Table of Contents
Natural Flea Remedies
Did you know that a flea could jump 100 times its own height?' Did you also know that just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in a period of only three months?' Lastly, did you know that it can take anywhere from three to six weeks for flea eggs to hatch?' Now that's definitely some eye opening, yet frightening flea trivia!
The pests in question are tiny, brown, wingless insects that survive on the blood of your pet. Unfortunately once they have found that food source they are very difficult to get rid of. Any of you who have been faced with the regrettable task of dealing with fleas truly know how trying it can be, and how incredibly quickly the problem can spread to other pets and to your home.
So first let's talk about a couple of ways in which we can prevent flea problems for our pets altogether. The addition of Garlic to every one of our dog's meals will help to keep them free of fleas, as will the addition of Sulphur to their diet on a once a week basis. You can also try giving your pet Black Walnut Hulls that come in a capsule form at many health food stores which will repel not only fleas but also, ticks and mosquitoes. Keep in mind that none of these solutions will work overnight and may take about four to six weeks before they are effective.
If you suspect that your pet does have a flea infestation examine the animal closely by separating the hair on the animals back or flank area. You want to be able to view the skin of the animal as well as possible and it will always be easier to detect fleas on those pets that have a lighter skin tone. During your search you might actually be able to see a flea scurrying by, but more likely you will see the evidence that the flea has left behind. Flea dirt (or feces) will appear as small, black pebbles in the fur and on the skin. To determine whether or not what you see is actually flea dirt, take some wet paper towel and wipe it over areas where the dirt is most prominent. If the dirt on the wet paper towel has dissolved into red blood then you can bet that you are indeed dealing with a flea problem.
Now let's get down to bathing your flea infested friend. Use an herbal shampoo that contains a combination of any of pine cedar, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, citronella, juniper or geranium. Before you wet down your pet here's a handy trick to ensure that you are successful in killing all of those nasty fleas. Know going into this process that as soon as you wet the animal down, those fleas are going to run for higher and dryer ground; this means they will flea (no pun intended) to the head area. You should never douse your pet's head with water and certainly not soap, so in order to prevent the fleas from escaping make sure that you first pour a thick layer of the shampoo all around the head and neck area; as close to the top of the head and underneath the chin area as you can get. Pour small amounts of water with your hand onto the soapy area and spend some time building up a thick, soapy barrier that will kill the fleas that attempt to pass through it. Proceed by wetting down and lathering up the rest of the animal's body while frequently returning to massage and re-lather the neck area. Fleas are very difficult to kill and it is better for your pet if you can handle the problem with one good bath rather than several of them, so be sure to leave the shampoo on for at least 15 minutes or more while continuing to massage the soap deep into the animal's fur. Rinse the animal thoroughly and dry it off well, especially during cold weather.
If you are also dealing with a house infestation of fleas, here's a great way to get rid of the problem. Mix together 1 1/2 pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 1/2 pounds of natural borax and 1 cup of salt. (Don't use the earth and borax that you can purchase at a pool store, rather use the products that you can get from your local garden store.) The diatomaceous earth works because it contains very tiny particles that have sharp spines, which puncture the exoskeleton of the flea, killing it. The borax and salt work by absorbing the moisture of the flea and make all of those cracks and small areas that they might find to live in your home much more undesirable. You can use the mixture by sprinkling it throughout your home onto carpets and into those harder to reach areas. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of days and then vacuum it up. Although these powders are not poisonous it's never a good idea for you or your pet to breathe it continually for days so if it's possible to go elsewhere while it sits then that's definitely an option you should use. Alternatively, if you prefer not to douse the house with the mixture, you can always pour it into your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum everything thoroughly so that any of the sucked up fleas will die inside the bag. Keep in mind that this solution will not kill the un-hatched flea eggs and therefore the process may need to be repeated several times depending on the severity of your problem."
