her more than one day because of her size as she got older and heavier. And they were not that expensive either.
i want to know what causes anxiety in dogs? is that something they eat that makes them like that? my chiwinnie gets that once a wk.
Hello I just wanted to know do I necessarily need to put the lavender oil into the spray or can I substitute for something else
I’ve tried every single thing on this page and my yorkie still has fleas. I cannot get rid of them. I’ve sprayed the yard, she’s wearing the natural flea collar, spray her with the spray, put the vinegar in her drinking water and still, fleas. She’s due with puppies in 1 week so I’m desperate for help here.
Are all of these puppy safe? And what are your thought on diamacious earth for dogs?
Is there a recipe for flea repelants for cats.
Hi Claire:
It s interesting your info about this pet problem but how long can I use these recomendations? I mean the time, frecuency and period for any advice and solution in order to not harm or intoxicate my pups. Thank you so much for your reply!! 🙂
Great info and excellent site too. Lost my precious Amstaff to the the dreaded IMHA auto-immune disease contracted by the poisons of heart worm and flea and tick meds.I hope none of you have to go thru that. Most conventional vets dont know a lot about it, most that I used during my nightmare were clueless and one even missed the very low hemecrit level.The disease has an 80% mortality rate.After all said and done 4k in the hole and my baby died in 4 days and when her time came she was at an animal hosp. and she died in the middle of the night 40 miles from me with out me holding her,I never got closure and for a complete year was a mess and lost 40lbs due to her death.It came out of no where and just knocked me on my butt.
I wanted to know if you know of any herbs or holistic measures for heart worm. A new joy is in my life now and as always I dont rescue them, THEY RESCUE ME!!I
Would love to let her be my 1st all natural treated dog other than the rabies vac. Im not going with the cocktail of vacs these murderers try to sell you only the state regulated rabies.She is 3.5 yrs old and has all of her vacs previously before me so Im not buying the garbage of “Well your making her life worse by not protecting her”…..YEAH RIGHT!!
Another concern I have is ,shouldnt we be using essential oils that can be ingested? there are only 1 or 2 that claim you can ingest, but most tell you external only,so what happens when furry baby licks her self when I apply my home made flea and tick repellant/killer?.I use Theives cleaner to bathe her in and lemon grass/orange oil for her flea/tick spray and boy does that stop them dead.My only down side is I have to buy Young oils and Im not a distributor nor do I want to be one, but their oils can be ingested, that is their claim to fame,all others NO WAY..One might want to consider that with the essential oils route.BTW Young oils are EXPENSIVE but as I mentioned they can be ingested.
Have you known any one who might have encountered a problem of an animal ingesting the oils by licking their coat.I would love to know if any one who doesnt use the higher end oils and have not encountered any problems with them especially if their animals do lick their coats.
I see you use NOW products ,which I LOVE !! but they say for external use only ,which makes no sense to me because transdermally they are being ingested,any info on this would be very helpful.
Any info anyone might know on the HW holistic remedy and the oils question is very appreciated. Thank you all and especially Claire. 🙂
Hi Steve,
First off I am so sorry to hear about your Staffie. Dogs are family and there are no words to describe the loss of one, nor is there any way to completely fill the gap they leave behind. On a happier note-congrats on the new addition!!!
I think that we over-vaccinate our dogs, and hope that blood titres become more common place in vet clinic so owners can know when (and if) they truly need to vaccinate and when to avoid it.
As someone who began their college education “pre-vet” I see both sides of the story when it comes to holistic treatment of animals. I think it’s obvious where I took my stance, however in terms of heartworm, while I have heard of some natural or holistic treatments, I must honestly say that I cannot recommend them as I myself have not experimented with them. I do know that heartworm WILL kill the infected dog. As much as the medication may make you cringe, in this I think it is the lesser of two evils. There is simply no documented herb or oil that will safely prevent it, and its important to remember that just because something is natural, it doesn’t mean it can’t do harm. I am sorry I can’t give you a better solution to that!
On the essential oils topic, there is a saying that goes “don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth” and I think that about sums it up. Oral and trans-dermal application do have variations in absorption rate and vary from person to person (or dog to dog) but the drug-or in this case, essential oil-ends up in the bloodstream either way. Orally ingested, however, requires the oil to pass through a decent chunk of your digestive system before it enters the blood stream, which may have a higher incident of adverse effects than a trans-dermal absorption, which goes directly into the blood stream after passing through your skin. That’s my guess for avoiding ingesting some anyways. What enters your bloodstream safely through your skin may irritate or damage the esophagus, stomach, or intestines etc. I have not had a problem with a dog licking its coat and ingesting oils. For the most part I have found they leave it alone. I did, however, switch which brand of essential oils I use after enrolling in a course in aromatherapy. Pricey, yes, but you don’t need much!
I hope this helped some, and please feel free to ask anymore questions you may have!! 🙂
Thank You for all the great information .
