Table of Contents
Natural Flea Remedies
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DISCLAIMER
* Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional veterinary prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your veterinarian before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your Veterinarian can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your pet's unique needs or diagnose your pet's particular medical history.
10 YEA
1 NAY
2 WARNINGS!
[YEA] 11/25/2008: Nena from Johnson City, TN writes: "i have use garlic on my dog for years and they have no fleas and very heathly.and havent had to treat my home for fleas in years and i bath them in tea tree shampoo that adds to help flealess in tenn....just a speakle of garlic powder on their food each day"
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[YEA] 10/08/2008: Karen from Hillsdale, Mi. writes: "I have been having flea problems also, so I search and search for things to use naturally...Garlic kept coming up...so, I took out the garlic powder, and rubbed it into my cats furr starting around the neck and head area, making sure not to get into eyes and such. Then worked it down under the belly area and back. I waited a few hours, and checked them...no fleas!!"
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[YEA] 09/13/2008: Simon from Panama City, Florida writes: "Yea: It is true garlic is the trick for fleas. Last lear we treated our three dog repeatedly with the usual brands of flea control but they couldn't keep up. This year a friend recomended the garlic. He said they have used this remedy for years. Its safe and it works. We mix the garlic in with their food and they love it. I think it helps with tics and mosquitos as well."
09/30/2009: Marge from Land O Lakes, Fl, usa replies: "how long before you saw an improvement with the fleas?"
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[WARNING!] 09/10/2008: Dana from Bucharest, Romania writes: "garlic is toxic for cats. yet you mention "pet" here:
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/fleas.html
PLEASE replace with DOG in regards to garlic, PLEASE put a clear note that it is toxic for cats!!!"
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[YEA] 07/01/2008: Jess from Polkton, NC writes: "garlic pills cured my dogs fleas just give it 2 daily"
06/27/2009: Shannon from Palm Coast, Fl replies: "We have 1000 mg Garlic gelcaps how much would you give a 25-30 lb Boston Terrier to help with a bad flea problem???"
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[YEA] 06/13/2008: Kathy from Cypress, TX writes: "To keep fleas off my 70 lb. dog, I juice fresh raw garlic and add 1/8 teaspoon of it to a raw egg yolk. He eats it joyfully. NO MORE FLEAS. Fleas hate the smell of garlic. I may carefully increase the amount of garlic juice some in the future because he is 70 lbs. He eats his food joyfully. He also loves greens such as Alfalfa powder, Wheatgrass powder, Barley powder, etc. Dogs need greens too!"
EC: Read much more about Garlic for Dogs here, including the reported (bogus) controversy.
06/16/2008: Sonia from Houston, Texas replies: "Hello.I have huge flea problems and living in Texas with the heat it's really bad. I have (3) Wiemeraner's and i can't keep the fleas off of them or out of the yard. I started the garlic in their food last night but just this morning i read that garlic is toxic to dogs and cats... now i am very scared that i could have harmed them. Can u tell me how long you have been giving him/her garlic and have you ever had any problems..
Thanks!!!"
EC: Read all the positive feedback about Garlic for Dogs here.
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[YEA] 01/19/2008: Koni from London, UK writes: "I have been sprinkling garlic powder on my dogs (home cooked) food since I got him aged 6 months. He's never had a flea. Recentley I ran out (of GP) and it was a week before I replaced it (me casually thinking all would be ok) During that week he got worms, when I put him back on the Garlic Powder the worms were eradicated. It works for me."
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[NAY] 06/29/2007: Tried Everything from Austin, TX writes: "I tried to feed my dogs garlic in order to rid them of fleas (according to some postings I read), but it really didn't work. My boys were sick all night, they threw up and didn't want to eat. Where I live, flea infestation is no joking matter. I hate to buy the medicine vets recommend because it's really toxic and not to mention that it gets expensive. I was really hoping that this would work, but it obviously didn't."
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[YEA] 04/14/2007: Tom from Providence, RI writes: "I have given each of my two dogs (retriever family, 2 and 5 yo) a clove of freshly pressed garlic every day in their dinner. They are never sick. They do Not have fleas and I DO NOT USE commerical flea/tick products which are carcinogenic and neurotoxins, and the dogs are doing great. I have not had their red blood count tested and perhaps I should. Another ? for the holistic vet I guess."