9 YEA 1 NAY 1 WARNING!
[WARNING!] 10/06/2008: Suzanne from Harrisburg, PA writes: "I used organic apple cider vinegar in the past in my dogs water, but lately I have gotten a flea infestation. One of my dogs is allergic to fleas and has lost hair and had open sores on his body because of his biting. I just wanted to let people know who use the apple cider vinegar NOT TO SPRAY THE DOG WITH OPEN SORES WITH THE VINEGAR. Some people may know this and some people may not. I had flea bites myself and put some on the bites and about cried it burned so bad. So please if your animal has open sores don't spray them with this. I would rather put it in the water."
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09/23/2008: Jillian from Omemee, Ontario writes: "I have a 9 year old german shepard mix and she has had fleas for about a month now and nothing has worked. It has resulted in my house being infested with fleas and now I am being bit by them and it's so bad that they are turning into open sores. I guess i'm allergic to the fleas too. I've tried everything and now am at a loss for words. I now have searched the internet for help and found this site. I have an appointment tonight to have my carpets steam cleaned to see if we can have any result in riding my house of these nasty little creatures. I am also going to try the whole Apple Cider Vinegar thing. It sounds like it might help. Also before my carpets get cleaned i'm going to wash my dog with Dawn dish soap and see if it makes a difference. If anyone could help me find some info on why I myself am being bit so bad and what I could do because they have opened up to quarter sized sores I would be very grateful. Thanks so much!"
09/23/2008: M from Oz, KS replies: "hope this helps googled info:
Borax Eliminates Fleas
Mix four parts of Borax with one part of salt, and sprinkle over your carpet. The mixture gets down amongst the fibers, and dehydrates the fleas and eggs, and prevents them re-hatching. This works great, and it is much more effective and cheaper than "flea bombs."
Laura G
editor's note: Some parents prefer to keep Borax away children. Especially if the children crawl or play on the carpets.
Flea Advice from a Vet
As a veterinarian in Louisianna, I have been dealing with fleas for over 20 years. If Donna takes the following steps her fleas will be gone in 45-60 days and will not return.
1. Bring the cats to her vet and get a Program injection every six months.
2. Give her dog Program (or Sentinel) monthly.
3. Treat all four pets with Frontline spray monthly.
All of these products are the safest fleas products we've ever had. No Premise treatment will be necessary! The total cost of this program is less than thirty dollars a month."
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08/30/2008: Laurie from Fort Valley, GA writes: "To all of those that have moved into homes and got mad at previous occupant. Remember the cycle of the insect. If they steam cleaned the carpet they did a good job....BUT the eggs then hatched and the breeding began. I used the type that sends the spray in the air. We went to new home and set it up. Only to come back to a total infestation. So all well intentions should be followed up by spraying the home with Apple Cider Vineager. (Yes sometimes people are just pigs) (Previous cleaning company owner) Good luck to all. By the way vineager in a natural deoderizer, the smell will go away. If you like fish after cooking, set a small bowl of vineager on counter and it will asorb the oder. Then send down drain, kills bad oders there also. (straight in a bug sprayer) Also use in my yard."
09/11/2008: Nancy from Gloucester, MA replies: "The fleas are on my Flat Coated Retriever-seems like the same time last year. I tried putting ACV in his water, but he wouldn't drink it. Is there another way to get it in his system-droppers or mixing it with food so he can't detect the taste? For right now I've sprayed him down with it, but would like to get it inside him. Thank you."
[YEA]10/01/2008: Leslie from Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico replies: "I have used apple cider vinegar for several purposes for my dogs. I give it to them the way I drink it, in warm water with honey. This way the ph is balanced also. You can also try to give it to your dog in yogurt."
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[YEA] 07/22/2008: Rachel from Johns Island, SC writes: "After reading all the feedback about Apple Cider Vinegar, I was eager to try it. I originally researched it because of the horrid flea infestation on my dogs. I have two Great Danes, one of whom recently experienced a bad reaction to the Frontline we had been using (weird!) for years.
