Natural Flea Control

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.

I just want to respond to the flea issue reported by Dyz (East Bay, Cali) in 2008 on the sea salt page (https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/sea_salt.html#arthritisindogs_8591).

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❤️

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.

Borax kills fleas. Just powder furniture and carpets and floors. Let it set the longer the better. I waited one week before vacuuming.

First off let me say that Earth Clinic is my "go to" site for getting informaion and answers and help. It is my starting point on whatever questions I might have. - I start here, google what I've found, and end up right back here again. This is an amazing community of people helping people.

I have recently had a bout of fleas on my poor dogs. There were only a few so I didn't know what it was for a couple of weeks. I kept checking them for fleas or mites, but never saw anything. They were miserable, would welt up, then get better. Then the cycle started all over again. After discovering the fleas, I did a test. In small, separate containers I put, hydrogen peroxide, aloe vera juice, white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. I deposited a few fleas in each container. Surprisingly, they lasted less than 5 seconds in the aloe vera juice! The others took considerably longer... They swam in the white vinegar for about 20 minutes, in the ACV for about 5 minutes, and in the hydrogen peroxide for about 5 minutes. I had a 1 gallon container of organic 100% aloe vera juice so gave both boys a sponge bath in it... Really soaked them down. The welts have diminished quite a bit and they are finally resting comfortably.

Yes! Borax kills flea eggs! You could also purchase Boric Acid, which is in Borax, since this is what kills the flea eggs! Being that it does NOT kill ADULT fleas, did you know you can combine ordinary table salt, which kills ADULTS but NOT EGGS, with Boric Acid to eliminate all life cycles at once?! It's the truth, I tell ya!!

HOWEVER----->Many pet lovers opt in favor of sprinkling Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth on their carpets since it's an effective natural remedy and safe for all furry critters- even if they consume it (it's also a natural de-wormer). Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth physically destroys the fleas exoskeleton from the outside, causing the little pest to dehydrate. AND because it works on this physical level, they will never build immunity (Yesss!! ).

BONUS: Did you know F.G.D.E. not only annihilates fleas... it efficiently 'snipers' any would-be invaders, like: Ants, Roaches, Bed-bugs, Mites, Ticks, Crickets, Lice...actually THIS AMAZING BAG OF POWDER KILL ANY BUG IN THE ENTIRE WORLD WITH AN EXOSKELETON!!!

ARE YOU FEELING MY EXCITEMENT PEOPLE?!? IT'S AN ENTIRE BAG OF "AWESOMENESS" and its uses are endless!!

How are these flea control companies even staying in business? I will NEVER study another 'flea control' box label to assess my pets health risks after use. It's just not worth it, and my pets agree.----->

"Hey...we totally agree." -the Pets

What...of course they wrote that ;)

@Ann Marie (Indianapolis, Indiana USA)

Hi it appears that the myth of garlic applies to cats as well as dogs.

I used to make garlic water and then store it in a 500ml glass bottle refridgerated. For my cat I was pulled up approx 0.2ml of garlic water and squirt and mix into his food. No adverse reactions, but remember having to start at a low dose and build up a little ech day. I also used to boil fresh parsley for 3 mins the strain and bottle that water using a teaspoonof that in food, as parsley would help cleanse the kidneys (Dr Hulda Clark).

Not only is garlic good for fleas but I use it successfully on myself and my dog (bitch) for tooth abcess, we both were in a bad way with a leak rendering us from 'normal' to intoxicated within seconds by posion from the tooth seeping out the tooth & down thraot, using garlic, within 24hrs I was 90% better with the next day normal again, a little longer for pugsley as I had a much bigger dosage, both sorted and with out the liver bashing and flora gut masssacre we would have endured taking 'anti-biotics', a wonderful anti-biotic for family, children and 4 legged friends.

All the nay sayers who post here have read a scare story or 2 written by profit making businesses, selling synthetic copies of organic meds, whose profits will suffer when / if garlics healing potential is whole heartedly acknowledged.

Don't you think the holistic vets and also the pet lovers who use and praise garlic hold more weight than a written statement thats regurgitated by a worry wort?? (intentions may be good but really its holding back the truth based on shoddy research quite frankly).

One more thing, Vets have access to extremely cheap medications that are just as good as the top shelf expensive meds.