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[YEA] 03/10/2007: Gavin from Killarney Vale, N.S.W. Australia writes: "I have fed my Dingo cross bred 1 clove of garlic thinly sliced in his nightly bowl of dry food for 3 weeks so far to cure flea infestation. I have tried both top brand remedies available in Australia, (Frontline & Advantage) to no avail.The dog laps it up and the fleas have gone. No side effect so far. He does not smell like an Italian restaurant, however his coat is also very shiny. Is this too much as I have heard that Garlic is both good & bad. Most reports of bad seem to come from Vets who would lose money by not selling/promoting their sponsored product."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/10/2007: DZ from CT writes: "Last spring I started my dogs up on Advantage flea control, thinking I would need to carry through with monthly application until November. Well, I ran out of it in June and decided to wait as long as I could before reapplying (not a big fan of chemicals). I am still waiting! I have combed off a few fleas in the 3 months, but no more than one at a time, with weeks passing before finding another one. What's amazing is that they go to the dog park several times a week and theoretically should be covered in fleas! I am guessing it is their good diet and regular exercise. I feed them Blackwood kibble for senior dogs (one of my dogs is young, but she gains weight fast on regular kibble), partially undercooked turkey or beef, and a teaspoon of molasses. I personally think that dogs who are infested with fleas are probably eating low quality kibble... if you've done your research, you know the kind of disgusting, cancer causing ingredients in the cheap stuff."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 08/02/2007: Pamela from Granite Falls, Washington writes: "Yes...to LAVENDER for flea control. I recommend lavender castile liquid soap to bath them in and diluted essential oil lightly applied to their coats between baths. Initially, I started using lavender because I am so sensitive to chemicals. Now, I use it because it works so well."
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[YEA] 02/27/2007: Shirlena from Oakland, MO writes: "Using Lavender essential oil does get rid of fleas on the dogs just like others have said. It will also keep them from getting fleas in the first place. If they do come in contact with them outside, they won't stay on them long.
Here's what I do. I make an all-purpose cleaner for most of my house cleaning that keeps all bugs out. Here's the recipe:
1-cup alcohol
1-cup distilled water
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops peppermint oil
Mix in a 24 to 32 oz. Spray bottle. Shake to mix then spray on and wipe with soft cloth, if needed, use a different dry cloth to buff. Use on just about anything and most surfaces.
My dogs, since they were puppies have slept in a wire cage each. They go to bed at night at the same time and they stay in their home cages while I run errands. They feel safe and secure there. I clean the wire cages with this mix and there have been no bugs on or in the cages. We've not had one bug of any kind (not even spiders) in our house since I started using this mix.Bugs of all kinds hate lavender. This recipe can be altered without any problems. You may use only lavender oil and omit the peppermint oil. You may use different amounts of any of the ingredients and it will still work fine. Also by using this mix, everything will be sparkling clean.
Thanks for a great site."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/30/2007: Donna from Windsor, Ontario, Canada writes: "My dog had fleas when she was four months old, and I didn't feel comfortable using flea medication on her because she was too small for store bought medication, and the stuff from the vet was too expensive. I read that there's something about lemons or lemon juice that repells fleas. I cut some lemons into quarters, and covered them with boiling water. I let the water sit overnight, and in the morning poured it into a spray bottle. I sprayed her several times a day with the lemon water, and also put some crushed garlic into her food. The fleas were gone in no time, and since lemons and garlic only cost a couple of dollars, I saved lots of money!"