So, I bathed them in baby shampoo and then sprayed some Apple Cider Vinegar on them both. Poof! Within two weeks of spraying every other day and adding a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to each gallon of their water, they practically live outside (Johns Island is notorious for fleas) and not a single flea. I'm not sure about ticks, though, because they rarely get them in the first place.
So, meanwhile, my son is getting eaten alive in our house. The fleas didn't touch the cat (I used the same process on the cat), my husband or myself but apparently my son was delicious. We tried gentle bug-repellent, natural bug-repellents, nothing worked to keep them off. I bombed the house, but then the eggs hatched and we went 'round and 'round again. To top it off, he developed an allergy to flea bites so now instead of just itchy little bites, each bite turns into about a dollar-bill-sized rash.
So, I began to give him a light tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar per day mixed in with 8 oz. of water. Not three times like you'd do for weight-loss, but like you would do for the dogs or the cat and lo and behold, after another week of benedryl and calamine lotion, he stopped getting bitten. It took almost three weeks to really work for my son, though, so be patient if you want to try this. I also talked to my doctor and he says it's alright (for my son, not medical advice!) just as long as he kept drinking lots of water and kept up his vitamins because, apparently, a high dosage of vinegar can sometimes deplete you of necessary vitamins and minerals as well as speed dehydration, not much but enough to notice.
I kept this up until I didn't spot a single flea for about a month, then took my son off the vinegar (about two and a half months).
Now, I don't know if this was a side effect of the vinegar or just getting rid of the stress of the flea bites, but my son stopped wetting the bed about halfway through the vinegar "treatment". The only reason I mention it is because someone else posted on here that her grandfather? (sorry, not sure) gave her a spoonful of vinegar and honey in water to help her to stop wetting the bed. But, like I said, it could have been either and most likely taking away the rash-stress was the determining factor.
I just started reading the comments on how Apple Cider Vinegar can help you shed those few extra unwanted pounds, so I'm trying it. I'll try to keep you guys updated, I'm pretty excited about it!"
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[YEA] 04/12/2008: Brandy from Dallas, TX writes: "I have a one and a half year old pekignese/pomeranian mix who in the last couple of months has shown symptoms of flea allergies, constant licking biting and scratching of her hind legs and rear end as well as her feet. We would find maybe 3-4 fleas on her a week. Which on a dog without allergy probably would not cause this kind of reaction. I wanted to only use natural treatments to try to cure this problem so I looked online and found alot of information. To treat my yard I used diacomateous earth, which is a fossil that kills bugs by injesting/breathing these sharp peices of fossil. Inside my house I did a salt and borax detergent on the floors and furniture. I did this every two weeks attempting to rid my house of any fleas. My dog still had hot spots, and was losing hair and getting scabs from her itching. I also tried lavender essential oil on her collar, and in the bath, and I used Dawn dishwashing detergent to try and drown any fleas that may be on her. This was all in addition to the advantix monthly treatment. These monthly treatments kill the flea when they bite the treated animal, the problem was keeping the fleas from even getting on her. One bite meant misery for my sweet pup. My vet told me to try benadryl and I did that to try to prevent her from itching, while I looked for another remedy. I came upon this site and started using it in her water just a small drop in her water once a day. Then last weekend I tried the half water half ACV rinse after her bath and let her air dry. I have seen MAJOR improvement this week, and have cancelled my appointment with a specialist to find a better way to treat my dog. I am a beleiver now, and will continue using this method as it really has proven itself to me. It is peak flea season here in Dallas and I am amazed at these results, and have even shared them with an online dog allergy group that I belong to. I am so thankful that I dont have to medicate my dog, or use unatural treatments. Thank you so much to this site and everyone who shared their success and failures, My little Nilly thanks you also!"
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[YEA] 03/01/2008: kim from sebring, florida writes: "I got my german shepard from wretched people, they had taken him off his mother at 3 weeks old, the feeding and watering was horrific. I immediately began him on mothers milk for 4 weeks.
