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.
Amethyst
Posted by Kathy (Melbourne, Vic, Australia) on 06/06/2010
★★★★★
Yea - Didn't really believe it would work, but I had tried everything from teatree oil, flea collars, the tubes you squeeze on your dogs back - yet nothing seemed to get rid of my dogs fleas. I read the posts on amethyst and having some amethyst at home, decided to give it a try. I also gave my dog a wash with ACV (only once). I gave my dog a wash a week later, and was shocked to see not one flea. This was months ago now, and have been through the summer months without any more fleas!! My cats also share the same drinking water and they too are thriving without fleas. Can't believe it but it really does work.
Borax
Posted by Froopy Dude (Orlando, Fl) on 09/17/2010
★★★★★
Absolutely true. Borax was recommended by a very humane vet. He said that it is the same substance vets sell for over $50. Borax is not quick - can take up to six weeks - but it truly does kill fleas. As stated, just apply it to carpet.
Dish Soap
Posted by Rose (Sydney Nsw, Australia) on 03/14/2013
Please can anyone please tell me where I can purchase dawn dish soap, I live in Sydney australia, and I have tried everywhere but cannot find it.
Dish Soap
Posted by Tammie (Hickman, KY) on 05/23/2009
★★★★★
I TRIED THE DISH SOAP AN IT WORKED. IT KILLED THE FLEAS BUT THE FLEAS WERE HARD TO GET OFF. ALL I DID WAS WET MY BABY AN PUT ALOT OF DISH SOAP ON HER AN LET IT SET FOR 10MINS. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO GET THE FLEAS OFF HER THANKS
Dish Soap
Posted by Tracy (Nazareth, Pennsylvania) on 08/22/2012
Ok I am trying the bowl and dawn soap. I am using glow sticks. So now my question is I have a flea infestation. Now my question is everybody on the site has animals I don't have any animals. I do live in a rural area so I have some pests under my house I try and close the holes but the did another one. They say fleas are extremely bad this year. I have a 11yr old and 21 living in the house. I myself have 4th stage metastac breast cancer. So what are your suggestions for me?
Dish Soap
Posted by KENDRA (Anjung-ri, South Korea) on 01/26/2009
★★★★★
my husband just recently rescued a stray dog from a vet. the dog is about two months old and has been living with us for a week now. i just recently noticed black specs all over the dog in its fur. so i kept searching and i found a flea... i read to use ___ dish soap so i did. i only found two dead fleas and that one that was alive, so it worked.... but i have hard wood floors so i swept and mopped with water, pinesol, and dawn dish soap... i also washed all the bedding in the house. we couldn't find any dead fleas or alive ones on the floor. do you think we could possibly have a flea problem on our hands... what should we do??? should we use frontline on our puppy and our other dog who doesn't have fleas??? also is there some type of lotion i can put on the dogs skin because it seemed to dry his skin out??? thank you so much for your time!!!
Dish Soap
Posted by Rossi (Alameda, Ca) on 11/07/2009
Lavender oil or any essential oil should NEVER be used on cats. Their bodies cannot metabolize essential oils and they cause liver damage. It's proved fatal to some cats. More information:
http://www.thelavendercat.com/
Dish Soap
Posted by Dorinha (Ottawa, Ontario) on 10/31/2012
That drying of the skin, is not actually drying of the skin.... Someone gave me a dog once that was flea infested, I found out later that the lady that had her before me, purposely did not tell me about the fleas, or that the dog had suffered fleas for the 5 years she had her, and she did nothing about it. So, I didnt think it would be hard to get rid of fleas, so I washed the dog in dawn dish soap, and did a flea treatment in my home. But little did I know... That dry skin I thought she had from the bath, was actually the eggs falling out in clumps, had I know then what that was, I would of done a flea treatment daily. But I was stupid because I hadn't dealt with fleas before.... So, a woman took the dog off my hands, she was more financially capable of caring for the dog.... Months later, I do not have any animals, but I am getting bit like crazy by fleas. I have no dryer, only a washer, I have been washing my clothes and bedding in hot water, I have sprayed Raid every two days, I put diatomaceous earth out at the baseboards, set traps, and put bowls of pure apple cider vinegar out in each room. The one thing I have noticed, is that they are localized to the bedrooms on the bed. I feel like throwing all my bedding and mattress out. My daguther gets bit a tiny bit, but ME, I look like I have the friggen chicken pox. I am so itchy, and pimples are EVERYWHERE. I vaccumme my bed EVERYDAY and wash my blanket every 3 days in laundry detergent AND in Dawn Dishwashing liquid!! How the hell can they survive with everything that I am doing, I have been sufferring this for months, can anyone help me????? One thing I do have to mention, is I never get bitten unless I am in my bed. Thats the place it has localized to.