One question , Water is always added to meal Is there difference between putting ACV in drinking water or adding ACV with meal ?
I have 4 rescues and 1 foster at this time. The fleas are a giant problem. We have no carpet in our home. We have wood plantation shutters inside . We have a lot inside our house. One has an allergic reaction to the fleas outside. on the animals and rgge
I am trying to find a natural flea remedy. I like the idea of trying the apple cider vinegar in the water. I am wondering if that would be ok for cats as well. We have dogs and cats that share a giant water bowl.
This is a great site. I had forgot about cidar, thank u. But vinegar drank by my dogs does not work. I’ve been giving them vinegr a in there water for months and we got some fleas. I wanta tell u Lol lol
I have a yorkie puppy less than 3 pounds, also 2 house cats. I found a natural soap maker who also does a natural dog soap. It has peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and chamomile. I bathe my puppy once a week, and the cats with the same soap every other week. So far knock on wood. No fleas or tics and everyone smells really good.
RE: Natural dog soap.
Carol, could you pls send me details to where I can get some?
thanks,
hoping that some of these remedies work for me .. thankyou for posting ..
one question tho ..
re the flea comb .
the ingredients ..
-1 freshly sliced up lemon
-1 pot of fresh water
-a comb, sponge, or brush
BUT HOW BIG IS A POT?!
i’ve googled it but really couldnt find an answer .. except for one that said about 275mls .. but that mightnt be correct ..
would be great if you could let me know ..
thankyou for your time ..
roz .. 🙂
Great advice. Will try some of these remedies. Thank you.
We give our dogs a brewers yeast pill & garlic pill in their food once or twice a day which seems to do the trick. When they used to get them, we had luck washing them with original dawn. Also, sprinkle 20 mule team (borax) on carpets, leave for 15 mins & vacuum. Do that every 5-7 days until they’re gone to get any that have just hatched. I put it in when washing their beds too
I have a quick question for you. How often do we use the spray? I’m looking for a natural remedy for fleas/ticks and I’m loving the spray! But I have no idea how often to use it.
Hi there! I’m very interested in making the spray, but I don’t want to hurt my dogs. How often should I spray them?
Please help need advice on how to fight heart worms and regular ones as wel any advice you may give will be appreciated
the information you have given will help my best friends greatly looking forward for more info on how to help my loved ones
thanks for the info I have 4 dogs and 9 cats I need this for my dogs I hate fleas every year I give them a flea bath and get them flea collar it kinda works
Thanks for your many ways and ideas that you have share with the public to protect our pets naturally, because they are very important family members to me as well and they should also be chemical free just like us who really care about our health, again thanks for your natural remedies.
Sincerely,
Jason Brooks
Is the flea deterring drink mostly for big dogs? My dog barely weighs in around 14-15 lbs
Just found your site – having lost my 22 year old kitty last week, am still bothered by fleas in the house. Have carpeted and ceramic tiled floors. Noted the use of salt, borax, and DE – please clarify amounts used, times left to stand before vacuuming, and anything else I might try to rid my house of these critters.
Thank you so very much/J
i have to inside pugs male female how ever the femal has a bad inching problem i have tryed store bought shampoos but she bits so bad she drwals blood what can i use on her .both have is problem by thire tail and sides they also take the pill once a month trifexis she is a long hair male is short . what can i try for them thank you for any help
YOU CAN ALSO USE FRESH PINE STRAW FLEAS DONT LIKE IT MUCH I DONT THINK IT KILLS THEM BUT IT KEEPS THEM OUT OF YOUR PETS BED
Can dogs be allergic to cider vinegar? I started adding it to my puppy’s drinking water as you’ve suggested. I then noticed some bumps on side of face & not sure if this is related to the vinegar or not? we have done anything else new, but I only tried the method once & in the same day the bumps appeared. Expiry date on bottle is Dec 2014.
I’m hesitant to try this again until bumps go away. I was looking forward to preparing the spray bottle method but now don’t know whether I should? Is there anything else other than cider vinegar I can use in case it is allergies? Or is apple cider different?
thanks,
Thank you. i’m going to try the number 3 and 4. I got a german shepherd 1 week ago and he’s got fleas. I’m waking up every morning with bites on my legs it’s horrible. I bought a liquid that you put on his neck and it’s supposed to keep the fleas away but it’s not working. The puppy is spending too much time with my little piggy stepbrother i think that’s why the puppy got fleas.
My baby girl has had the hardest time with these fleas and they are really hard to get rid of. I have tried almost everything and I’m running out of options. She’s a short hair shephard/hound mix and not only is she scratching all of the time but she has started losing fur and her skin is always red. I find scabs all over her and it’s just breaking my heart. I will try anything at this point. I can’t wait to try the vinegar in the water, maybe then she will get some relief
Hello, I have a Saint Bernard she is very big. I would love to keep her inside. When I’m going to bring her in I groom her very well. I groom her nails, get the ticks off of her, I give her a very good bath, and I groom her hair. The only problem I have Is ticks. Since she is potty trained, when she goes outside to use the bathroom she brings back in ticks. I do not have a problem with fleas because I wash her with dawn dishsoap. The only problem we have is ticks. If you have anything that might help us please reply back.