Some vets will offer euthenasia if 'bills' cant be paid for due to greedy vaccine, meds extortion fees. The vaccine and pharma corps forbid them from offering the affordable meds to lower income pet homes. If they start to dish out cheaper alternatives then EVERYONE will want cheaper therefore massive profit drops!! Also a vet practice will pay little over £1 per vile of vaccine (USA approx $0.80), so a £70 injection is not only toxic un-needed abuse to your pet but also pure profit for vets. Over half a vets annual income is vaccine related-hence the yearly illegal boosters (dont even accept the 3 yearly vaccine) puppy jabs for dogs and cats WILL LAST THEM THEIR LIFETIME!! Vaccine toxicity will show its self 3 months after the injection- which removes the vaccines from accusation coz 3 months is long time but im sure lots of you will be able to marry current illnesses to a start point 3 monts after a vaccine injection.

please see .....http://www.petwelfarealliance.org/

scientific eveidence and the fight to stop vaccine abuse.

also

http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/AboutCHC.html

Thanks, Mark

Found on Earth Clinic's garlic for dogs page:

THE DOCTOR OF NATURAL PET CARE ND, Ph.D. AKA ........'THE EXPERT'

Garlic, the Facts,

by Lisa S. Newman, ND, Ph.D.

Since 1982, Dr. Newman has been a world renowned pioneer in the field of natural pet care. The author of nine books."

"When it comes to your pet's health, do you want to follow facts or fears? Unfortunately, garlic has come under attack. This is primarily as a result of garlic's close cousin onion's reputation for triggering hemolytic or "Heinz factor" anemia (where circulating red blood cells burst) through its high concentration of thiosulphate. With onions, a single generous serving can cause this reaction. Garlic simply DOES NOT CONTAIN THE SAME CONCENTRATION of this compound! In fact, it is barely traceable and readily excreted (not stored in the body).

Despite this fact, garlic is falling victim to mass hysteria spread through the internet. Yes, there are 51,174 sites devoted to warning about the "toxicity" of garlic, this hysteria has even prompted the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center to place a warning on garlic although there is little scientific data to back this claim other than the fact that thiosulphate is also found in garlic. Yet, there are also over 400,000 sites still proclaiming its benefits, many of them from reputable holistic veterinarians who have widely used garlic in their practice for many years! How can an herb suddenly turn so bad?!

There is no doubt that onion, due to its concentration of thiosulphate, will cause Heinz factor anemia. In addition, as stated by Wendy Wallner, DVM, "Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz body anemia. Other substances such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and benzocaine-containing topical preparations can also cause Heinz body anemia in the dog." The latter probably accounts for many cases as it is prevalent in creams often recommended for allergy-suffering pets due to its ability to numb the itch. It is absorbed through the skin and builds up in the blood stream. This other substance is likely to have been involved in cases where garlic was suspect.

For centuries, as long as humans have been using herbs, garlic has been a primary remedy turned to in a majority of cases. For as long as people have been using garlic, they have also been feeding it to their animal companions. Its properties have proven far reaching, easy on the body and safe to use. In the past fifty years, during the rebirth of holistic medicine in the United States, garlic has been in the forefront. Every text that I have researched on herbal health which mentions pet care has recommended it, especially for its incredible anti-parasitic and anti-septic properties. In my own experience, garlic has also benefited pets with cancer, diabetes, liver, heart and kidney disease, uncontrollable staph infections and a host of other conditions, as well as been a staple in my recommended preventative protocols. It has been widely used by hundreds of thousands of pet owners with no reported negative side-effects - except its effect on their animal's breath - until now.

This is the point;

garlic has suddenly become a "suspect, " not proven the culprit.

Do not let mass hysteria determine a holistic care program for your dog or cat. Follow hundreds of years of "proven use" rather than recent "suspicions" in regards to this miracle herb, as garlic is known to be. As with anything, do use garlic in reasonable doses, and do know that you can trust history over hysteria. ------

I don't know why people keep putting stuff on their pets for fleas, all they need to do is use a flea comb, water, with a few drops of ____ dish soap (not concentrate) and keep going over their pets until they are not on them anymore, then rinse them off with warm NOT hot water. Wash the dog in the tub with the dish soap, and get all the fleas off, when you pick them off put them in a bowl of a little dish soap and water. Wash any flea down a hot sink drain and keep the water running so they can't crawl back up. Do not let the pets back in the area where there are fleas!! Which mean that you FIRST had to clean up a room to put them in after you are done with the flea combs and baths. To treat the room first vac really well, repeat and repeat! Burn the bag! Don't keep that bag in the house or anywhere they can crawl out! Use a carpet cleaner with very hot water and vinegar, go over everything and under any cushions and under furniture! Once dry go over the carpet and under any cushions and furniture with the vac again, repeat and repeat..Burn that bag too! You will need to keep going back and using the flea comb, water and dish soap on the pets to make sure you got every last one, which means to do it after a few hours again. Repeat the flea comb the next day and keep using your vac. I got rid of the fleas in my home and off all of my cats and dog doing exactly this! It works, but you can't allow pets back in an area that has fleas, they will only hop back on your pet!

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.

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.

