Effective Natural Remedies for Flea Control in Pets
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.
Posted by Werknut (Cincinnati, Oh) on 09/16/2009 ★★★★★
Borax is a miracle cure for getting rid of fleas and from keeping flea eggs from hatching. You buy it in the grocery store in the laundry aisle. Just sprinkle it on your carpeting and then vacuum it up. The residue will stay in the carpet and will kill fleas and keep flea eggs from hatching. It is more effective than any bug spray or expensive flea spray from the vet. And it's cheap! One box will last a long time. It's non-toxic to pets and it will leave your house smelling fresh. I used it when I lived in Florida, where fleas are plentiful and they are so hardy, they seem to be bionic. I swear by Borax, and everyone I've ever recommended it to has had the same marvelous results I had.
This is a warning about Diatomaceous earth: it was extremely effective on the fleas when I used it in my carpeted apartment, however it had dire health consequences for me. I used it on my apartment, vacuumed it up and then left for several days to go out of town. I hoped this would dispel the dust in the air, but it was still there, and breathing DE after a couple of days brought on a severe first-time asthma attack. I eventually just had to move out of that apartment due to the sensitivity it created in me, and I have had an asthma condition ever since. I found out later that DE consists of billions of fossilized remains of prehistoric algae that under the microscope look like little razor blades. This is the effect that it had on my lungs.
Posted by WestWind (Orlando, FL) on 07/27/2009 ★★★★★
Ameythest for fleas. Yea, it really works. Buy a stone from any new age shop for about $1 and put in cat's water dish. That's it. You never need to buy a new one. I first heard of this when my cat Zeus who was all cream color took off on me for almost a week. When he came home he was covered in fleas (being cream, they really showed). A friend told me that one of his friends did just what I am suggesting and her cat never has fleas. I was skeptical, but gave it a try. I don't remember exactly how long it was but it couldn't have been too long because I never remember worrying about fleas on him again (and he was an outdoor/indoor cat in Florida where the fleas are unbearable). I now have 3 other cats, one who used to go outside and two that never do and I never have any problems with fleas. They all get exposed to fleas, however, as I have a Bassett Hound who get them occasionally and brings them in the house. Obviously this doesn't work on dogs however - have no idea why. Just must be a chemistry thing.
Economical, natural and couldn't be easier. Give it a try.
Posted by Pierre (Phuket, Thailand) on 07/11/2009 ★★★★★
YEA - Hi all, I have been infected by flea and teaks, now is the raining season in Thailand where I living at the moment. I owned 3 dogs and have a see what is the Flea infection , but like this one I never see before! They was there, a millions and millions!!! I take under control this infestation using Borax, mix 4 part of Borax, 1.5 part of Salt 1.5 Soda. I cover all my garden and all place they the dogs playing. Left over night plus 24 hours. I added to the drink water ACV but not much because the dogs do not liked. Finally I prepare mix Hydrogen Peroxide, ACV, Borax and spraying the dogs.
Now I am on the second week and thats work, thats more then miracle, the dogs are more calm and can sleep over night, and not toxic for the dogs and for the human.
Posted by Cait (Waycross, Goergia) on 12/31/2008 ★★★★★
I am absolutely AMAZED at how well the salt worked to get rid of fleas!! I recently moved to a duplex with my 2 cats while my husband goes on tour to Iraq. I have never had a problem with fleas and my pets. It was literally in just a matter of a day or 2 that my home was INFESTED! I called my landlord and he had the pest control company come and spray my house. He told me flea eggs can lay dormant for up to 2 years. I am a neat freak, and frequently vacuum especially around baseboards. He said this couldve hatched the leftover eggs and thats why the infestation occurred so quickly. The spray that the pest company did had ZERO effect on the little nuisances, and both my cats, and I were at our wits end! I was being eaten alive and was ready to break my lease and find a new place! I got on here, and read salt would work. I was reluctant to use chemicals because of the fact both my cats are indoor pets and I was really worried for their safety. I heavily salted the carpets (2 large containers of salt for my 1200 sq ft duplex), and used a broom to get it deep in the carpet. I let it sit overnight, vacuumed the following morning, and lightly re-dusted the house with salt. Within 2 days I had NO fleas! I have seen 2 since I did this treatment. I must thank you all for your input, I would recommend salt as a safe and natural remedy for flea infestation, and also as a preventative measure!
