The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Posted by Miss_D (Pennsylvania) on 07/15/2022 8 posts ★★★★★
I grow peppermint in a large pot on my deck - it comes back like wildfire every spring. It dries by the beginning of June and once it dries, I pull it out of the pot by its roots - throw it all over my fenced in backyard - then mow over it to distribute it more evenly. It keeps the fleas and ticks out the area until August. In March - when it's rainy - we treat the yard with salt. The salt breaks down the outer shell of fleas and ticks. We make sure to put the salt down right before it's going to rain because it could burn your dog's paws if left just lying on the grass. We treat again with salt in August - if there is no rain in the forecast - we just water the lawn really good after we salt. You can buy 20-50 pound bags of salt pretty cheap. I use a lavender spray on the dogs once a week from March through October - which seems to repel mosquitos too. We have been flea free!
I used to use the Soresto collars - but those made my older dog really sick a couple years ago - and the fleas were still biting both my dogs when they had the collars on.I think it's best to find something that repels as well as kills, so our poor babies don't have to go through getting bit.
*Note: this post is geared toward dogs and not cats.
Posted by Rhonda (TX) on 02/26/2022 33 posts ★★★★★
Flea protection for dogs, DO NOT USE ON CATS! Buy some Rosemary sprigs in your grocery store. put them in boiling water. I used 3 for a medium-sized stockpot. Let them boil for an hour and turn it down to a rolling boil for another few hours. The pot of rosemary water will turn dark.
Let cool, fill half the spray bottle with the rosemary water, the rest with cool water out of the tap.
You can spray on bedding, blankets, carpet, even the dog. Yes, its o.k. if they lick it.
I also have a nearly 15 yr old German Shep. When he was young vet put him on the poisonous flea med. Every time I gave it to him, he would get sick and lethargic for days. I complained to the vet and he told me "well as long as he doesn't throw up in the first 30 minutes don't worry about it". I was so mad and sick of cleaning up those messes. Just like human doctors, they insist on forcing this crap on a poor animal and I decided I would no longer continue with this.
I had a K9 police neighbor and he told me about a company called SPRINGTIME. They sell garlic tabs for flea protection. Because I live in Fl, heartworm is a concern as well. At that time I decided to take my chances and go with the the garlic because the dog was becoming sicker and sicker and I truly believe he wouldn't have lived this long. He's been on garlic for over 10 yrs now and his coat is so beautiful and I brush him every day. I also don't have carpeting in my house just a few area rugs and it's worked out well after all these years. However, I have never met a vet who was happy about the garlic tabs. They give me a look of disgust because they don't like it when you go against their protocol. I do not have any ties to Springtime. I am merely a longtime customer. I also know someone whose Labs had seizures. Found out it was from Frontline.
I hope someone will find this post and help a dog that is being poisoned from these insecticides. God bless all❤️
I found a great cure for flea infestation if you have carpet! It's a steam mop with a plastic frame that lets it glide over carpet. Go slow, kills eggs, pupae, larvae and adults (if they don't move-- and they don't seem to-- they are attracted to heat). Once a week for a couple of weeks (plus baths for the dogs and washing of bedding). Cured!
Once get stationed in an old house while on a job in a city, it was a duplex with a door to other side. The neighbors had used this nasty old side for their dog's house. I got eaten alive by fleas the first night, woke with blood all over my chest and went right to work cleaning then spread borax over everything the fleas might be in and on all the floors in the place. No more fleas, the next morning: NO BITES.
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 06/08/2021 523 posts
SALT
I don't know why they didn't post my response to your emergency - SALT. Salt, salt, salt. Not a lot - just shake it onto the rugs, carpet, pet bedding and cast some into the corners where the floor meets the wall. Skip vacuuming for a few days and just leave it to do its thing. You don't even have to treat the pooch. Just use salt.
Crush fennel seeds and use them to repel fleas around the home, or rub powdered fennel into your dog's coat. Feverfew flowers contain natural pyrethrins. Steep the flowers in boiling water, allow to cool, strain, and use as after-bath rinse or insect repellent.
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USAS) on 06/07/2021 523 posts
Yikes!! The only thing I ever used that actually worked was salt. Sprinkle it on the carpet/rugs, the pet's bedding and all around where the floor meets the walls. And around the bottom of furniture legs. If you're a neatnick, you'll want to vacuum first and toss your vacuum cleaner bag. then just get the salt down there - cheapo, iodized table salt is perfect and cheap - and leave it. And by "leave it", I mean skip vacuuming for a few days and let it do its thing.