They are like little friggen superfleas! Nothing seems to work!! I am also a single mom, I don't have the money to cab it to a laundry mat, and pay a bunch of money for the cab and then laundry... So I need some advice on how to get rid of these things, like an add on, or a cream for me and my daughter so I can stop looking like I have the chicken pox!!!
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Stacey Rae (Brentwood, CA) on 12/20/2008
I need help finding the product you recommended for ridding your home of fleas. I cannot find this "Diatomaceous" non earth product, nor can I find natural Borax. Could you please give me some suggestions on where to find these products? I have tried the local nurseries, they only have the "earth diatomacieous". Thank you
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Kira (Saratoga, NY) on 12/23/2008
I bought my "food grade Diatomaceous Earth" off of Ebay. There's lots of people selling it there. The private websites wanted a minimum order placed that was too high for me.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by June (KC, KS) on 12/25/2008
Hi, I bought my DE from www.herbalremedies.com. They have great prices. I mix it in my cat's food, and sometimes sprinkle it on their fur but don't use it on the carpet.
As far as keeping fleas out of your house, vacuum of course, this kills fleas. I mix up a spray that really helps. I use a blend of any of these oils: neem, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, etc...and add water in a spray bottle. Add as much oil needed to get a strong smell, roughly 20-30 drops of each oil. I spray this on the carpet as often as I need and lightly on furniture. It helps repel and will also destroy eggs.
I've also read you can place liquid dish soap in a plate and put these around your house. The fleas are supposed to be drawn to the soap and drown. You then pick up the plate, dump the fleas and start over. I haven't tried this, but heard it's a good remedy.
Also, google for information on www.holisticat.com. This site charges for membership, but their old posts are free to read. They have great suggestions on natural pet treatments.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Lisa (Blakeslee, Pa,) on 10/11/2009
Diatomaceous earth works by slicing apart the vector, being it fleas,...what have you. It's not for indoor use, and if it works in this way, can you imagine how healthy it is to breathe it in. By all means, try neem oil, if you are looking for something natural and safe.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Gloria (Chicago, Il) on 08/06/2011
★★★★★
I have used diatomaceous earth now for a couple of years. It is incredible and safe (as long as you don't use the pool-grade stuff), and works.
I have used it for fleas by just applying it on a wood floor and sweeping it to get it in the cracks and along the baseboard. I also applied it gently to one of my cats. I use the product at http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-All-in-One-Flea-Remedy/999013.aspx and follow their instructions. There are a lot of reviews of this product on this page.
Believe it or not, I also used this particular DE product to get rid of bedbugs by applying it along the baseboards in all 3 bedrooms. Bedbugs gone - permanently. I used a really small paintbrush to apply and spread it (it was time-consuming and difficult - furniture had to be moved, etc. but it was worth it), and I shaked it as little as possible to prevent any dust flying.
It also got rid of an ant problem I had - I hate killing anything, but I had no choice and over the course of several days the ants diminished until they were completely gone. I applied it in 2 places - where they were coming in my house, and the threshold to my kitchen that they were crossing over.