~thank
You~
I got a Great Pyranees puppy as a graduation present. I had to go to raleight overnight so I left him with my aunt who has cats he got millions of cat fleas and hes miserable but hes only 8 weeks old so most flea shampoos are too strong and he has 2 layers of fur so a flea comb is hopeless and hes tickleish haha im gona make him a flea collar and five him a bath in vinegar and salt when I get off work. I cant stand him being so miserable he cries and skratches all day I washed him with soap and tried to comb what I could but he didnt like it at all so im hopeing this works! His name is Yogi and he’s so sweet I feel terrible that he got infested while I was gone 1 night!
…So many dead fleas later…There are such great comments and solutions on this site. So grateful to have stumbled upon it this morning. My bulldogs are looking, smelling, and acting sweet. Thanks again.
can you use this for cats also?
Where do I buy cedar and/or lavender oil?
Excellent natural ideas Claire.
I love how you provided dog owners the different options to choose from. Thanks!
The last two young kittens that came to me were covered in fleas. Had just read about using coconut oil to kill fleas. Worked soooo good. Coated the fur, I did have to bathe them twice to get the oil out but well worth it.
Thanks so much for this article. We just got a puppy about 2.5 months ago and the poor thing is being eaten alive by fleas. We started him on prescription flea meds (harsh I know) and it only lasts 2 weeks and then he’s back to having fleas. I’m not comfortable with how harsh those prescription grade treatments are and i know over the counter chemical treatments are just as bad if not worse. I’m going to try the methods you suggest.
Thank you. I’ve just discovered your site and am really enjoying it. I try to read everything I can to keep my family (of course that includes our animals) healthy naturally. So much bad information out there!!! It’s reassuring to find a thoughtful site like yours.
This is some really good advice & I’m really appreciative of this site. I would like to know if any of these remedies, specifically either bathing with Dawn soap, Head & Shoulders shampoo, and/or the lemon spray is safe for a pregnant dog. I have spotted fleas running over her abdomen and on her back over the past few days, which I pluck off & smash when I see them but I know that she must have contracted them from the yard while she is out on the runner. She lives in a large kennel under the carport (which is paved). I know that I will need to clean her bedding and pillows from the doghouse, but would like to know also how to safely repel them after getting rid of the ones already on her. She is due in about 2 weeks. Thank you so much!
Okay so i kind of just skimmed all of this, I see a lot of issues revolving dogs, but i have an adorable “shitpoo”, named Luna who is 8 weeks and only ways 3lbs. The house i am currently staying at has a dog and cats infested with fleas and i have recently seen one or two on Luna. Any suggestions. I’ve herd that peppermint works well and lemons and cedar… ahhh there’s just so much advice, what works best because she has long top and under coat…. help? The dogs and cats are being treated with high end prescription treatments but i don’t want those for my puppy!
Any input from anybody that has had good results using vinegar as a remedy to get rid of fleas on dogs and cats would be appreciated, thank you
Hello I am trying to use your home remedies for my chihuahua puppy which he is 5 pounds and he got fleas pretty bad the one I am trying to use is the one that says a
half cup of freshly squeeze lemon juice
1 1/2 or 2 cups of fresh water
1/4 or 1/2 cup of pet friendly shampoo
And what was asking is how much am I supposed to use on him because I don’t want to do it wrong
Not sure if anyone responded to this yet, it’s more about my house than my cat. It appears my cat has his flees under control, we just can’t seem to get them out of the house. I’ve used tons of flee carpet powder and emptied the vacuum bag outside, rented a carpet cleaner, washed the bed sheets and my daughter says she can still feel them. HELP, I am desperate!
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is great stuff. I also take a tablespoon every day mixed with apple juice. It has many nutritive values to it. If you dust your pets with it put a mask on so you don’t breathe too much of the dust in. You can sprinkle it on your carpets then vacuum the next day or so. The diatoms that make up the DE are sharp and cut through the bugs exoskeleton. It is also good to sprinkle the food grade DE on your pets food. Kills works inside of them. You can use it for so many things. Just be careful about breathing it. You can buy dusters for it to put the DE around your garden. It is great stuff…Amazon sells it reasonable. It lasts a long time. It is natural and has no chemicals in it so it is totally safe. It does work. I’ve been using it for years. You can even sprinkle some on your door steps to keep pests from coming in under the cracks of your doors. Some pests are good to have some are not…unfortunately, the DE doesn’t know better….On another note…if you want to get rid of mosquitos that bite your pets…use Epsom salts in any standing water. Also works great with no chemical side effects.
Oh, have been putting vinegar in my pets water for a while now. That also helps makes fleas go away…..stay away from garlic. ACV or white vinegar is great stuff.