So sorry you are going through this. Please read all the borax and diatomaceous posts on Earth Clinic in the pet flea section (where your post is located). Sounds like you need to treat your backyard FIRST and those two remedies are mentioned for treating flea infestations both indoors and outdoors. You'll have to reapply after it rains, but one of them should help. If you use diatomaceous earth, please note that it must be food grade.
Also, consider a raw food (or freeze dried raw) diet to strengthen your pup's immune system. That might help too. Quality food can make a huge difference in flea control I've discovered over the years.
Good luck. Hope you get this issue solved very quickly.
Help! All this rain and I have more fleas than ever. and my new little dog, white broken coat jack russell mix, is in very bad shape. I have a dw liquid flea trap going and have vacuumed many times, but it is so wet outside the grass is almost knee high. I have no place to put the dogs while I sprinkle the carpets. I started her on antiflea daily pills over a month ago- brewers yeast and b vits, I have sprayed her with colloidal silver 7ppm, I have flea bathed her, I have coated her with aloe vera juice, I have coated her with aloe vera gel, I have rubbed coconut oil on the worst chewed bits, I applied a chemical on her neck, all in the past 2 weeks. yesterday I broke down and dipped her in permethrin solution.
This morning she looked good. no rash, no bumps. she went out to pee and came in covered with a bumpy red rash, not every bump is a flea bite, and at least 5 more fleas running thru her now very sparse coat. picked them off and put more aloe gel on her. the fleas just love her. :( I'd spend the 55 for bravecto but I'm afraid that wouldn't work either, and my last dog got cancer from I think comfortis. my big black dog is not as bothered, but the fleas of course jump to her. I'm going crazy. the dogs don't want me near them cuz I keep searching for fleas on them. shall I try the borax? it's the only thing I haven't tried, and that's because the store is out of it lately.
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 05/10/2021 523 posts ★★★★★
Salt. Cheapo, salt in the round box. Iodized, not iodized, it doesn't matter what kind. Sprinkle on carpet and in corners. I didn't even have to de-flea the dogs who had brought home fleas from the groomer. Always a risk with groomers who offer walk-in nail clipping because those dogs don't get a bath BUT it's not a problem PLUS it's super handy to be able to just walk in and get their nails clipped when, with a 50 cent box of salt, it's never an issue!
Sprinkle borax on carpets and sweep it in with a broom. It is dehydrating and kills fleas. Harmless for dogs, even if they lick it some. It is actually good for them in very small quantities. It helps with arthritis. Look it up here and/or look up Walter Last and borax to read more about it.
Posted by Helen (Melbourne, Florida) on 10/04/2020
Be careful with Brewers Yeast for Fleas. I started giving it to my two dogs a few years ago and after a couple of weeks, both dogs were scratching like mad. I thought they had fleas but couldn't see any. I Googled Brewers Yeast and found that many dogs have a bad reaction to it.
Posted by Dee (Camano Island, Wa) on 09/03/2020 ★★★★★
We bought a house and the former owners clearly had pets that were not treated and did not treat the house. No one told us anything. Never had flea problems before and then this house was so badly infested that our GSD literally chewed himself naked and raw. He even got a serious skin infection due to the chewing because of the fleas. Ugh!
We first put all the animals out on the deck and literally treated EVERY surface (windowsills, carpets, baseboards, mattresses and box springs, furniture including under the cushions) with a mix of diatomaceous earth, borax, baking soda, with a few drops of lemon oil and eucalyptus oil.
Before bringing the pets in, bathed all of them with a mix of Dawn dish soap, baby shampoo, and a few drops of tea tree oil; rinsed; applied a 50/50 of the ACV and water as another rinse; let the ACV rinse dry on the coat! ; then applied a mix of 1/2 to 3/4c coconut oil gently melted and mixed with 1/4 c olive oil along with about 8 drops of lemon oil, rosemary oil, 10-20 drops collodial silver, 2 drops clove oil, and 8 drops lavender oil rubbed well into fur and on skin. Dogs liked the conditioner and tried to lick it all off. :) Fleas hated the ACV mix rinse and the coconut oil mix conditioner.
The fleas with the conditioner were jumping ship and twitching and dying all over the deck where we were treating our pets. Left the carpet mix on for 5 days, vaccuumed, repeat mix, vaccuum in 3 days, repeat mix, vaccuum daily for about a month. No more flea problems and all without chemicals! Also we have treated our yard here, where there is no flea down time, with nematodes to kill fleas, their eggs, and their larvae for two years straight. Does wonders.