11/20/2007: ED from Balto, Maryland replies: "For Donna from Ontario. How much water, and how many lemons?"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/03/2009: Helen from Cynthiana, Kentucky writes: "if you have dogs like we do use homemade lye soap and give them a bath in it every 10 to 14 days apart after the first oneand give them all natural dog treats and then after about a week if they are still scratching some rub some aloe vera on their coats and their stomach and it works thank you Helen"
10/24/2009: Glenessary9 from Salt Lake City, Utah, Usa replies: "Lye soap is bad for the dog and its skin, also aloe vera is toxic to dogs."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/20/2008: Sara from Albertville, Al writes: "I have read comments about home remedy's for flea infestation in cats..I use a recipe given by my sister's vet and it works very well on the flea's AND the eggs-is safe and the animal's smell good after a bath with it. Mix 2 tbs of Lysol-2 tbs bleach- 8 tbs of Joy lemon dish soap. Use this "shampoo" and all flea's will be gone and no eggs to hatch out later....."
EC: Warning! Combining bleach with other household cleaners is contraindicated! Please read this article before combining any chemicals together: http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/cehsweb/bleach_fs.pdf
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1 YEA
1 NAY
[NAY] 11/22/2008: Whitney from Lucasville, Ohio writes: "I lived in a house that had all tiled floors & I had 2 cats. After a while my boyfriend ended up getting a ferret, which some how got fleas. So of course all 3 played together and the cats got them too. Now we have moved to a house with shag carpet and I know the fleas are unbelievable...I just dont seem to get bit. Since then the cats have been miserable, so I gave up on the flea baths and bombs and put them both outside. The ferret is still inside and I have to bathe him atleast once a week. Which is not recommendation is every few months. But the fleas are driving him crazy, and I have to change his bath water multiple times because of all the fleas floating. I have had flea shampoo, flea bombs, and some sort of flea spray. IT DOESNT WORK! I set off 6 bombs in my house in 2 days and within 30mins of letting the ferret run around he was covered. I dont know what to do...for him. Im fine. But his hair is starting to thin out in the back of his neck and his skin is very irritated from scratching. Im just tired of going to the store and spending a bunch of money on things that absolutely does not work. If anyone knows something that DOES work please email me and let me know! Thanks!!"
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[YEA] 11/21/2006: Candice from Victorville, CA writes: "We rescued two kittens, just to find out that they were infested with fleas. Since they were so young they could not use the traditional flea baths/powers/creams. This is when I searched (earthclinic) and seen the remedy. I decided to combine a couple of them.
USED:
*Dish soap (Ajax, but any will do).
*Rice Vinegar (this is just what I had)
*Baby shampoo
*tweezers
*Heating pad (optional)
First-what I did was filled up the sink half way with lukewarm (make sure not too hot, because what is comfortable to us is hot to them) I then added the VINEGAR (any vinegar will work!) I put a very good helping.
Second-I dipped the kittens in the vinegar solution (minus their heads) then I began to massage the DISH SOAP on. YOU WILL SEE THE FLEAS RUNNING! They will be running towards the head. This is when you lather the kitten with the BABY SHAMPOO ... try your hardest not to get any in the eyes.
Third-Now dip the kitten back into the solution (making sure not to get the head wet) and use a cup or your hands to make sure that you are saturating the fur entirely.
Fourth-This is where it gets tricky. Using a pair of tweezers, tweeze off all of the fleas that you can. THIS IS TIME CONSUMING! But it is worth it! When done tweezing, redip and then rinse off with lukewarm (not too warm) water, and towel dry.
This is when the heating pad will come in handy. What I did was set it on LOW, and put a towel/small blanket over it and then set the kitten down on top if it (first checking to make sure that it wasn't too hot) this is when I went flea hunting once again. This was about an hour process, with two kittens. Once I was finished, I towel dried them very well, and the kittens went right to sleep. I haven't had any reinfestations and I only did this the one time. I have 10 (all rescued) cats and it would be very hard for me if they became reinfested, but so far so good! THANKS!"
[YEA] 09/01/2008: Sue from Hazel Green, WI replies: "I just bathed my 2 8 week old kittens with the vinegar and dish soap recipe. We picked some fleas off. It seemed to work for now. Hopefully no more for quite a while. Thanks for having this posted on this sight. I had been looking for a safe remedy for little kittens. They are comfortable under a blanket with a heating pad."