I have been giving my dogs black walnut. They prefer the capsules. I have big dogs, so I give them each one capsule a day for 3 weeks, then off a week. If I do find a tick on them, it is dead. I have them tested yearly for heartworm, and so far, they have tested negative. As for scratching, I had a dog that scratched and bit until he bit his tail completely off. The vet said he had OCD and had given me medication to deter the scratching.. Obviously, it didn’t work. After the tail incident, I decided to try cayenne pepper. I mixed it with Vaseline to help it stay in place. The scratching and biting stopped. I don’t think this would be a good method for allergies.
Def. going to try this out, I’ve used powders and sprays that are sold in stores and my mom HATES the smell and so does my dog, whenever i put it on him he doesn’t want to play with his friends, and when i just bathe him w’o the chemicals he’s happy. Plus i love the smell of lavender , deff goig to try this out !! Thank you so much 🙂
When I was growing up, my mom adopted many pets. We occassionally had problems with fleas in the house. She had heard that putting a handful of mothballs in your sweeper bag when vacuuming would keep the fleas from living in your home. From the day she started doing that, we never had fleas in her house again. I have been out of my parents home for 20 years, and for all of those 20 years, I have had dogs in my house, including three rescues. I have always used the mothballs in my vacuum sweeper bag. I have never seen a flea in my house. My first dog lived to be 15 years old before he needed to be put down, and the two dogs I have now are 3 and 2, and neither have had any problem with the use of the mothballs in the home. Just be careful not to put too many if you have a problem with the scent of mothballs. I can tell you that the smell only lingers for an hour or two, and then you’d never know they were used. It’s an easy and effective way to keep fleas from living/infesting your home.
What does the spray do? Does it help eliminate the fleas already on her, or just keep new ones away? Our poor girl’s been so itchy, and I treated her within the last 30 days with Advantix, and we don’t even have carpeting in the house – just throw rugs here and there, so I’m not sure where they’re breeding (unless they’re outside in her area) – as repulsive as fleas in the house sound I’m more concerned with providing her with relief!
Just wanted to say “Great Site”. We got a pup from a less than clean environment on Sunday afternoon. Brought her home and she was infested with fleas. Stores in the area were closed, so I searched and found your site. Lemon juice in water along with baby shampoo worked well to curb the problem.
FYI to anyone having severe flea infestation. If you have mice, you will never get rid of the fleas. The mice not only harbor them, but can carry them into your home. You have to get rid of the mice first. Second, flea eggs are typically under your baseboards. So in addition to cleaning carpeting, you have to spray under (at the bottom of) your baseboards. Should be done twice about a week apart. Hope this helps someone…
What about ticks? We have 2 male boxers, father & son, that have been infested with ticks. We’ve been using this stuff we got from a pet hospital, 1st Shield Trio, that is applied from the tail to the neck once a month which is supposed to kill the ticks and keep them from coming back. We’re on the second month and the ticks are still in the ears and other areas I’d rather not mention. Is there any natural safe remedy you would recommend. Thanks!
I didn’t make it through all the comments, but a good 3rd of them I did. Nobody has mentioned lemongrass oil. Its recommended by some oil companies for use with fleas (i use it) but I also wanted to say that I keep bees and there are many studies of the effects of lemongrass on varroa mites (a mite that lives on and sucks the life out of the bees) and it kills them instantly on contact. Its a very effective oil for fleas, mites, ticks, and I use it in my homemade mosquito repellant.
How did you use the lemongrass oil on your dog? Can I have the recipe for your mosquito repellant? Thanks
we got our dog from the pound and he seems to have dry skin I have tried calming and itchy skin shampoo nothing seems to work, is there anything natural I can do for him use a flee comb on him and he loves it but no flees , just dog dander any ideas
I am having my first time ever experience with fleas. I just gave my dog a flea bath 2 days ago and u found more on him. Is it safe to try a home remedy so soon after a flea bath?
Do not use essential oils on cats. Period.
They cannot metabolize EO’s & it doesn’t matter how “pure” they are; they’re still toxic to cats.
D-limonene is an EO & highly toxic to cats.
This isn’t a controversial topic, it’s a proven fact.
My new Pitt pup came to us with fleas. He is for months old now. I have tried everything!!! Now both figs and the cat have them. They are all over the house and yard. We have bombed the house twice and tested the yard three times. I am at my wits end. The are even eating my four year old son. Help!
This website has been very informative.(I hope it works).I have a boy Blue Healer-Pit,(Hudson ),One year old,and a little girl Pit (Lilly)12 years old.This has been the worst year ever for fleas.I have tried everything,and all they do is chew chew chew.Lilly has chewed herself so bad ,all the hair is gone by her tail. I tried the lemon and Espree,Natural Tea Tree, & Aloe Medicated Shampoo.Is that Shampoo good for them? I also spraied some Lavender that I got from Sunshinelavender Co, from Sequim.Is that ok? I was wondering what to use on their bedding. Well I have taken enough of your time.Thank you for your tips.I will let you know if it works. Kath
Anyone with throw rugs – put them in the dryer on the highest heat for 30 minutes. This kills the fleas on pillows, blankets, throw rugs, any cloth that can fit in the dryer.