Later when he was 4 months old, i bathed him and treated him with flea treatment. IMMEDIATELY he broke out in a terrible rash with lesions and such. The odor made me physically sick. My dog is allergic to flea treatments, AND fleas. It was so bad, that i considered putting him down, it broke my heart to see him suffer so much. what kind of life is that? always constantly itching and bleeding. I found this site, i bathed him in acv and sprayed him down three times a day. all gone. now he is 9 months old. my son flea treated him for me while i was out of town. BAM, horrible, and i do mean horrible rash blood red, lesions, sores, constant itching and crying. I immediately sprayed him down with the acv solution and he fell asleep in about ten minutes, relief from the itching. I began just two days ago adding it to his water, and I can not believe the difference. A dog that is allergic to the chemicals in monthly flea treatments AND allergic to FLEA's has a miserable life. Thankfully due to the acv my dog has a chance at a good itch free life. I cannot thank you enough. It made me cry to see him in such torment. thank you to everyone who shares their stories, it saves lives and the quality of those lives."
06/02/2008: Laroka from Detroit, Michigan replies: "What is the ACV solution you use to spray your dog with? (What is the water/ACV ratio?) Also, how much ACV should we put in their water bowl? Thanks!"
06/03/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Spray your dog with pure ACV - no diluting required. Works the same way for you - except instead of spraying it on, I wet a wash cloth in vinegar and make like I'm taking a bath. After letting it dry and getting dressed, I head for the fields or woods with no fear of ticks, chiggers, or sand flies."
06/11/2008: Cindy (cturner71@yahoo.com) from Buckatunna, Mississippi replies: "Will the acv work in the house? I have tried everything possible. Fleas are taking over our house!!!!!"
06/18/2008: Lori from West Allis, WI replies: "To get rid of fleas in the house you can put a bowl of soapy water (ajax soap works well) under a night light or smaller lamp. The fleas are attracted to the light and will fall in the water and die. It worked for my family when I was young and our cat was infested with fleas. Set up more than one of these traps and I'm sure it will work. Good Luck, Lori."
[YEA]08/23/2008: Aprilluvv (aprilluvv@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, CA replies: "Borax in the carpet for a few days before vaccuming works and the ACV does work in the house but it will make you house stink. I didn't care, I had GHETTO FLEAS FROM HELL for 2 months. ACV works well on your body too."
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[NAY] 07/21/2007: Kathy from Danville, Indiana writes: "I was really hoping this natural inexpensive remedy would work for my dog but unfortunately, it didn't. The poor dog is still infested after several days of drinking nothing but acv mixed with the water. I have sprayed him as well with the solution and the poor dog is still miserable. I'm afraid I will have to resort to Advantage to give him some relief. It's breaking my heart to see him so miserable. The fleas are making him miserable. I wanted it to work so badly. Maybe it depends on the coat of the dog. One dog doesn't scratch at all and the other one is miserable. Thanks anyway, it was worth a try."
06/29/2008: LovesDachshunds from Bayonne, The United States replies: "Every month I give each Dachshund a Sentinel flavor tab, which you get from your Vet, and I also use as backup Frontline Plus for dogs. So far so good."
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[YEA] 07/09/2007: JOYCE (JOYCEDWOOD@YAHOO.COM) from NEW CASTLE, IN writes: "APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IS WONDERFUL! WE STARTED USING IT FOR OUR THREE DOGS TO KEEP THEM FROM GETTING FLEAS. I WAS AMAZED TO FIND THAT IT ACTUALLY WORKS! I WAS FURTHER AMAZED TO SEE THAT IT HAD CURED AN ALMOST RAW ARE ON MY PUG. HE HAD AN AREA (ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER) THAT HE HAD RUBBED UP AGAINST & SCRATCHED UNTIL ALL THE HAIR WAS GONE! (NOT TO MENTION HIS PITIFUL CRIES!) I HAD TAKEN HIM TO THE VET & HE WAS PUT ON AN EXPENSIVE ALLERGY PILL, BUT I'M REALLY DISTRUSTFUL OF MEDICATIONS, SO I QUIT USING IT. I USE ABOUT 3 TABLESPOONS OF THE ACV IN A GALLON OF THEIR DRINKING WATER. IT IS AMAZING! I THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE & FOR ACV!"