[YEA] 09/05/2008: Sue from Hazel Green, WI replies: "I'm just updating on the flea bath. We did all 3 of our cat in the vinegar, dish soap bath. It has worked wonders. They are happy cats now. Thanks for the cure. Hope everyone can enjoy this website as much as I am."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/07/2008: Stella from OH writes: "If you have a flea problem in your home and you decide to use chemicals, at least use one that Really Works. When we first rescued our dog he came with fleas the only thing in the world that worked for us was Mycodex Plus Environmental Spray. We got it from our vet. We sprayed around the whole inside of house then again in two weeks. It completely worked unlike other crappy chemicals tried. So if you must then at least use Mycodex. We never had a problem again. You can find it many places online but here is what it looks like. http://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/view/Mycodex-Environmental-Control
"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 09/18/2008: Cheryl from Centerton, Arkansas writes: "You can use Dawn in a shampooer just put it in the soap container and mix it with water. I also have a spray bottle with flea shampoo and water in it to spray under the beds and hard to reach areas for any fleas & eggs that might have fallen off the dogs. It also works good on furniture and carpet as well for bad cases. If its a mild case like I have now, I recommend water and vinegar solution to spray everything down plus it works as a deodorizer."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 02/24/2008: Gabriela from Pahoa, Hawaii writes: "My pet recipe: Neem Seed Oil (100% pure only). I use it on everything, when our pets have itching, they scratch constantly and inflict wounds on themselves. If they have tics in their ears, they might inflict a wound somewhere by constantly scratching on the outside.
Neem Seed Oil is against parasites, mites and tics and fleas. It is also anti-bacterial. I used it on little turtles, chickens and cats. These are our only animals. I am so confident with this. I have solved problems, the vet said, were psychological. In one case, it truly was. Our cat was not stopping to scratch herself and inflicted wounds on herself because we had been away for some time and she was traumatized. I solved this problem by using Neem Seed Oil on her wounds first and then I put a little dog-shirt on her (like a T-shirt for tiny doggies you can buy). She was so estranged about the funny thing on her body that she forgot about her licking and couldn't anyway. After a few days, she got it off herself and had all forgotten her obsessive licking. When I use Neem Seed Oil, I put it on my hands, and oil the animals generously on all the spots necessary. They hate it - but usually one or two treatments are enough."
[YEA] 10/23/2008: Sue from Hazel Green, WI replies: "I tried the 1 oz Neem oil with 8 oz. vinegar in a spray bottle. It is working fantastic. I have 3 cats and are having a bad time with fleas this season. This spray has worked wonderful on them. They are enjoying not scratching and playing around more. Thanks so much for this web site. Keep up the great ideas."
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1 YEA
2 WARNINGS!
[YEA] 10/21/2008: Lorraine from Charles Town, WV writes: "After reading your article on loss of fur and flea infestations, I had a comment. Try using Pine Sol mixed with an equal amount of gentle shampoo and conditioner combination in one bottle. Shampoo the dog, leaving shampoo mixture in the fur about 10 minutes. Do this daily for a week. You will see improvement and in our dogs case, an entire regrowth of hair before the week was out.
And do not assume it is mange, which too many vets immediately suggest. It is not always necessary to spend hundreds of dollars at the vet to correct fur loss! Also, a general treatment for fleas is thiamine added to their food daily. Just grind up a tablet and add to their meal. (Although I have not tried this personally, several friends use it regularly and have great results.)"
[WARNING!] 10/22/2008: Jill from Woodstock, GA, USA replies: "Do not use pine sol... pine oil can be deadly to CATS!"
[WARNING!] 10/23/2008: Shana from Toronto, Canada replies: "Please don't put pinesol on your dog! It's crazy!!"
EC: From our internet research, it appears that Pine Sol is toxic to pets.
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PURE LEMON, ROSEMARY AND LAVENDAR OILS
[YEA] 08/03/2007: Pati from Orangevale , California writes: "I have a Purebred Turkish Angora Cat that is 18 years old now & has never been sick a day in her life.(From My own secret food recipes). So experimenting I decided to mix a few drops Pure Lemon Oil into my hand with natural Organic Shampoo & bathed her in that mixture. It rids her of any Fleas and Itching & makes her white long hair shiny & bright! It does not dry out her skin. So I decided to use just a drop or two of pure Lemon, Lavender & Rosemary oil mixed with my shampoo a large amount on my hand & left it on for a minute or so & then rinsed very well. I then Conditioned with Organic Conditioner or Marine Conditioner from the Sea & now my hair stops falling out, the itching has stopped from dry scalp & my hair is thick, very long down to my lower back and shiny."