I just found this site and will be regularly reading it. thank you for all the advice. I just went thru a hellish experience with HARTZ dog flee and tick drops, my fathers dog is at deaths door, $1000’s for tests and exploratory surgery is next. thank you for saving my pug Jenny. natural remedies are much more effective than chemicals
I have suddenly found fleas on my 8-year-old dog, and have no idea why! I have begun with several natural remedies, and the combination seems to be working, HOWEVER, I tried a citrus rinse after a bath ~I had heard lemon or orange juice~ but it attracted dozens of yellow jackets/wasps to my dog! I got her inside as quickly as I could, and had to give her another bath (we used the blue Dawn detergent).
I use white vinegar on my bulldog for fleas! I used to use Comfortis, but didn’t like the side effects (seizures!) and the fact that it didn’t really work. I had used vinegar on his skin previously to treat at staph infection….applied it 2x/day for a few weeks and it completely cleared up the infection. So after that I applied vinegar every other day just to keep his skin clear (white dog=skin issues fyi). Eventually I decided to stop…and the fleas came! I hadn’t realized at that point that the vinegar was what was keeping the fleas away, not the comfortis! So I stopped the comfortis and now my baby gets a quick wipe down every other day with cotton balls soaked in vinegar. It works like a charm! I have seen NO fleas and I live in a state with year-around fleas. Definitely give vinegar a try!! It’s the BEST home remedy!
Have heard pure tea tree oil works does anyone know if this is true
I use Borax on carpets for fleas. Sprinkle to cover entire carpet. Brush it in to ‘set’. After 3 days vacuum and your fleas will be gone. I’m not sure how ‘natural’ Borax is, I haven’t read the label. I just know it works on my carpets. I have NEVER put it on my pets or bathed them with it.
I just saw your site. Very informative! I have a boxer that I saved from a horrible place. When we first got him, i was told that he had gum on his head an so they shaved him, turns out after a visit to the vet, they said that it was ringworm. He got better, but a few months later, he started scratching continuously, breaking his skin even! He scratches his ears, eyes, under belly, and constantly chews his feet. I’m trying a anti fungal shampoos now. But I don’t know what to do about his itchy eyes. He even went through a mange treatment, but it wasn’t that since he’s still pretty much the same. Any advice? I found a flea recently, which is why I found your site. Anyone who has been through this your advice is appreciated!
Ear Mites – I use the food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (without the calcium additive – thanks for the heads up on that in the comments) and I rub it gently all along the inside of the ear for both my cats and dogs. It has worked great for me, but I’m in a lower humidity place – and even with that I still continue applications, maybe twice a month after bringing a cat from CA. I’m not a vet and each owner has to make their own decisions, but I do put some into the ear and gently wiggle the ear around and massage it from outside so it will work down inside some. That’s just how I do it.
My Vet says the best thing to use to rid you pet of fleas is Head and Shoulders with conditioner.. The 2 in 1 kind… He said all of the Flea meds can cause cancer and other problems but no one wants to tell pet owners that… Well of course not… smdh… Bought a bottle yesterday.. Gettin ready to find out how it works today…
I work at Petsmart in the grooming salon and I had one customer who actually fed his 2 GSD’s garlic instead of the regular K9 Advantix flea and tick application. Does this actually work? And wouldn’t the dog’s breath smell disgusting? lol
Working in an animal hospital for many years I can say without a doubt flea collars do not work. I have literally pulled a flea/ tick off a dog an inch away from the collar. They only work on the surface it contacts. Not to mention the chemicals in the collar are harmful to people especially children who especially like to put their hands in thei mouth. I always warn owners to stay away from that god aweful over the counter product Hartz. There’s a reason it costs 8.99 as opposed to the products the veterinarian recommends. And to the woman using head and shoulders. … ive worked in this field 20 years and worked for multiple veterinarians and I have never heard of human shampoo doing anything but causing more itchy skin. It wouldn’t even take care of fleas for humans let alone your pet. My suggestion. .. see a different vet.
I have always put one garlic capsule, 1 fish oil capsule and a dash of apple cider vinegar in my Labradors food. He is 6 years old. Has never had a flea or tick. (we live in a very rural area that abounds with both). And the vet always tells me how happy and healthy he is. Another friend who breeds Labradors. Is always telling me what a beautiful coat he has.. They work for me…
I am new to this but have found some very interesting and promising flea remedies for my dog.
I came across other sites that suggested a natural oil from a herb called: Neem Oil. Has anyone ever used or experienced this product? It was stressed to obtain only 100% pure, organic (raw/crude) oil making a spray much like others I noticed previous.
All incite will be appreciated.