I am NOT associated in any way with onlynaturalpet.com, just have had great results.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Jody B. (Kansas City, Mo) on 10/05/2012
Hi. Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions. I have four cats between the ages of ten and fifteen years old, three of them strays (one feral) and one someone gave me that she's gotten from a shelter, all indoor/outdoor cats. They're all healthy and have shiny coats, and we have very little problem with fleas now. In the past I used Frontline and similar products to control fleas during the summer months, but after a bad experience with one of the products I stopped using chemicals. I try to feed my cats better-quality foods, grain-free as much as possible and no by-products. I occasionally mix about half a teaspoon of brewer's yeast into their wet food, sometimes put a drop or two of apple cider vinegar in one of their water bowls (so they have a choice if they don't like it - I don't want to discourage them from drinking water! ), and I use Herbal Flea Free Herbal Flea Powder on them when I see them scratching. Flea Free contains diatomeaceous earth, sage and yellow dock powders, eucalyptus, tea tree and other essential oils (unspecified). I sometimes spray Natural Defense, containing peppermint, cinnamon, lemon grass, clove and thyme oils on bedding and furniture. It says it's safe to spray on animals but they really didn't like it and would run from me when they saw the bottle, especially the feral cat, who is very skittish. With the Flea Free, I shake some into my hand out of their sight and then pet them with it. I think what has helped the most is that I sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the floor and carpets about once a month, working it into the baseboards and cracks, leave it on for a day or two, and vacuum it up. I'm careful not to create a lot of dust. (I don't have to worry about the cats because they take off when the vacuum starts up. ) This has also taken care of the bad ant problem I used to have in my kitchen. So I'm a big diatomaceous earth fan.
I took in a stray dog a couple of years ago that apparently had fleas, and my house was horribly infested for a few days. It was so bad I put the dog and cats outside and resorted to the chemical flea bombs and applications of Frontline Plus, and did a lot of washing and vacuuming. Since then, I've used no chemicals at all, just the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Good luck and best wishes to all.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Tamerad2004 (Asher, Oklahoma) on 06/13/2013
I found my DE at Home depot it is very important not to get the pool grade but the safe one is food grade if you had vapor problems then you got the pool grade. I found it by the insect sprays and bolms for the house. They try to direct you to the pool isle and most dont even know that its there or what its for so you may be better off looking they also sale it on homedepot.com in liquid or powder form and the brand I found was in a 4 lb yellow bag and the brand was "Safer" hope this helps. The one on line that has the liquid spray is a different brand but you cant get that in our local store. Hope this helps someone.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Tamerad2004 (Asher, Oklahoma) on 06/13/2013
I found my DE at Home depot it is very important not to get the pool grade but the safe one is food grade if you had vapor problems then you got the pool grade. I found it by the insect sprays and bolms for the house. They try to direct you to the pool isle and most dont even know that its there or what its for so you may be better off looking they also sale it on homedepot.com in liquid or powder form and the brand I found was in a 4 lb yellow bag and the brand was "Safer" hope this helps. The one on line that has the liquid spray is a different brand but you cant get that in our local store. Hope this helps someone.
Dish Soap
Posted by Marc (Priness Ann, Md) on 06/05/2014
The dawn works great, but only kills the fleas not the eggs. The avon stuff kills the fleas but not the eggs .I have found that rubbing alcohol 90 percent in a spray bottal kills fleas dead and can be gotten at any drug store or walmart store and has no side effect or won't hang around long. Can be sprayed on bedding, floors, your body, and sprayed and rubbed in on your pet as long as you stay away from their head and face
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Jackie (New York, NY) on 09/21/2014
Cedar is toxic for all animals - including humans. Breathing in the scent can cause/trigger asthma, Upper Respiratory problems, and more. It is especially toxic to cats. It is sold as litter and bedding - but SHOULDN'T be. It is commonly used for rodents for bedding. Those rodents live roughly HALF as long - as rodents who are not bedded on Cedar. All soft woods emit toxic chemicals in their essential oils. If you can smell the wood aroma - it is toxic. (Including Feline Pine Litter - which HAS killed some cats.) ALL essential oils are toxic to cats - to varying degrees. Cedar and Tea Tree Oils are ESPECIALLY toxic. If you research this info on the internet - it's hard to find - but it's there! (eg. search "Toxic effect of Cedar" or "softwoods" et al.
