The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Dish Soap
Posted by Marilyn (Oswego, IL) on 09/16/2009
★★★★★
___ ___dish washing liquid will rid your pet of fleas. There are even some vets who recommend this treatment. Just dont get into eyes. It really works.
Dish Soap
Posted by Sparkkel (Alabaster, Alabama) on 03/27/2013
★★★★★
Baby shampoo. I have used it for years on rescues dog or cats. I bath them in it. It kills the fleas and is gentle on their eyes.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Doglover-gsd (Morganton, Nc Burke) on 08/17/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
diatomaceous earth - is a poisonous vapor producing substance.
Amethyst
Posted by Judy (Florida) on 04/26/2016
I see no reason why Amethyst wouldn't work after all transistor radios use crystals for amplifying radio waves.
Lye Soap
Posted by Helen (Cynthiana, Kentucky) on 06/03/2009
★★★★★
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
Dish Soap
Posted by Stacy (The Woodlands, Texas) on 05/15/2009
★★★★★
We just bathed our 5.5m old puppy with a mixture of Dawn, Joy Lemon and three drops of lemon essential oil. I mixed about 1.5 tablespoons but prob only used a couple of teaspoons. The fleas were jumping off of him onto my dress as I bathed him. We dried him on a white towel that became full of dead fleas. We scanned him and all but one of the fleas we found were dead on his body. He is a very tiny chihuahua, weiner, schnauzer mix and prob doesnt even weigh 5 lbs. I doubt it took longer than 5 minutes to totally bathe him.
Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Fran Lord (Union Point, Ga.) on 06/03/2009
Having problems with fleas on our dog. The vet said the dog was alergic to fleas. The liquid my daughter puts on his neck makes the dog sleepy. I am going to try apple cider vinegar and brewer`s yeast but what is ACV you talk about. Fran Lord
EC: ACV is short for Apple Cider Vinegar.
Dish Soap
Posted by Kim (Mountain View, Ar) on 07/23/2012
That's not true that essential oils are bad for cats, it's a scare tactic. I was advised by my holistic vet that lavender oil, peppermint oil and cederwood oil were all good for repelling fleas on dogs and cat, I used these oils on my dogs and cats and they worked well. For cats I mix 1 drop of oil to 3 cups of water before applying to cats fur. With dogs I use a much stronger mixture. 10 drops of essential oil to 2 cups of water. I also recommend using coconut oil {food grade} to kill and repel fleas off cats and dogs. The fleas hate coconut oil but the cats and dogs find it very soothing and healing.
Rubbing Alcohol for Flea Infestations
Posted by Michelle (Milford, OH) on 03/24/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
A word of Warning: Rubbing Alcohol can discolor certain wood stains and some paint. We used it and it left streaks on our woodstained doors and walls. Test it out on a small area before you spray the whole floor!
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Mar (San Diego, Ca) on 10/12/2012
Just so you know.. "melted quartz rock" is actually petroleum distillates. Ie: paint thinner. I bought this product back in 2010 only to find this out when it arrived & I read the label. "Ingredients:10% Cedar Oil, 90% Petroleum Distillates. " Needless to say I was beyond disappointed.
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Crq (San Diego, California) on 11/23/2012
For the past two years I have been using a wonderful natural insect repellent for my dogs. It is a completely natural product using Lavender, Cedarwood, Rosewood, and Patchouli essential oils in an organic base of olive oil, shea butter, and beeswax. The product is excellent and smells great.
Dish Soap
Posted by Sherri (Houston, TX) on 10/16/2008
★★★★★
I TOTALLY agree with ___ Soap for killing fleas! It worked so well that fleas seem to "run away" from the suds -- I'd started sudsing my dog's back around the shoulder blades, then washed his neck. Next I was going to start on his ears, but when I lifted one of his long floppy ears, I was mortified to see hundreds of fleas lined up next to each other to escape the soap. It looked like small brown fish scales at first, they were so close together; it actually nauseated me a little to see it.