Thank heavens! We have most of the materials needed here in our pantry. While I let the lemon slices steep, I gave my girls the Bragg’s flea spray. I also added a few drops to their drinking water. Unfortunately, the flea deterring drink also deterred my dogs. The lemons worked though. Not only did it kill the fleas, but my dogs seemed to enjoy the lemony taste. They were licking the solution off their paws.
I just wanted to thank you putting this out there! The lavender oil water mixture on the bandanna and base of the tail smell heavenly and when combined with a bath of puppy shampoo and a couple drops of tea tree oil both of my pooches seem to be much more comfortable. Washing all bedding in hot water of course and made a mixture of baking soda and lavender oil with a lemon slice in it for the carpets. It’s probably not goingn to happen overnight but… I think these tips have definitely helped. And the great thing is I don’t have to worry about what I’m putting in my beloved poochs’ systems. Thanks again!!!
You’re welcome Melissa, I am glad these helped!
Im glad I found this. i gave my puppy in a dime sized amount of Zodiac brand puppy flea shampoo and she started shaking real bad and it wasn’tbecause shewas cold. I kept her warm and I was scared for her life.
I went to visit my brother who has 2 cats that are infested with fleas..we where there 2 nights . when we came home I hadn’t seen any fleas on my little dog till like two days later…I gave her a bath in gain dish liquid..and sprayed her with alcohol behind her neck and at the tops of her tail..do you think I have anything to worry about..I saw like 10 or so in the tub dead after her bath and haven’t seen one since but she is still scratching some times??? What else can I do..thanks for all your help
Diatomaecous Earth is natural and you can use it on the yard, carpet, laundry, furniture and even rub the powder on your pet to get rid of fleas. You can find it at any home depot or Lowes and it’s not expensive.
Claire…What are your thoughts on using Rosemary? I have seen remedies that involve using it to create an herbal flea dip.
Hi Claire, are there any brands of lavender oil that you recommend? What kind do you use?
Is there a natural way of spraying the yard for fleas?
Hi , Im Maｒy we are from Tokyo , but since my husband works in Jakarta we decide to bring our pet with us here now , but less than a year we find him verry ill because of fleas and lice , its horrible ,I showered him ones a week , I cant understand what happens to him where he gets this may fleas and lice since the unirt where we stay is 28 th floor , and dont used to go out sidefor walk verry often , worrieng my pet might die because of infection ?
After trying for months to get rid of my dogs fleas, we made a flea shampoo which had strong essential oils in it. When then left the shampoo in for about 5-10 minutes and then gave her a shower seeing if it would work. The fleas basically imminently left her skin and after 2 minutes under the shower she as basically was flea free !! Going from hundreds of fleas to maybe 5 was amazing !!
i used 50% salt and 50% baking soda in a shaker put on furniture, carpets, anywhere the fleas are going to be, leave on for 1-3 day. it works i did it and the fleas were gone. i use the yeast caplets and put it in their food, it takes awhile but it works
My little dog has had issues with fleas for a few weeks now. I wanted to try a home remedy before we took him to the vet. I googled natural remedies and the apple cider vinegar seemed to be the most helpful. I sprinkled the acv in his bath water, as well as putting a little of it directly on his fur before bathing him with his regular shampoo. I have a comb for him that I used to scrub the vinegar into his fur along with his shampoo. It was mind blowing how many fleas were falling out of his fur and into the bath water. It is time consuming to scrub every inch of his body but it was well worth it to see him not scratching
Hello folks, tried a lot of the remedies these good people posted but to no avail. First time this year she has picked up fleas, probably from the park tried expensive ( to me ) treatments to not so expensive but every night I find one or two on her. By the way shes a boxer with a lovely temperament. This week talking to a new pet store owner he recommended Johnsons 4fleas tablets. I was sceptical having used their powders, but I have not seen a flea since I am elated. Perhaps it will not work on some dogs, but if it helps just a few I will be glad I posted this.
Hi, I have 2 cats 2 adult dogs and 11 puppies who are 3 weeks old All got fleas as 1 of cats who go outside got them from a stray cat he been hanging about with! Now I can’t get rid I’ve tried spot on from vets. My dogs never had fleas before this they always had garlic. I have ordered apple cider vinegar tho. I read this thing of salt what dose table salt work?