Jackie
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Amazon Thyrteen (Fresno, CA, USA) on 11/09/2008
First of all I want to say "NEVER" try anything on your pets you won't try on yourself. I won't give anything to my pets that I wouldn't take myself. The best rule of thumb is use human grade (whatever)you're using on your pets! I've noticed a lot of comments on Diatomaceous Earth. I would like to say that the only grade that is good for animals is the same grade that humans use, Freshwater, food-grade DE. If it doesn't state on the package that it is certified, food grade then you don't want to give it to your pets, period! I also noticed that on this site someone mentioned the use of "Neem Oil" it is a really good oil to use that is 100% natural. If anyone is interested in finding out more about Neem Oil go to,
www.organixsouth.com or call 1-888-989-Neem(6336). This oil is good for human use also for dry skin and scalp treatments. The one that I use is Thera Neem ,skin soothing 100% pure cold pressed. I'm one of their customers and have no affiliation with this company and I'm not getting anything for this endorsement, this is just great stuff!
Cheryl's Remedies
Posted by Cheryl (Centerton, Arkansas) on 09/17/2008
★★★★★
Flea and Worm Remedies: My dogs are 2 years old - a red healer and a pit bull. The pit had fleas really bad this year and got worms from the fleas and nothing seemed to work, even flea medication and the wormer. My dog became very irritated by the shampoo so i bathed him in ground up oatmeal, dawn and apple cider vinager, its been almost a week and the transformation is huge, i started giving him 2 tablets of brewers yeast and 1 tablet of fish oil a day since the day of the bath. He still had worms so I gave a clove of garlic yesterday. I'm stilll waiting for the results of that.
Diet
Posted by Deirdre (Atlanta, GA) on 09/09/2008
★★★★☆
This is the 2nd summer in a row where we've had no fleas. Last summer I found a total of 3 fleas on our 2 dogs. This summer, 0 fleas on 3 dogs (we rescued a stray last fall). Has this been the case with other folks in Atlanta area? Because of this, I have not applied any flea prevention liquid like Advantage. This seems strange to me because the dogs go to the dog park every so often and also because the 2 vets that I have seen (one was a holistic vet in Stone Mountain) told me shortly after I moved here that dogs need to be on flea prevention all year round. One of our dogs, Max, did get a hot spot last winter which the vet blamed on a flea bite reaction. But other than that... nada.
If other people in Atlanta are not experiencing this lack of fleas, then I can only surmise it's their good diet that repels fleas. So... for those that are interested: I feed them the Blackwood lamb and rice brand with a small amount of slightly undercooked ground beef, turkey or chicken and a tiny bit of flax seed oil. The pet grooming store that I was purchasing Blackwood stopped supplying the large bags, so I went to a big pet store chain here and asked what they thought was their best brand of dog food. Turns out to be Blue Buffalo, which I bought (but haven't yet researched). The 30 pound lamb and rice bag was very expensive, even more than the Blackwood 40 pound bag, but after 10 days on the new stuff, still no fleas. I think the slightly undercooked beef or turkey is a very important component, not just holistic brands of pet food.
Dish Soap
Posted by Sue (Hazel Green, WI) on 09/05/2008
★★★★★
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.
Borax
Posted by Edh (Marietta, Ga) on 07/20/2011
You can buy it at a grocery store (I got mine at Kroger). I'm sure Target would have it too. Look in the laundry detergent aisle - 20 Mule Train Borax.
Borax
Posted by Jml (Mayfield, Ky) on 10/24/2011
I found 20 Mule Team Borax laundry detergent at Super Walmart in the softner aisle. $3.27 for a big box. They told me they didn't even carry it and I found it by accident.
Garlic
Posted by Tried Everything (Austin, TX) on 06/29/2007
★☆☆☆☆
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.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Denise (Skowhegan, Me.) on 09/05/2018
@Paul from Oakland - Well, there's the reason right there...