I poured out a LOT of ___ onto a washcloth and went to work on the fleas in his ears, then rinsed them under the tub spigot to make sure they rinsed off. But I never bathed him in that order again -- I came up with a much better system over time:
I wrapped a soft washcloth around my index finger, then applied a generous dab of ___ to the end. I carefully worked in the soap around his eyes, nose, and mouth area, being careful not to get any soap too near the sensitive areas. I made sure to work the area under their chin too. Then I got the inside of his ears sudsy to prevent the fleas from escaping to that area when I worked the rest of his body. I continued down until I reached his neck area, and all around the neck zone.
Next I did his privates, then tail, then hind legs -- I didn't want the fleas to escape to his private parts like they did in his ears the last time! Finally, I could work the rest of his body in any order I chose to, because I had put up a suds barrier to all the escape areas.
Sherri
Dish Soap
Posted by Heather (Monticello, IN) on 10/09/2008
★★★★★
I used ___ dish soap on my cat and watched the fleas drop off of her instantly. I used it also on my dog. The ___ is worth it.
Don's Flea Remedies
Posted by Don (Southwest, Michigan, USA) on 10/01/2008
★★★★★
Before vacuuming, pour a half-cup of moth crystals onto an area of flea infestation and then leave the crystals in the vacuum bag until it is full. It will kill fleas and any insect vacuumed.
I buy a bag of the lavender moth tablets at any discount store. They have two tablets in individual packets. I put a packet in my vaccum everytime I change bags to kill any critters I vacuum up. The lavender oil smells good too.
You can make a terrific flea repellant if you steep a quartered whole lemon in a pint of boiling water overnight then spray lightly on dogs back, hind quaters and on belly between front legs. You could probably also make it with two tablespoons lemon concentrate and one quarter tsp. citric acid to a pint of water.
Salt
Posted by Katie (Westland , MI) on 09/09/2008
★★★★★
Salt worked for us too. After using frontline, carpet powders, carpet sprays, baths etc. I put salt on the carpets and used some of those lighted flea traps. That worked the best.
Dish Soap
Posted by Sue (Hazel Green, WI) on 09/01/2008
★★★★★
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.
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Sherry (Wilmington, DE) on 08/04/2008
★★★★★
I had used Frontline on my two dogs in the past and they would both run and hide as soon as they saw that tube come out. Both of them had lowered red blood cell counts and the vet said that he didn't know why. After having read somewhere else that the prescription flea treatments were causing lowered red cell counts, I discontinued it. when the fleas started up again, I read some of the remedies on this website and decided to try the Dawn detergent first to get rid of them. GONE!! Worked like a charm. Since then, I've put a little garlic in their food and have been applying lemon juice to their coats (they don't run from the lemon juice!). I have had not flea one and their red blood cell counts are back up where they should be. I wonder how many more years have been added to my dog's lives by using natural methods? Thank you so much!
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Connie (New Liberty, Iowa) on 09/12/2008
i too used to be a frontline user. until this year. not only did the fleas still run all over my poor old girl but she got a major flea allergy on her pink skin from front line not working. i called them and they tried to tell me i was not doing something right lol . i have worked with dogs for years. used to work at an animal shelter. i live on a farm i think i know. i tried lemon joy last night and dawn before and both killed the fleas. now if i can find something to keep them from jumping on her and ideas out there. have a great day =]
Essential Oils
Posted by Nancy (Long Beach, CA) on 07/08/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I was referred to your site by someone in the discussion of flea treatment, specifically cats.
The information you provide re: garlic and lavendar, rosemary, etc., is in direct contradiction with my knowledge and what was posted on other websites. My understanding is garlic and essential oils such as lavendar and rosemary are toxic to cats. I've included an excerpt from one site for your info.
"http://eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_control.htm
Cats should not be given any essential oils, period.
The use of essential oils with cats is a potentially volatile combination. Cats do not efficiently metabolize essential oils and their use can lead to symptoms of toxicity. In addition to essential oils, cats have known metabolic sensitivities to certain herbal preparations and allopathic
medications. Because the cat's body does not efficiently excrete essential oils, they can build up to toxic levels. Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite, lack of energy and shock. In addition, cats have very thin, delicate skin. Essential oils are absorbed rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream, overwhelming their systems. Cats dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents -- even highly diluted essential oils.