Ok, an update on my "magic salt remedy"...so, it seemed the salt worked for the first week or so. I continuously left it on my carpets even when I began to see a significant reduction of fleas. Well, I went out of town for 2 days, left my carpets salted while I was gone, and when I got back, my infestation was out of control! Actually worse than it had been initially, which I really didnt think was possible! Im trying to Borax on the floors now, and am thinking about going and getting alcohol to spray on the floors and bathing the cats in blue dawn dish soap. I hope something works, because Im at my wits end and really cant stand this anymore..I will keep everyone updated again if anything seems to work. Just be cautious of the salt working long term is my advice I suppose
Just a note to you and whoever may be reading this on Benadryl, Make sure that it has no Acetaminophen/ "Tylenol" in it, because, Acetaminophen is deadly for dogs. Just in case you don't already know.
Posted by Tina (St.Louis, Missouri) on 09/06/2008 ★★★★★
We brought a new kitty home and realized that he had fleas. After being infested and trying everything from the store for my dog and new kitty, I came here and found the skin so soft from Avon. It worked AWESOME. And they smell good. My cats coat is soft and I havent found any fleas. Hopefully in a week I will do it again to get rid of any leftover fleas. And then I sprayed my house with the apple vinegar solution. Not very good smelling but that passed. So I am really greatful for all of you and this website, it helped my animals.
Posted by Janice (Seminole, Florida) on 09/13/2008
To Connie: I live in Florida which has a huge flea problem and I have two cats that go in and out at will. I use Neem shampoo initially, which kills all existing fleas and their eggs organically. Then I follow with a ACV and water mixture as a final rinse which I do not rinse off. I let 'em loose and no flea problems whatsoever. If it works on my cats, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on your dogs. I have not seen ANY fleas on either animal and I do this every 4 to 6 weeks.
Posted by Jamie Lopez (Lansing, Michigan) on 10/16/2008
i was just woundering about the lemon remedy that you put on the pets can you also use that to spray on your furniture too?please help i am in need of help bad .thank you.
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!
Posted by Magnet (Canton, Ohio, 44707) on 12/02/2009
Hi Sue, What is Neem Seed Oil and where do you find it? Is it an essential oil ?I thought cats had a difficult time with oils and some can cause toxicity. I don't know for sure, only what I read on the net. Magnet
Crush fennel seeds and use them to repel fleas around the home, or rub powdered fennel into your dog's coat. Feverfew flowers contain natural pyrethrins. Steep the flowers in boiling water, allow to cool, strain, and use as after-bath rinse or insect repellent.
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 06/08/2021 563 posts
SALT
I don't know why they didn't post my response to your emergency - SALT. Salt, salt, salt. Not a lot - just shake it onto the rugs, carpet, pet bedding and cast some into the corners where the floor meets the wall. Skip vacuuming for a few days and just leave it to do its thing. You don't even have to treat the pooch. Just use salt.
Posted by Helen (Melbourne, Florida) on 10/04/2020
Be careful with Brewers Yeast for Fleas. I started giving it to my two dogs a few years ago and after a couple of weeks, both dogs were scratching like mad. I thought they had fleas but couldn't see any. I Googled Brewers Yeast and found that many dogs have a bad reaction to it.
Sprinkle borax on carpets and sweep it in with a broom. It is dehydrating and kills fleas. Harmless for dogs, even if they lick it some. It is actually good for them in very small quantities. It helps with arthritis. Look it up here and/or look up Walter Last and borax to read more about it.
* apply 2x per day morning and evening, comb or brush through fur. If I miss a 2nd application, the fleas do begin to accumulate.
I've noticed that when I spray the lemon juice around the perimeter of my place that spiders run too.
i do find the occasional flea on her but nothing like when I was just using tea tree oil and/or diatomaceous earth (picked off about 50 fleas during bath time). I will continue to experiment until I find the best recipe/method for flea elimination and will check back.
I was hesitant to try tea tree oil on my kitten after having read some warnings here.