Hi there, we have 3 rescued dogs and they are all on 1 heaped teaspoon of minced garlic a day. I buy the jars. Garlic in olive oil. Fresh garlic is better but it is more work! They never have fleas. The vet didn't believe they are not on frontline or something like it, until I told him about the garlic. Apperently the garlic gives off an enzyme the fleas don't like. Garlic is healthy anyway. Give it a go.

In our former home, we were totally infested with fleas brought in by our two indoor/outdoor cats. We spread non-toxic borax powder on our carpets and rugs, broomed it in, left for a few days and then vacuumed. In about a week... No more fleas ever! Not in the house, not on the cats, not in the furniture. We treat it yearly and have had no fleas for ten years. The cats still go in and out but neither one has had any fleas since. This product is not boric acid which can be toxic. Borax powder is available in many pet stores.

Please do not ever put coconut oil, water or food in the microwave!! It distroys all of the vitamins etc and body goes into attack with all food and liguids in microwaves. It kills plants with microwaved water for instance. I quit using microwaves 3 years ago after I learned it helps to/does kill living beings. Coconut oil easily warms up at room temp and immediately melts once on hands or tongue.

Coconut oil is also outstanding in ridding and preventing fleas and ticks on cats and dogs. I've witnessed it with both my own cat and puppy. For my cat I leave out a teaspoon on a plate and she'll lick as much as she needs. If she finished that up I'll put more out. If she doesn't eat all or refuses it then I know she doesn't need anymore at this time and I toss it out so it doesn't go rancid and collect dust. Sometimes she'll eat a lot for a week or two.. To sometimes won't eat any for a week. Dogs I just give a teaspoon once or twice a day during warm/hot months and randomly in winter and fall.

If their fur has fleas I coat their fur with coconut oil, use a fleas comb to rid fleas and then shampoo. Fleas and ticks cannot tolerate the smell of coconut oil and by their eating it goes through their pores. They can't move in the oil so is easy to rid them. This method not only saves one money, but from harsh pesticides that are no longer effective as they once were, helps save your pets health.

Make certain cats are not cold for the oil will make them much cooler while oil is on. One may need to wash them twice. Coconut soap is good to wash off of cats. Must try to get all oil off cats because it will collect dust and go rancid.

I've personally heard vets tell me not to use coconut oil that it doesn't work. Yet they never tried. They insist on meds like human doctors to make them money. I've had two vets tell me that coconut oil does work and they also give me many holistic remedies. One yet I took a homeless cat in to get checked out I told him about coconut oil and he asked me not to tell anyone so he doesn't lose money. That angers me quite a bit. He'd rather poison animals and something not effective rather than something healthy and works.

Natural Flea Treatment

Last summer we had an extreme flea problem, all of our animals were infested ! We are always more inclined to use a natural remedy instead of chemicals, as we have a special needs child.

First we started adding a small amount of minced garlic to the pets food (you can also use aged kyolic garlic found in health food stores )

Second, we washed all bedding, and sprayed furniture with a mix of 8oz water with 20 drops each of lavender/tea tree oils.

Lastly, we bathed the animals and sprayed them down with citrus water :

RECIPE : In a large bowl of boiled water , add 2 quartered lemons and 2 quartered limes , let sit covered overnight . Strain liquid into spray bottle and use to spray pets coat( avoiding the face and other sensitive areas) bonus ~ They smell great LOL. I store any left over in the fridge .

Another great idea is to sprinkle carpets with 20 mule team borax at night before bed, then vacuum in the morning . We no longer have a flea problem :0)

Skin Allergy Remedies for Pets
Lavender Essential Oil Spray.

This works so well my dogs actually ask for it! I just use about a 1/2 oz of pure lavender essential oil in a spray bottle filled the rest of the way up with water. In the summer, my bichon and lab both get 'hot spots' on their paws and seem to become a little obsessive about chewing on them, especially at night. When it gets to be too much they will walk over to my night table and whine until I open it and give them a squirt or 2 of this mixture and they calm down, stop itching and go to sleep. Lavender is a natural bug repellant too, and is also great as an antihistamine. There have even been times when my lab will go get the bottle and bring it to me... can you believe it!

I have recently learned of using Borax to get rid of fleas and I am wondering if it is safe to make a spray with the Borax to use on our cats? If so, how much Borax should I mix to the water? Thanks for your help!

Have fed Wysong foods with tons of fresh and thankfully, no fleas. Have used Cedarcide spot on with great results occasionally.

Garlic for fleas:

I've breed dogs for over 20 years large, and small bread dogs. And other then bad breath me and my wife noticed that the fleas are simply gone. The chemicals were getting expensive and I didnt really feel they were really safe. I mean come on, a chemical you apply once a month. I live in florida where there is a lot of insects, period. All I can say is we see the proof with no ill side effects.

I use minced garlic that I bought at sam's club.