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[imported_artjoyParticipant]

My two dogs have fleas. I recently moved to OR from AZ and so have no expereince with this. Any non toxic ideas to help me relieve their problem and cleanse my environment? I’d love to sprinkle the apartment ankle deep in lavendar or something…

[imported_kivatarParticipant]

hi artjoy!

i wish lavendar was the answer!  unfortunately, you’ve got your work cut out for you to get rid of the fleas, but there are a lot of nontoxic ways to do it.  we did the following things and have been flea-free for years (which is quite an accomplishment with 7 dogs, 2 cats, and 10 ferrets!!)

you must treat the pets, the house, and the yard.  

dogs:  bathe them thoroughly and repeatedly with a gentle flea shampoo, rinsing every trace of flea and flea dirt!  don’t bother with flea collars or powders… mixing chemicals is a no-no!  also, we feed them a high-quality food and add brewers yeast and garlic to their food from spring through summer.  some people doubt that it works, but we swear by it.

house:  the big trick here is to VACUUM.  vacuum the carpets and all cracks and crevices in the furniture on a daily basis, disposing of the bags.  every flea and egg that you suck up is one less on your dogs!  although i’ve never had to resort to it, i’ve read that borax spread around the edges of your room is good for fleas (do your research first since i have no first-hand knowledge of this).

yard:   i think the best thing we did was get beneficial nematodes for the yard.  these are harmless, nontoxic little critters that, when spread in your yard and watered down, feed on the flea larva (the most prolific stage of flea growth).  they are harmless to pets, humans, and other flora and fauna.  we only had to use one application, but would do it again in a heartbeat.  i also understand that diatomaceous earth is excellent for fleas, slugs, etc., but again, do your homework if you need to use this. it is nontoxic, but i believe there was something to be cautious about.

good luck in your flea fight!  being consistent is the key, but it can be done!!

zoomama

[imported_KarenGuthrieParticipant]

Hi,

I have used Fleabusters for over 10 years.  It is a natural powder that you dust on floors, furniture or anywhere there is infestation.  After dusting you brush it slightly and it disappears. The powder adheres to the pet’s hair simply by being in the environment that has been dusted.  It is a natural remedy and harmless even to crawling babies.  You can have it professionally applied or dust it on yourself.  It lasts until you shampoo the surface.  For more inro log on to  fleabusters.com    You will be glad you did.  

Karen Guthrie

[imported_rmarekParticipant]

Hi!
Feeding garlic to your dogs will help rid the fleas, if you can stand the dogs’ breath.   ;)

For the yard, you can spread yellow Sulpher.  Load up a sack, it must have holes (similar to the potato sacks used in sack races), and drag it around the yard.  Make sure to get the edges in case the fleas are coming from next door.

For the house, you can use diluted Lysol.  Don’t dilute it too much because it needs to be strong.  Use a sponge to scrub it into the carpets and the floors.  My mom used this method for our dogs and cats and it worked great!  Yes, and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum — floors, bedding, closets, anywhere your dogs have been.  Always throw the bags out so the fleas can’t escape.

[imported_dneecieParticipant]

Diatomaceous Earth.

Here’s a link that may help.  I don’t think the Ozark Coop goes into AZ, but you should be able to find the product from another supplier. Or they may ship.  It’s good stuff with lots more uses than listed.

http://www.ozarkcoop2.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?Inv=4&Category=Non-Food&Comm_Code_Description=Gardening%20Supplies&CatSubHead=Nitron%20Industries&CatProductNumber=52704

[imported_maxtraxParticipant]

My two dogs have fleas. I recently moved to OR from AZ and so have no expereince with this. Any non toxic ideas to help me relieve their problem and cleanse my environment? I’d love to sprinkle the apartment ankle deep in lavendar or something…

I read on the internet somewhere last year to put a tablespoon of vinegar in a gallon of water to and give it to your dog as his daily water.  It doesn’t flavor the water, I tasted before giving it to mine.  I gave it to my mini schnauzer all last summer and he never had a flea.  Try it.  :)

[imported_adminParticipant]

We have a pet shampoo that was tested by The Carroll-Loye Biological Research center they found that Paw Paw Shampoo was effective in removing common cat and dog  fleas.

In shampoo tests on dogs, it had a 100 percent success rate on dog fleas after 10 minutes.And it’s proven safe for animals.Treat your dogs and cats to the power of Paw Paw.

In vitro tests showed that exposure to NSP Paw Paw Shampoo removed 99 percent of the cat fleas within 10 minutes and 100 percent within 15 minutes of exposure.

You can read and/or purchase here http://www.theherbsplace.com/pawpaw.html

Randal J. Watkins
Editor

[imported_RolandParticipant]

I know it’s not non-toxic, in most people’s definition, but we use Frontline Plus on our dog.  I intially bought it from the vet, but after seeing the 1800PetMeds ads I thought I’d check their prices.  They were higher than the vet.  After some searching, I found Drs. Foster and Smith on the web, and ordered from them at about 2/3’s the cost.  I’ve recently found that I can get it for about half the retail cost by ordering it off of eBay.

[Anonymous]

I read somewhere that Murphys Oil Soap is good for fleas or if dogs have dry skin, it a vegetable base so its won’t hurt them.  You will need to treat the house, yard and the pets like some of the other readers said.  Also garlic and vinegar is good to help keep fleas off. ;)

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