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[YEA] 06/25/2007: Christy from Waxahachie, Tx writes: "I have a 12 year old dog named Shelby.She has suffered with hot spots and has lost quite a bit of her hair.I also have a 4 yr old named Madyson.The fleas at my house were taking over. Since trying the Apple Cider Vinegar, our lives have become better. No more fleas on my dogs or in my house. Shelby's hair has started to grow back. It has been fabulous!!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful information. I have passed it on with hopes that many pets will live happy lives :)"
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[YEA] Vickie from Tampa Florida writes: "I have found great success with Apple cider vinegar ...My Boxer has no fleas or ticks & a shiny coat."
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[YEA] Karen (amkn04@yahoo.com) from Florence, SC writes: "When I give my dog a bath and then sponge her with ACV should I dilute it? Also if I use it in a spray bottle should I use full strength or dilute, if I dilute how much. Thanks"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/09/2008: Nancy from Plant City, Fl writes: "My pomeranian can get a sigle flea bite, and itch really bad, my vet gave her predisone, and an antibiotic, also said to use childrens benadryl for her itch, please use according to their weight, just like a child, my pomerain is about 8 pounds, I give her around a l /2 tsp, it is a temporary fix for the itch, believe me, they are in pure torture,
I had a skin problem, I itched for four months, inbetween taking medicine such as benedry, and applying cortozine. You can also apply cortozoine for itch to your dog, really rub in it will temporally releive their itch, and also give them the benedryl. Take to a vet, use flea prevention, I just saw a web site that says use vinegar (diluted), and dawn dish soap. The little animals can't help this skin condition, please do all you can to help them. Remember, we have to speak for them... I know my little dog would do all she could for me.
Good luck to all you pet lovers....."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 01/17/2008: Brian from Ft. Worth, Texas writes: "I have gotten rid of almost all fleas in my yard by applying beneficial nematodes - found at organic garden centers. This helps keep my JRT from getting infested and then bringing them inside with her. ACV is great to keep fleas and other undesirables off of her, and I love the other natural rememdies on this site. I think if anyone loves their animals, they will not use harsh, dangerous, or otherwise bad chemical solutions for problems!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/29/2008: Diane Hacker from Emerald Isle, North Carolina writes: "re: fleas in the house: sprinkle 20 mule team borax around the house. it dehydrates all insects."
09/03/2008: Sharon from San Clemente, Calif replies: "One reader recommended Borax. Can it be used indoors if so full strength on carpets? I see lots of flea/dog remedies. Can anyone help me with cat fleas? Thank you, Sharon"
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BORIC ACID POWDER OR HEAD AND SHOULDERS
[YEA] Tania from Stockholm writes: "For fleas in dogs wash them with boric acid powder or Head and Shoulders. Use white vinegar in the water just a little. Sprinkle Earl Grey Stash tea and fleas will run dogs love it could be the reason they roll in it!"
EC: Boric Acid can be toxic to dogs.' Read more about this on our Mange page.
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7 YEA
[YEA] 04/24/2006: Debbie from Oklahoma writes: "I am a Dog groomer.. I ran across this remedy about 4 months ago and tried it on my dogs..I was unhappy with products like frontline (which I was a firm believer) because it seemed like I would still see a flea or "flea dirt".....Nothing is on my girls..NOTHING!!! So now I am letting all of my customers know. I tell them it can take 4-6 weeks to see the benefit. I put it my girls drinking water... 1 tsp.ACV to 1 quart water. When I started trying the acv, I thought what the heck.. If it doesn't work for the fleas it has alot of other benefits."
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[YEA] Katie from Emporia, KS writes: "If ACV doesn't seem to work on fleas, try Brewer's Yeast vitamin tablets and cedar chips for bedding. Most dog beds have cedar chips inside them, but you can also buy them straight for dog houses and such."