10/08/2008: Diane from Fall River, MA, USA replies: "Hi There. I am guessing that you appreciate all the good information contained on site. I do not understand why you would not share a pet food recipe that you believe has given your cat the long life of 18 years. I sure would like to know what works."
03/24/2009: Charles from Lexington, KY replies: "I am just writing to encourage the woman to share her secret recipe with us or get it on the market."
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09/29/2009: Robin from Toledo, Ohio writes: "QUESTION PLEASE: Dog ear problem:
There is a flea in my little dog's ear. She is a three year old Minature Pinscher. Today is the fourth day of this problem, but NOW she is scratching at BOTH EARS (but more so the left one). She keeps shaking her head and scratching the back of her ear and fake-yawning and I feel so bad
for her! Could have the medicine/home remedies have ran from one ear into the other through the ear canal?
After I put her "monthly flea medicine" on her two days ago, I am POSITIVE a flea went up and crawled in her one ear. (there is no smell, started 10 minutes after I applied the flea medicine to her nape of the back of her neck).
Here is what I have tried so far:
..a dropper full Vitamin E oil with no luck;
...a light mixture of a drop or two of peroxide and water,
...wiping it with a cotton ball,
...exploring a gentle look with a Q-tip and a flashlight, I couldn't see ANYTHING at all out of the ordinary
...a few drops of vinegar & water like I read here just in case it was ear mites(that was two days ago).
...I don't have a car to just run to the store and buy something so I want to try anything I might have at home first.
Here is what I HAVEN'T TRIED YET:
-I did not have any baby oil or olive oil to drop in it like I had read on some of your advice columns or I would have tried that..I am so afriad mineral oil will burn her already sensitive-from-scratching ear!
-When I bought the "ear dry" stuff, they did have mineral oil, but only a huge bottle for over 10.00! Plus once I smelled it and noticed how strong it was, I was afraid to use it on her sensitive ears.
-She will not allow me to use the "sucker-outer"thing like we use on babies. Drops I can sneak in there but the ball she sees coming and hides for hours.
-I have not tried a tiny dropper full of the flea medicine as I read on here as well. That is just too scary. It is very strong and when I got it on my face from holding her to check her ears, by accident, it burned my eyes and skin for two days. 'Just too scary to use INSIDE her ears.
ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! I love my baby girl dog so very much, but the vet is over $60.00 (and that isn't even at the one I would have to walk her to because I don't have a car & can't get a ride from anyone until the weekend - in 4 more days!) just for the visit, and I am disabled and on a fixed income. I rescued her 3 yrs. ago from getting hit by a car, and no one claimed her from posters so I have had her in my family ever since and take care of her as well as I can. She is like my tiny baby. I hope to solve this ASAP as she must be sufferring some. I will respond immediately after I have tried something that works to help out someone else, as I didn't see this particular problem listed anywhere on here; none about a flea in a dog's ear rather than ear mites..
Thank you xoxo"
10/24/2009: Glenessary9 from Salt Lake City, Utah, Usa replies: "Use ___ dishwashing liquid mix with just a little water to make it go thru a dropper easily. With a eye dropper drop 3 drops into her ear then let her shake it out. that should kill it. or you can use salt water."
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09/11/2009: Gozdilla from Burbank, IL writes: "We always sprinkled brewers yeast over our dogs dry food. He loved the taste and never got fleas. He was a collie. My question is, what can I use to treat our beds for the fleas? My daughter is highly allergic to flea bite, and with 5 cats lying on our beds I'm sure they have to be in the mattress and pillows of every bed in the house. I only have carpet in one place in my house but the 3 dogs are going crazy. This is the worst infestation I have ever had. I also have birds and a husband with empysema, so I prefer not to use chemicals or bug bombs. HELP!"
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