Some great posts on offer,trying some out the other week I ran out of the powder I was using for my boxer, she picked up some fleas from the park I use, the first time she has had them, and they will not shift tried expensive stuff , different brands, but always find one or two on her every night.Went to my pet shop to find a new owner taken over he recommended I try johnsons 4 fleas tablets this I did and touch wood no more fleas. I realize this may not work on all dogs but if it helps a few it will be worth posting this message good luck to all pet lovers and thanks Tony
I have 2 adorable maltese, one is 4 yrs, the other 2 yrs. Have tried so many things for flea infestation and dermatitis. Frontline Plus and other drops do not work. Tried virgin cold pressed coconut oil which made rash worse. Have washed them in many different shampoos with very little success to this time. The only thing that seems to take the inflammation from their skin is Colloidal Silver . As a matter of fact the 4 yr old was diagnosed with a cataract and completely blind in R eye, was told it would cost upward from $6ooo and may not work. Put Colloidal Silver in 2 drops per day for a month and has almost disappeared, can only see a small whitish spot now, my little boy can see from that eye, will continue to use CS till clear. However am still concerned about fleas and dermatitis on my babies. Was suggested to sprinkle organic sulpher around yard to kill fleas, has anyone on this site used it? Still use vinegar spray on them and gives relief for a short time only, then they start again. Does anyone have a cure for flea dermatitis, using natural treatments please. Many thanks
The Flea Bath was by far the BEST! Worked immediately n killed all the fleas. My Boxer was so soft and shiney after. I used baby shampoo instead of dish soap n also let the left over lemon rhines (fr the squeezed lemon for juice) soak in a little hot bath water before I filled it up the rest of the way. Mayweather was practically doing flips when he got out of the tub! Instant relief from those nasty itchy fleas. The flea collar and spray both worked too but you have to repeadily apply them. The down side is that when he went out side to use the bathroom…there they were again! I live in the East Bay of Ca and the fleas are really really bad this yr. It’s the first yr I’ve ever had to treat my pets for fleas and apparently our weather out here is exactly what fleas thrive in. I’ve been doing some more research n you can buy these little worms called nematodes, spray them throughout the yard and they will eat/kill fleas n jus about every other pest you don’t want in your yard (but they leave the good bugs alone). Thanks for sharing all your great info and recipes!
Hi. Are the suggested ways – the flea collar, flea comb, flea spray, all right to use in conjunction with each other or should we just try one of the recipe applications at a time ?
Also, for the Diatomaecous Earth does it need to spread over the lawn in a dry/powder state or can it be applied wet through a sprayer with a garden hose connected to it ?
Thanks !
Maybe the Flea (be-gone) bag would also work using essential oils? (cedarwood, lavender, lemon). It is not possible for me to find cedar chips here in my country. Maybe using an interior filling material that could be “recharged” weekly with the oils, like cotton balls for example. Any idea or suggestion on this? Thanks for the great tips!
Just tried a combination of 10mL carrier oil, 5 drops of lavender essential oil, 2mL cider vinegar, wiped on our fox terrier’s underside with a damp cloth. An hour later he had gone from flea-ridden to flea-free (barring an odd one or two which I zapped with lemon juice). As an added bonus, he also smells nice which makes a very pleasant change 🙂
I’ve also dusted the carpets and skirting boards, furniture etc with talc, aiming for the same principle as Diatomaceous Earth (I couldn’t find any of that in the supermarket this morning), so here’s hoping.
It is very important to only use Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother in it such as Braggs which is shown. This costs maybe 3 times as much but you only use a little. My dogs won’t drink it in their water but I mix a capful in their food. You should also only use unrefined organic coconut oil – also more expensive but I give it to my dogs daily also. They weigh 10# each. I also feed them fresh garlic daily – again only fresh garlic crushed and finely chopped – 1/2 average clove each. I make my own dog food because my rat terrier has horrible allergies – fleas, grain, grass, seems like everything and I make my own dog food. There is a very good website “Ottawa Valley Dog Whisperer” where I got a lot of information on using natural ingredients and cures that I would suggest to everyone reading this also very good site. The most important thing I have found is that you must be consistent in using natural products and that is a very hard thing to do. I really liked the making a natural flea collar with lavender oil and did that when I first found this site tonight and then continued reading. If you have an allergic dog or live in a flea area (I live in a humid coastal area) it takes lots of trial and error and maybe using a bunch of things together as I do.
I would like to clarify that I am talking about Braggs vinegar and unrefined organic coconut oil if you are going to feed them to your animals – these are the only ones that have health benefits……easily researched.
Can I use limes instead of lemons?
I have 2 Chihuahuas indoors. Here recently I have been getting ALOT of fleas in the house. They are all on the carpet and on them because they are scratching sores on them. What is the easiest and safest way to kill the fleas on the carpet first because it would be defeating the purpose if I give them a bath and they get right back on the carpet. I hate seeing them scratch so much and also getting on my little girl and myself. I’m in a financial bind right now so ur home remedies are the best. I love all my pets. Indoors: I have a short hair Chihuahua, a long hair Dutch Chihuahua and my cat. Outdoor: I have my boy and girl pure breed German Shepherds. Please help me if u can. Thank u!!
…try taking dogs to the beach for swim. the salt kills the fleas. it works!