I must stress that tea tree oil must be used in low-potency!! Even one drop might be too much, and so should be added to carrier oil.
in taking any product, one should always start small and monitor the effects, and increase as needed.
My neighbor tried it first. He was the one who actually insisted. Our kittens were both three months at the time. He has a kitten from the same litter as mine, so they are the same age, but his is male and larger. He said the fleas vanished, so I tried it on my kitten. I clumsily poured a few drops from the bottle onto her and was worried to death, grabbing a rag to clean her. Then I saw her licking the tea tree from her fur and I freaked (i love my cat! ). But no sickness whatsoever. And fleas truly did disappear.
So, don't make the mistake I did! And potentially have it not turn out so well.
First try one 1 drop of tea tree to 1/4 tsp carrier oil. I used olive oil. Monitor results. If it works, then no need to increase. If it doesn't work and health is good, increase dose slowly and never pour over your animal! Unless you are sure your dropper is safe
Good luck and best wishes!
July 27, 2108 Update:
With further experimentation, I found tea tree oil does not work. plz read my other posts for more info , including success with lemon juice.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Dealing with seasonal or inhalant allergies can be tricky. You might keep a diary to see what allergens are in your area that are blooming to see if you can pin point a trigger; if you find, say, a correlation between the fir trees blooming and a break out you might consider herbal thuja or stinging nettle. You do not say what you feed, but the diet you feed has a direct affect on your dog's immune system. A food allergy can be harder to pin point as many diets contain many different proteins. You might consider alkalizing your dog's drinking water with baking soda, and also rotating it every few weeks with Ted/s Borax protocol for dogs. The treated water will help balance the PH which in turn makes your dog's GI track unattractive to systemic yeast - this in turn helps restore healthy gut flora which aides the immune system. Borax water also helps knock down yeast and staph. You might also consider a single protein source for the food and see if you can rotate from beef protein to chicken protein and so on, to see if you can pin point a food allergy. You might also consider colostrum to help boost the immune system, and turmeric and quercetin and herbal Yucca Intensive [must be taken with food] to combat inflammation. Please let us know how it goes!
I've had incredible good luck ridding my cats of fleas with lemon juice. You can dunk a flea comb into a small dish of juice until the tines are submerged and comb daily until no more fleas are seen. Or you can just pour it on your pet and massage down to the skin 'tho when I tried this on one of my cats, I did dilute the lemon juice by 1/4 with water.
Before spraying on furniture and carpets, check a small area to make sure it won't stain. I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars I've spent on topical treatments, pills, shampoos, sprays etc. and nothing worked. Then a friend suggested lemon juice, which did make sense, since it's a key ingredient in citronella candles, horse fly wipes etc. to keep bugs away.
Posted by Bonnnie (Vivian, La.) on 08/20/2016 ★★★★★
To get rid of flea eggs or keep them from hatching, use moth balls in your vacuum bag. The flea eggs do not hatch. I was told about this years ago by a professional bug man.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
It sounds like the fleas in your area have developed a resistance to Trifexis; since the product is not working on the fleas, you might want to discontinue using it on your pets.
There are many all natural products on the market for flea control for large areas; consider cedar granules, or sprays made from cinnamon oil, cedar oil or clove oil. These sprays and cedar granules are very effective but need to be regularly re-applied. I would also consider predatory nematodes/beneficial nematodes. I don't know if these products fit into your budget, but you can also make up these sprays yourself if you google for instructions. Diatomaceous earth is very affordable IMHO but I would not use diatomaceous earth in the outdoors myself because it could potentially impact and kill off the good bugs like honey bees.
Do a google search for: "all natural Flea Free"; cedarcide; beneficial nematode; homemade natural flea spray; etc. - and you will find many products and helpful information to control fleas in your yard.
No need to use essential oils on pets, no need to risk it. Flowers of Sulphur is an excellent ancient remedy which is very cheap and easy to use. It is actually very healing for the skin, never harmful, just the opposite (good for so many ailments, worth googling).
Sprinkle it with a flour sprinkler on floors, bedding, pets, repeat as necessary.
We had a very warm spring/ summer in UK this year and I had fleas first time ever on my house cats and it quickly turned into a huge house infestation! However, FOS seemed to have worked immediately, eased the itch as well. I happened to have FOS at home as my husband uses it for his psoriasis.