Many people find that they can use essential oils on their cats with no obvious adverse effects. Although one or more applications of an essential oil product or blend may not cause immediate harm, the effects of essential oils can be cumulative and manifest themselves at a later date in the form of toxicity for which owners and vets often can find no attributable cause. (source: www.aromaleigh.com)"
What's your response?
Thanks,
Nancy
Salt
Posted by Kim (Gadsden, AL) on 07/04/2008
★★★★★
The best all natural way to rid fleas in the home is salt! It works like magic! Just use your blender to grind regular table salt into a powder. Then sprinkle the powder onto carpet, beds, etc.... use a broom to "sweep" it down deep into the fibers. I let it settle in over night on my carpets before vacuuming it up. The powdered salt dries up the fleas and the eggs. You'll notice a huge difference the first time you try it. Also, if you are giving your dog a heart worm medication make sure to use Sentinel. Sentinel acts as birth control on fleas. They can lay the eggs but the eggs are dead so that helps clear up the flea infestations in your home.
Garlic
Posted by Kathy (Cypress, TX) on 06/13/2008
★★★★★
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 controversy.
Borax
Posted by Lisa (Home) on 06/08/2017
★★★★★
W---M--t sells Borax in boxes. Near laundry washing supplies. It works! After hundreds spent on vet bills and latest greatest treatments, Borax did it $3. For fleas, ticks, external mites...mange, etc. Keep away from dogs eyes and don't let them ingest any EVER!
Neem Seed Oil
Posted by Nannah (Baltimore, Md) on 10/18/2011
??? now we just got the drops to place on the shoulder blades of our cats and I was thinking of doing this neem seed oil.... Help me to understand please... I should not use while using the drops but should after the 1 month of the drop so that it will be the most effective?
Beneficial Nematodes
Posted by Brian (Ft. Worth, Texas) on 01/17/2008
★★★★★
I have gotten rid of almost all fleas in my yard by applying beneficial nematodes - found at organic garden centers. This helps keep my JRT from getting infested and then bringing them inside with her. ACV is great to keep fleas and other undesirables off of her, and I love the other natural rememdies on this site. I think if anyone loves their animals, they will not use harsh, dangerous, or otherwise bad chemical solutions for problems!
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Cait (Waycross, Georgia) on 12/31/2008
I would not ever use this AGAIN! I know its supposed to be the best preventative remedy for fleas on pets, but the side effects are just not worth it. After moving into this duplex and it being infested with fleas, I bought Frontline for my 2 indoor cats. I put it on them, and within a few days started noticing little spatters of blood on my tile. One of my cats had a severe allergic reaction and his poor neck broke out in bloody sores! I ended up spending $200 at the vet to get his poor skin back to normal. a month later, he is still scabbing up and has to get frequent (and expensive) steroid injections from the vet. I felt like the worse mommy ever, and my poor boy was in so much pain!
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Tx) on 01/01/2009
i had forgotten to say that when i first got my little chihuahua that the breeder had used frontline on him and that he had a big red sore that didn't go away for months on the back of his neck and between his shoulder-blades where they had put it. all his hair had fallen out in that location and he scratched constantly. he didn't have ANY fleas - but you could tell that the front-line was not good for him in any way. try the pine tar soap! when the frontline wore off and his hair grew back and the irritation went away he got bad fleas and the pine tar soap worked a miracle! no more fleas and no poison necessary!
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Glenessary9 (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 10/24/2009
Pine tar will eventionally give your pet kidney failure. It's better to wash the animal in ___ [dish soap] , and then use regular table salt or salt water on carpets, furniture and, floors. to keep the fleas out of the house.
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Carrie Elsass (Conway, AR) on 12/27/2007
About 9 months ago my husband accidentally gave our 2 cats and the dogs flea/tick medicine that you put on the back of the neck. One began seizing and we rushed her in for treatment. My question is: She now has scabs all over her back & neck. Any ideas on what to do? I am just sure it's related to the toxins. She has always been 100% healthy. And for the future, I just don't know what to do to control the ticks & fleas- I will try the natural remedies on this site, but the natural things we've tried in the past have been very inadequate.
