NOTE: This is a long post specifically for dog owners regarding flea control. If it is not relevant to you, feel free to skip over it. If it is relevant, you may want to copy/paste it. I did a lot of research and it may help others to some degree. Due to the climate down here in Florida, a neighbor who basically feeds and breeds feral cats, and having a long hair dog, fighting fleas have been an ongoing battle since moving here. Here are some low cost tips and chemical-free solutions that have helped tremendously with the problem. Essential oils: Oils such as lavender, lemon, orange, etc are natural flea deterrents. I use lavender and apply about 8 drops to an old leather collar and use that as a flea collar – seems to work just as well as the chemical ones that you buy. I reapply drops every 4-8 days. Also put a few drops on neck and base of tail of dog [just watch for allergic skin reaction]. I keep a spray bottle around with about 12 ozs of water mixed with 10 drops of lavender oil for spritzing to keep a scent of lavender in the bathroom, kitchen and other areas of the house. Not to mention occasionally lightly spraying the dog’s legs and tail before going out. Also, like humans, the lavender scent is calming to dogs. A small bottle was about $7 at GNC, and it lasts quite a while. Baking soda and Salt: Amazingly, this works great for treating the house! Vacuum, then apply a moderate coating of baking soda and salt pretty much everywhere, especially where your pet sleeps or spends a lot of time. I use an old carpet fresh container for the baking soda and a separate shaker for the salt. The crystalline composition of the salt and baking soda gets into the fleas’ [and other insects’] shells, pierces them, and they bleed/dehydrate to death. Works on the flea eggs too. Sprinkle, work into rugs a little with a broom or brush [I just use my foot … ], then let sit for as long as possible [at least 24 hours]. Since these are both non-chemical and inert powders, they can sit however long you want. Plus, the baking soda is a natural deodorant. Then, vacuum it up, along with the dead fleas [which are food for hatchlings]. Reapply as needed. If you have a lot of fleas, do this every couple of days for a week and you will see results. As a preventative measure, I use a lavender scented carpet powder about a half hour before vacuuming and sprinkle a light coat of salt/baking soda after vacuuming. It costs about $2.50 for a big box of Baking soda and $.80 for salt, plus there are no unsafe chemicals to smell or contend with. One note – keep areas dry or the powders will clump and become more messy. The baking soda can also be occasionally applied directly to the pet and rubbed in good and brushed out. Just [a] make sure pet is dry, [b] avoid eyes and ears and [c] do outside since they will shake off the excess. Natural diet additives: Brewer’s yeast with garlic tablets are available for dogs. Brewer’s yeast helps with a shiny coat and skin and the garlic makes the dogs’ blood and skin oil unpalatable for fleas. Just be aware that too much garlic can be harmful to dogs and follow directions on product and/or check with your vet to be safe. Personally, I give my dog the brewer’s yeast tabs without the garlic and mix about 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder with her food about 4 times a week [approx. 1/16 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight]. The tabs cost about $6 for 250 and the garlic powder was about $1.50. Outside: Fleas dislike the smell of vinegar and lemons, among other things. A 50/50 vinegar/water mix or a lemon water mix can be put in a spray bottle and used as a deterrent in problem areas outside. For the lemon water mix, take one thinly sliced lemon and add to 12 - 16 ozs of boiled water. Let steep overnight then strain and put into spray bottle. Use within a few days or it may begin to mold. These will have to be reapplied every few days or after rain. Since feral cats are the core of my flea problem, and they also dislike these scents, I use these to repel the cats from the yard, too. They work pretty well, I must say …. Along with the number one cat repellant …..WATER! Diatomaceous earth works in the yard as well and kills fleas [and other insects]. Like the salt/baking soda powder, it pierces the fleas’ shells and dehydrates them. Just be sure to get a food or yard grade, not a grade used with pool filters. Also, rain/water makes this stuff useless. So it would have to be reapplied. The food grade of this stuff can be used inside as well, and is actually healthy to eat [not that I have … ]. But I think the Salt/Soda mix is cheaper inside. This stuff costs around $9 for a 4 lb bag [outside use] at Home Depot …. There are more options online from various distributers. I did a lot of online research on this stuff and there are also other options regarding flea control. But these are the least expensive ones that actually work pretty well. I also bathe my dog with a flea shampoo every 7-10 days which also helps. Over bathing [especially with warm water] can dry out the animal’s skin, so cold [or barely warm] water along with an oatmeal flea shampoo are recommended. I hope that this info helps someone. Message me with any questions or for links to resources.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:31:39 +0000
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