I hope it helps, I was devastated when I realised the scale of infestation but after a thorough vacuuming (vacuum some FOS to kill the ones in the bag) and sprinkling all seems to be fine now.
I also put a piece of amethyst in their water bowl as I like the sound of it :)
The vets prescribe very dangerous chemicals, which are proven to contribute to feline cancer.
Thanks for responding. Right after I posted the question I started reading some of the other posts with similar issues. I was very surprised to repeatedly see apple cider vinegar as an option. Just so happened I had a bottle. Since it was 1 am and I couldn't go shopping for an alternative, I figured what the heck! Well, it worked surprisingly well I'm happy to say. I just need to keep up with the applications. I let a few days go by and she started in on her leg again. With all the healing sores and this new one she looks like she was attacked by wild animals. So that's the story I'm rolling with, I believe it was a bear! Ha. She seems to like this scenario better than the truth.
As for the 600.00 vet bill, I received for my dog, 2 fabulous trips to the vet, a fun an exciting ear culture, accompanied by 2, yes 2, types of drops for her ears and last but certainly not least, a brand new bottle of exotic ear wash. It hurts less if I laugh!
Many blessings, Teri
p.s. I also started her on probiotics, will keep you posted. Seems to be working.
My dog was treated for a bad flea allergy with a shot of steroids to help reduce the itchiness. She had a heartworm test, and the vet suggested putting her on Trefexis because it kills fleas (Frontline had become less effective) and because the coyotes are a vector for heartworms which they picked up after rescue dogs from the South (with heartworms) came to SoCal after Katrina.
The alternative -- to not give her the Trefexis -- seemed a bad choice after her terrible flea allergy and her suffering. So ate the Trefexis and did not throw up (I gave it with a good meal), and I've been giving her the step-down dose of steroids every day as directed.
Within 24 hours, I noticed small wet spots on the carpet. They are showing up where the dog has been sitting or lying down for awhile, so I don't think she is actually intentionally urinating; I have never seen her squat in the house and she's a well-behaved, house-broken dog. So I'm sure she's a bit incontinent.
I assumed it was the Trefexis, because I've given other dogs steroids in the past, and never had incontinence show up as an issue.
I've seen posts by other owners, and several people reported incontinence as a side effect of Trefexis. I don't remember seeing that as one of the potential side effects when I read the pamphlet before agreeing to give Trefexis, but having been in human drug trails myself, I KNOW that not all the side effects that participants report get listed on the package and label.
Posted by Supertigertv (San Francisco, California) on 08/03/2014 ★★★★★
I was really surprised to have a FLEA TRAP I learned about on this website work GREAT! Those critters die EASILY in just a little bit of soapy water! I set up a flat dish with HOT water and a few drops of dish soap then arranged for a hot desk lamp to stay focused over the soapy water and all other lights in this attic room OUT. In the morning the plate was SO FULL OF DEAD FLEAS I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! I did it two more nights and then NOTHING. THANK YOU EARTH CLINIC! You just want the room to be quiet and uninhabited while you do this of course so the light also can't be knocked over because the plate really needs to be on the FLOOR.
Posted by Sue (Coos Bay, Oregon) on 06/11/2013 ★★★★★
I too was skeptical about amethyst, but thought if I could pick one up on ebay for under 2 bucks, what could it hurt? I have an enameled bowl, probably over metal, I put it in. I won a cheap bid for a beaded necklace, though I bid on several different amethyst pieces... Natural rock, rings, beads... I was pretty amazed that for the last 6 months now, I have not seen one flea... For all the "know it alls" who claim they have a bridge in Arizona for sale, hahaha, you can keep it along with your closed mind!! Or those who say it can't work, you are wrong... I don't believe in fairy tales, or magic or much of anything, but this worked, I don't know how or why, it just worked and my cat is flea free!!
I just got a Kitten and I might not be able to keep her because the fleas are so bad. My friend tried the amethyst stone but it didn't work, I was thinking it might be because she bought it in the wrong stage. What stage did you get yours in?? I really wanna keep her so if you could get back to me asap or email me that would be great. Thank you.
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