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Deb (Oregon) on 11/09/2006
★★★★★
i tried everything, permetherin, ivamex, tea tree oil, lavander oil, washing bedding,cloths, even tried animal remedies. have battled it for 5 months only with temporary relief. Diatomeceous earth is the one that worked. Its' a natural remedy that you can buy at a grange coop or garden store. i use it 3 times a day putting it on with a powder puff or big cosmetic makeup brush. careful not to get in eyes and don't use on face or breath in dust. i used it for one day and noticed a big improvement but i am going to use it for a few weeks to be darn certain they are gone. I washed bedding and vacumed floors, washed rugs all in hot water with soap and borax. I sprinkled mattresses, couches, car seats in vehicles carpets and bedding daily with this diatomecieous earth. Every day I washed used towels, bedding in hot water. the items you cant wash daily (like comforters, pillows) put in dryer for 20 minutes every day.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Rebecca (Portland, Oregon) on 06/18/2008
Be careful! Tea tree oil is toxic to cats!
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Lyn (Jeannette, PA)
★★★★★
I just wanted to comment on the fleas section. It is true that any shampoo will kill fleas, but it needs to be left on for 30 min. Also, if you have a flea infestation in your house, just spraying your animal wont help. You must treat where the fleas live. See, they only feed on your animal. I have tremendous luck using table salt and food-grade diatomaceous earth all over the house to kill fleas and prevent. The salt (I prefer organic unprocessed sea salt) cuts into the body of the flea and then allows the DE to dehydrate the animal. Salt by itself does seem to work also, I just like a faster approach. Keep in mind though that this means of defense does take up to 2 months to work as some fleas are still hatching. In really bad infestation, it could take longer. I think flea eggs can survive up to 280 days. I would also like to recommend quadruped pet products. I work at a holistic pet care center and this is what we use to bathe the animals. They do not contain(unlike most pet shampoos) any harsh chemicals. Also, all their products are concentrates so it is much cheaper than buying the harmful stuff from pet shops or grocery stores.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Kari (Stephenville, Tx Usa) on 08/16/2010
★★★★★
Diatomaceous Earth is completely safe to use, as long as it's human/food grade and NOT pool grade. Most garden stores sell it as well as a plethora of websites. My only suggestion is to not put it on your carpet. Some people have a lot of luck with this, it mostly just made my vacuum cleaner sound [permanently terrible. It still runs fine, there's just a terrible noise when it's running and I can't seem to figure out the real cause (I've taken it apart down to the motor). Also, it's not healthy to breathe in ANY dusts, so wear a mask and remove your pets until the dust settles. Otherwise it's okay for you AND your pets to consume, it's okay to put some on your pets coat (although use caution, it can dry them out). It is a natural dewormer and will rid your animals of every worm EXCEPT for heart-worms. You need about 1 tsp for cats and small dogs, 2 tsp for bigger dogs... 1 tbsp for humans. It really has a lot of benefits. I strongly urge you to research it. I've found the best remedy for fleas is this... Make sure you've found a successful treatment for your animals. I had to switch spot-on treatments because the one I had been using for years was no longer effective. Then you need to treat the infected areas.. Best method for me? Frequent vacuuming. 3-4 times a week, every day if you can manage it. Make sure you throw the bag out or empty the canister outside. I also recommend NOT bathing your animals in chemicals... If you feel it's necessary to bathe them, try to use something like the original Dawn soap, and make sure the first place you get wet and put soap is around the neck... Fleas will always try to travel up to escape... You should never put soap or lots of water on your pets face, so treat the neck FIRST and get it good and lathered. If you wouldn't use it yourself, you probably shouldn't use it on your animals.
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Stacey (NI) on 09/01/2024
Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could advise me about cedar essential oil and Neem Oil for both a cat as flea preventative? Is this safe and how should I dilute them in water or oil?
Amethyst
Posted by Francine (CA) on 03/12/2021
Periodically put the stone outside in the sun to recharge.
Amethyst
Posted by Francine (CA) on 05/20/2022
Have you left the stone outside when there is a full moon or in the sun to reactivate the stone periodically?
Essential Oils
Posted by Msgacat56 (Pendleton, SC) on 11/02/2024 1 posts
I think this is what I just ordered from Tractor Supply last night. They have so many pet medications.