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[YEA] Sheerec from San Antonio, TX writes: "ACV for Fleas, itching and scratching works. My dog was itching and scratching everywhere very badly to the point,he had a small raw spot on his neck. I can say that it works. I put some apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle, sprayed him down and let him air dry. The severe scrathing stop and the raw place under his neck has healed."
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[YEA] Lana from Caro, Michigan writes: "I just tried the ACV on my Maltese, she's been miserable every Aug-Oct for years. Now she's resting quietly, within minutes. Thank-you so much! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! We've tried allergy shots, bathing, haircuts (she's practically bald now) benedryl, baby oil, seems like more things too, nonstop itching 24-7. Now she's happy again. Thanks so much!"
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[YEA] Jennifer from Doonan, QLD, Australia writes: "My 3 poodles have 2 tbsp in jug of water each day to prevent fleas. I also use it in their rinse water after a bath each week."
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[YEA] Jennifer from Doonan, QLD, Australia writes: "It truly works for eliminating fleas from dogs. Just a few drops in the drinking water each day BUT it does take about six weeks.I have also sprayed the dog's beds and cleaned rugs and floors every day so it is an ongoing chore to for the six weeks but I am now on top of the situation.I run a Poodle resort so I have quite a few dogs and to have solved the flea problem is an enormous relief."
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[YEA] MJ Fox from Ireland writes: "I use ACV in my rescue dogs' food twice a week and give them diluted ACV rub downs with a wet sponge or rag about every 10 days. There are no fleas on these dogs at all, which I think is a result of the ACV. I also use it full strength for ring worm and seem to be having some good luck with mange."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/17/2008: Cheryl from Centerton, Arkansas writes: "Flea and Worm Remedies: My dogs are 2 years old - a red healer and a pit bull. The pit had fleas really bad this year and got worms from the fleas and nothing seemed to work, even flea medication and the wormer. My dog became very irritated by the shampoo so i bathed him in ground up oatmeal, dawn and apple cider vinager, its been almost a week and the transformation is huge, i started giving him 2 tablets of brewers yeast and 1 tablet of fish oil a day since the day of the bath. He still had worms so I gave a clove of garlic yesterday. I'm stilll waiting for the results of that."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/01/2007: Lynn (Incky@webtv.net) from St. Petersburg, Florida writes: "I own several cats, and I recently moved to a new house where the new sod was infested with flea eggs/larvae. Within 2 weeks we had a flea infestation second to none. My cats go into the back yard which has a Cat Fence-In System, which keeps them in, but they brought tons of fleas into the house. I spent hours online searching for a non-toxic remedy. I ended up using diatomacious earth in the yard, which helped quite a bit. However, my cats were still scratching and miserable. I found that within the true homeopathic remedies of flower essences, "Crabapple" essence took care of the problem. There are others in different lines of homeopathic preparations which work also. I put two drops in their water bowls, and was putting it in their food, but only need to do the water bowls now as they are no longer scratching and chewing themselves raw. There are remedies for earmites, too. I think it's important to let people know that I am NOT referring to herb oils or plant extracts. Those didn't work for them. Essences are completely different and work on a vibrational level, which for some sounds unbelievable, but try it for yourself (it's at your health food store, and cheap) and do research online, with "flower essences" or "homeopathic remedies" for pets, and with some digging you will find it. Please feel free to contact me for further information as I would welcome the emails. Thanks."
08/13/2008: Paul from Oakland , CA replies: "Hey thanks...i'm trying the crab apple essence....two drops in the water....how much in the food...?...one...two drops?... once a day?...have you heard of any ill effects? I also ordered "Flea Free"...which is at least not a super deadly chemical like Frontline etc....Paul
"
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5 YEA 2 WARNING!
[YEA] 10/09/2008: Heather (heatherkersey_17@hotmail.com) from Monticello, IN writes: "I used Dawn on my cat and watched the fleas drop off of her instantly. I used it also on my dog. The blue Dawn is worth it."
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