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Natural home remedies for fleas?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Kayota 
#1 ·
Hi.

So I found out my dog has fleas. She's scratching and itching like crazy.

The problem is - I don't want to use any chemicals on her. I'm trying to avoid using any kind of branded spot on treatment like Advantix, Frontline etc.

I wanna find a natural way to get rid of the fleas. I read here http://www.bestfleamedicinefordogs.com/articles/natural-flea-killer/ that some people use lemon and put it in the dog's water bowl, but since it's so sour, I don't think it's a good idea.

Then I read that I can use salt, so I was wondering - do you have any experience with salt for fleas? Isn't it dangerous for the dog to eat and swallow the salt?

What is your opinion? Got any better natural solutions? Please share!

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
In all honesty, if you've already got fleas you just need to kill them completely ASAP. I think a lot of the natural things can be helpful to repel fleas if your dog doesn't already have them, but the longer he's got them the worse they're going to multiply. If the infestation gets into your house, you're going to have an even bigger problem on your hands. Unless she's had a negative reaction to Advantage/Frontline in the past, I'd just use it. It's really very safe. I worked for a homeopathic vet who used them because she said the natural stuff just doesn't cut it, and that Frontline/Advantage isn't absorbed into the bloodstream, it just circulates in the oils in the skin/fur. Take care of your problem now, which might include a deworming for tapeworms, then you can try using things like brewers yeast for repelling future fleas. You should also treat your house by washing all the bedding (human and dog) in hot water, and vacuum all surfaces (including hardwood and tile) daily and dispose of the bag or the contents of the vacuum in a plastic bag, tied up, and then throw away outdoors daily.
 
#4 ·
Agreed about killing fleas. Sometimes fire ants, beneficial nematodes, or food grade diatomaceous earth may help.

The 'natural' flea killers that you might see online etc., are also as toxic as chemicals or more so. PennyRoyal Oil is one of them. It is very natural, you can place on the back of a dog's neck to kill fleas ... and it will kill anything that licks the back of his neck ... so I discourage its use.

But, most strong smells will repel fleas. You can score an orange peel and rub the dog's fur with it every few days. You can also use a spray of diluted orange oil (garden variety for pests). Mint may work, and so might catnip (if there are no cats in the neighborhood).

Simply brushing the dog outside after every walk will greatly help to remove fleas.

At one time, brewers yeast was recommended as a food supplement to repel fleas.

As suggested, I imagine that rubbing a rag dampened with vinegar (or lemon juice) might repel fleas.
 
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