Just a note to you and whoever may be reading this on Benadryl, Make sure that it has no Acetaminophen/ "Tylenol" in it, because, Acetaminophen is deadly for dogs. Just in case you don't already know.
I would dilute the vinegar, 1/ cup in a gallon of water for the final rinse.I noticed when my dog got sprayed by a skunk I had to do that else she was sneezing and it was too strong doing it straight on a rag..not near the face..
* apply 2x per day morning and evening, comb or brush through fur. If I miss a 2nd application, the fleas do begin to accumulate.
I've noticed that when I spray the lemon juice around the perimeter of my place that spiders run too.
i do find the occasional flea on her but nothing like when I was just using tea tree oil and/or diatomaceous earth (picked off about 50 fleas during bath time). I will continue to experiment until I find the best recipe/method for flea elimination and will check back.
I found that diatomaceous earth and tea tree oil were not effective for a flea infestation. Luckily, I tried lemon juice spray and was amazed by how effective it was.
I took a few small whole lemons, skin, seeds and all, and blended them with some water (not too much) and strained the mixture. I spray some on my hands and rub it into my kitty from head to tail. I also spray it outside and indoors. Smells great. She licks it off and is perfectly healthy and much happier now that the fleas are gone.
Plz read my post under tea tree oil for more info.
Flea season exploded two months ago and I found that tea tree oil did NOT help in the least, so I would like to amend this rating to either 1 or 0 (that would take more experimentation). Possibly back when I posted this initial review, colder weather was setting in and I mistook the seasonal decline in flea populations as a sign of tea tree oil's effectiveness for flea control.
I was treating my cat (10 months old) daily with a drop's worth (placed on my finger and then applied) of tea tree on the back of her head and another at the base of her tail, along with food grade diatomaceous earth rubbed in all over. It really didn't seem to show much improvement. She had bald spots where the fleas were eating her and for awhile, the only remedy was bathing her 2x a week, where I would remove dozens of fleas at a time.
Luckily, I did find what worked to my amazement! Homemade lemon spray. Throw a few lemons (skins seeds and all) into a blender with some water and strain into a bottle. Apply the spray to your hands and rub into your animal's fur all over, from her furry cheeks to tail. She licks it off and is perfectly healthy. Occasionally, I'll find one lethargic flea that is easy to pick off, but it works exceptionally well. Also, spray the lemon everywhere you want, outside and in the corners of the room. As always with any new protocol, start off with small quantities on your pet to make sure there are no adverse reactions.
I am working on this Lemon Spray recipe (possibly adding other beneficial flea repelling ingredients) and will re-post when I am satisfied with the results.
EC: Rating changed in your first post to a 1 star, thank you for the update!
I have used Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in my pets' food for about 4 years for internal parasites. I also use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon 'organic' apple cider vinegar (ACV) per quart of drinking water all year. NO fleas or tics, the ACV causes sour blood... fleas/ticks don't like sour blood!! I like this better than putting DE on their fur. My one cat had severe fur loss on her hind end and weird pumps all over her skin, I 'think' the fleas caused this. Since using ACV in my pets water, her fur is thick. I also give Krill Oil in their food.
I have had a massive flea problem with cats and dogs in the house and I used diatomaceous Earth. It's messy but it works. There is lots of information on the internet about it and it is available to buy on Amazon.
Try neem oil for mites. It's working on my latest batch of stray kittens that lost hair between ears and eyes with tiny pinpoint red scabby dots. Vet told me she'd have to do a scraping to determine which med to prescribe. It's possible neem kills all mites by suffocation. Thick food grade coconut oil kills lice by suffocation...may kill mites too. Be very careful not to get neem in their eyes because it is an eye irritant.
I was hesitant to try tea tree oil on my kitten after having read some warnings here.
I must stress that tea tree oil must be used in low-potency!! Even one drop might be too much, and so should be added to carrier oil.
in taking any product, one should always start small and monitor the effects, and increase as needed.
My neighbor tried it first. He was the one who actually insisted. Our kittens were both three months at the time. He has a kitten from the same litter as mine, so they are the same age, but his is male and larger. He said the fleas vanished, so I tried it on my kitten. I clumsily poured a few drops from the bottle onto her and was worried to death, grabbing a rag to clean her. Then I saw her licking the tea tree from her fur and I freaked (i love my cat! ). But no sickness whatsoever. And fleas truly did disappear.
So, don't make the mistake I did! And potentially have it not turn out so well.