I am a vet assistant and LOVE natural treatments. That said, yard treatment. Use one of those sprayer you hook onto a hose. Fill it 1/2 way with original blue dawn then top it off with ammonia. Screw onto hose and spray those fleas away. Great for your grass too! No worries, bubbles are fun 🙂
Water evaporates much fast than essential oil. So when used on skin or fur the water evaporates what are you left with? Undiluted essential oil. Undiluted essential oil evaporates faster than essential oil proper diluted. So what happens then? You are not getting the full therapeutic benefit of the oil. I seriously applaud your feelings on diluting all essential oils. You’re totally right about essential oils needed to always be diluted, with only a rare few exceptions. It’s really a breath of fresh air to read a blog where someone who gets the importance of proper dilution. There is a ton of misinformation out there, and i seriously applaud your safety information. The rest of your recipe is quite good! Good luck in your essential oil endeavors!
Hi there,
What’s the difference between distilled white vinegar and regular white vinegar?
Thanks for reading.
Guys, I urge you to carefully research any alternative methods you use. If something works, it must have an active ingredient, and any active ingredient may have side effects. This goes for natural methods as well as veterinary treatments. Some MSDS (=materials safety data sheets) for diatomaceous earth have a cancer warning due to containing crystalline silica. If you fling diatomaceous earth around by the kilogram, this could be a problem for you and your dog’s lungs. All websites warn not to breathe it in – good luck putting it all over your carpet and vacuuming it back up again without breathing it in or getting it all back up! It being food grade does not change the physical property that causes harm to the lungs.
Also please research the supposed mechanism of action against fleas. Salt kills by dehydration. However, it is going to be no fun for your pets to have vast amounts of salt in your carpet, stinging the eyes when they lie down and stinging cuts in the paws. It will also be very bad for any steel you have, such as when it gets trekked into your vehicle’s carpets. Diatomaceous earth also works by dehydration.
Vacuuming frequently with a powerful vacuum and getting rid of your carpets has been proven to help control fleas. If you need to get rid of fleas in the bedding, put it in the clothes dryer for a while, or in a hot car. In summer I put large rugs and sleeping bags in the car for a few hours. The temperature gets up to over 50 degrees celsius like an oven which will kill insect eggs and larvae. Putting a blanket in the freezer would also kills eggs and larvae I think. I know of no non-chemical method to completely control fleas but these things help to reduce sprays in the home. Washing a duvet will not kill fleas in it.
I put chemical treatments on my dog which is not ideal but you can find the research into safety on each active ingredient on Google Scholar and avoid the ones which raise liver enzyme levels. My dog developed allergies to all so I rotate a few topical ones. She has been on arthritic painkillers for many years so I’m especially keen to avoid the ones which put more pressure on the liver.
Insecticide R&D for crops is getting more and more targeted to insect metabolism and with reduced mammalian toxicity all the time. Veterinary flea treatments seem to get adapted from those for crops. So eventually I hope we will see some products that are quite harmless to mammals.
Ps. If you stick to the same area’s your dog walks,goes on to grass. Stick to a routine where your dog walks and never gets fleas then stick to it! Also never let your dog walk on long grass in a shaded area! Never! Fleas love long grass and shade!! So do Ticks and other parasites! Plus keep your dog away from Pet mommy/Daddys that let there dogs/cats get fleas or are more laxed about getting 1-2 fleas!!! As 1 flea means there’s always more plus the eggs we/they can’t see. Always Ask Your Friends/Family if they have a flea protection under control before you go over for a visit!!! I asked a friend and she said yes she gives her pets Brewer’s yeast for flea protection but it didnt work(she wasn’t vigilant/consistant about it enough) and my dog ended up with a couple friends when I got home!! I was so mad!! My cat could of gotten them too but I Carried my dog right into the shower as soon as I spotted them and thankfully we never got infested with those pesky fleas! Then I refused to go to her house until she did something about her fleas!! She kept saying im not geting bit! We all know fleas multiply so fast. Ok good luck thanks again for the post.
I wouldn’t recommend the spray with apple cider vinegar.
I have been fighting with fleas since before summer started. Never gotten an indoor infestation, but unfortunately, we have stray cats in the neighborhood that use our yard as a bathroom, so my dog comes in with fleas every other day. He is on medication because it has to be done, otherwise, the flea issue would be much worse. The fleas die within a few hours of biting, but unfortunamely, they still leave him with itchy bites.
Anyways, back to the ACV, I used it after reading about the spray. It didn’t repel fleas, and instead, attracted tons of fruit flies. Fleas don’t like the acidity of it, the smell does nothing to them.
Tempted to try the lemon water combing and the flea bandana, but never again will I use the spray.
I worked with a rescue before and they picked up 4 pups that were infested with fleas. The previous owner did not want to give up the mother. We used bottled lemon juice wiped on the pups. Then put several drops in shampoo and bathed them. The lemon juice dries up and kills fleas, by the time the pups were bathed and rinsed, all the fleas were dead. Best nights sleep they had ever had, I am sure!
A natural flea deterrent which has worked for me is taking about 12 lemons, slicing them thin and just covering them in a pot with water; boil low until thick (takes awhile). Strain the juice from the lemon and put in a spray bottle and keep in the frig — works great for pets and people! A holistic vet told me about this years ago.