First try one 1 drop of tea tree to 1/4 tsp carrier oil. I used olive oil. Monitor results. If it works, then no need to increase. If it doesn't work and health is good, increase dose slowly and never pour over your animal! Unless you are sure your dropper is safe
Good luck and best wishes!
July 27, 2108 Update:
With further experimentation, I found tea tree oil does not work. plz read my other posts for more info , including success with lemon juice.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
I have a mild flea infestation and I want to lay salt on my carpet. I live in a large home and can not lay it down for a few days then vacuum then lay it down again, it would just be too much for me as I work 12hrs a day. I know salt attracts moisture so I was wondering if anyone knew how long I could leave it on my carpet before it starts getting wet.
I am so happy to read this! Finally someone with common sense about garlic!
Garlic is 100% safe as long as you don't feed one garlic (like 15 cloves) to a Chihuahua or so ;-) My dogs get garlic, they are both small sized dogs, and they get half a clove per meal, twice a day.
Against flees and ticks I prepare an oil, with the cloves of 1 organic garlic, chopped, some ginger cloves, and about 1/8 of the bottle with AVC, then fill it up with (organic) sunflower oil (you can use any oil of course), let this stand for 24 to 48 hours, shake every few hours.
When ready, simply add a few drops to your hands and massage it in the coat of your dog, that is enough to keep any flee and/or tick away for at least 24 hours. Repeat daily!
I never have flees or ticks or other nasty small beasts that hunt my dogs. This recipe is great for cats too. I wouldn't try it on your canary or parakeet, but even for rabits and of course for horses (use more than a few drop, I'd say a hand full of oil), any animal that can get flees/ticks!
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Dealing with seasonal or inhalant allergies can be tricky. You might keep a diary to see what allergens are in your area that are blooming to see if you can pin point a trigger; if you find, say, a correlation between the fir trees blooming and a break out you might consider herbal thuja or stinging nettle. You do not say what you feed, but the diet you feed has a direct affect on your dog's immune system. A food allergy can be harder to pin point as many diets contain many different proteins. You might consider alkalizing your dog's drinking water with baking soda, and also rotating it every few weeks with Ted/s Borax protocol for dogs. The treated water will help balance the PH which in turn makes your dog's GI track unattractive to systemic yeast - this in turn helps restore healthy gut flora which aides the immune system. Borax water also helps knock down yeast and staph. You might also consider a single protein source for the food and see if you can rotate from beef protein to chicken protein and so on, to see if you can pin point a food allergy. You might also consider colostrum to help boost the immune system, and turmeric and quercetin and herbal Yucca Intensive [must be taken with food] to combat inflammation. Please let us know how it goes!
I have a French Bulldog and I fight yeast infection and hair loss every year. I decided to take him off flea chemicals but having a tough time finding a cure for it. I have been bathing him with baking soda then tree oil shampoo and finally a organic apple cider vinegar rinse. So far it has been been working. I also give him a teaspoon of Diatomaceous Earth every evening in his food. Anyone have any better cures?
W---M--t sells Borax in boxes. Near laundry washing supplies. It works! After hundreds spent on vet bills and latest greatest treatments, Borax did it $3. For fleas, ticks, external mites...mange, etc. Keep away from dogs eyes and don't let them ingest any EVER!
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Just google it and you will find their main website with a store locator. I do think your best bet would be to use floor lamp flea traps - one per room, and also give your dogs flea baths [use dawn dish soap with white vinegar rinse] all at the same time, and also wash all bedding all at the same time, and to vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Cheap but for the cost of your labor.
Because your dogs are so small and essential oils are so strong (and can be even be toxic) I would find another remedy like apple cider vinegar.
Mix 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar in a bottle. Use a cotton ball to apply some of the solution to the back of your dogs' necks daily to prevent fleas.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Where can I buy this wondercide. I have four Chihuahuas all under 20 pounds that are in need of defleaing. I'm on fixed income so need help getting rid of the fleas. Thanks Donna
Many to most of the health issue in our pets today are due to over vaccinating. Check for information on Dr. Ronald Schultz. He the leading expert on animal immunology world wide. Is currently in Wisconsin. His and others studies have proven that annual vaccinations are not just unnecessary, but very harmful. One DHPP (dogs) or FVRCP (cats) at or after 16 weeks of age immunizes them probably for life. Challenge studies have proven immunity for at least 9 years and titer studies 15 years. Most of the other optional vaccinations like bordetella, leptospirosa and such are not needed and also quite harmful.
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