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 Minkxy (Brooklyn, Ny) on 08/01/2013 ★☆☆☆☆
I just tried the amethyst stone for fleas. Although a nice idea, 2 weeks in and nothing. Stone bought off of new age store on ebay. 1 inch in width, unpolished in stainless steel bowls.
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.
I spoke with a witchy healer I know and she said the same; recharge the stones. It may be that the cases where the stones did not work at all simply needed to be charged before use!
Posted by Karen (Russiaville, Indiana, United States) on 05/30/2013
Things to remember: every pet is different! Every flea season different too. Some pets can be allergic to chemical and/or natural treatments. I've found that natural prevention works better than natural treatment. Once you have an infestation, its very hard to rid naturally! Few years ago there was a mutant infestion in my area of Indiana. Chemicals were even having a hard time with the fleas. Know your area and possible infestation season. Know your pets and their possible allergies. Try new remedies in small doses first. Communicate with your vet! Prevention is easier than treatment. Good luck
Posted by Double D (Bfe, Ok, Usa) on 02/19/2013 ★★★★★
I used neem tea to relieve my dog of fleas. I made a strong batch, soaked an old t-shirt and rubbed it all over the dog. By the next day, he was no longer scratching. Thanks to whoever posted about using neem!
I would dilute the vinegar, 1/ cup in a gallon of water for the final rinse.I noticed when my dog got sprayed by a skunk I had to do that else she was sneezing and it was too strong doing it straight on a rag..not near the face..
I need to know where to get some of this neem oil??!! I have 2 dogs & one lives n the house & other outside??!! The outside dog comes inside at least once a day, mostly twice a day!! The inside dog goes outside several times a day?! Will this help with my situation & where can I get some! ? HELP HELP FLEAS ARE TAKING OVER MY HOME & MY LIFE
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.
Whole Foods Market may carry it - give them a call:
(423) 702-7300
301 Manufacturers Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37405
If they don't carry it you may be able to find it at your local whole foods co-ops, or stores that carry natural products and essential oils.
A proper flea bath will help the pets, and if the fleas are in your house try a shallow pan like from a microwave meal - white is preferred so the lighter the better - and add to that some dish soap. Put the pan on the floor near a night light or even a desk lamp put on the floor will work. The light emits heat, the fleas are attracted to the heat and the white of the pan, and they will jump in the water. The dish soap dissolves the flea's body oil making them sink and drown. Any dish soap will do, but something like Dawn works really well. The flea traps work best at night, but leave them out all day and check and change often.
Posted by Lili (Southern California) on 06/20/2026
STRAIGHT FROM THE PLANT Aloe Vera Gel IS EXTREMELY TOXIC to ANIMALS (especially cats and/or smaller dogs). NEVER RUB 'the goo' straight from the plant on ANY ANIMAL!!!! Either buy edible Aloe Vera gel (like 'Lili Of The Desert Aloe Vera Gel') or Google Search how to COMPLETELY (& I mean, 10000000% ENTIRELY) remove the poisonous parts of the gel.
Posted by Paul (Jacksonville, Florida) on 12/12/2012 ★★★★★
For fleas - rub your pets with waxed mrytle leaves, then throw some small branchs of leaves behind furniture and in front of your return air handler. Fleas, mosqitoes and ticks do not like the smell and will find their way out of your place. It is a wild evergreen that can grow to 18-20 foot. Some people will have a skin rash if they touch it. It has a light evergreen smell but does not look like an evergreen tree it has leaves. It grows along ditchs and in dry areas. If you crush the leaf in your hand and it smells evergreen you found it.
All the more reason to remove ALL lint from the lint trap after using the dryer each and every time! And, one could also clean the lint trap in white vinegar. I also have been adding Eucalyptus liquid soap to my wash which kills fleas. And, it smells good! (The smell does not stay on the clothes).
I read the comment about the Dryer and I don't know if their dryer is on a 'cooler' temperature or not, but I've been killing fleas left & right by throwing anything that can be put in the dryer & dried on High Heat. I clean the lint trap after each time, yes, and ALL of the little buggers are DEAD, FRIED FLEAS. I do like the Eucalyptus smell idea though. I've been chipping my Euc tree and spreading it on the yard and it seems to help in the front, but my little girl doesn't go out there so will have to bring some around the back. Also going to use Cedar Chips on the yard & in flower beds as they are good mulch and kill a number of pests.
A lot of the other ideas on here sound pretty good, another faux pax was the Borax boric acid. Borax 20 Mule Team powder soap Isn't "boric acid". Boric Acid is very toxic as someone else said. Borax is Laundry detergent & heavy duty grease remover hand soap. But it does kill them in your carpets.
A substitute for Diatomaceous Earth is the 'ashes' from your fireplace really well burned down to powder. Not as hard on humans or pets I wouldn't think. (Used in old days in process of making Soap.) Does 'puff' a bit when you mow the lawn.
Lemongrass is the plant that Citronella comes from and trimming the leaves off, then boiling them for 30 minutes and letting the liquid cool and using the liquid as a Rinse for your pet works great. Soothing and the Fleas Flee down the drain. Depending on how much plant leaves you have, I had a 4 qt pot and a 2 qt pot full of leaves that I filled with water on each. Set the water to heat up to boil, then simmer at just barely bubbling 30 minutes. Keep adding water to keep the level at the same as you started. At the end of 30 minutes, or you can do for longer if you want it more concentrated, let it cool then take out the leaves. Pour solution into pour bottles, spray bottles (for bedding, or onto pet - it smells like lemons) or into a 'yard sprayer'. In between baths you can use this to 'hit the hiding spots' and comb through with flea comb in the bath tub. However, the batch I've made is a yellow color, it didn't seem to change her champagne color hair but test it on 'white' pets in a inconspicuous place first just in case. You can leave this on the pet, furniture, carpet, bedding. It will wash out and you can reapply as often as you want or need.
Still fighting the fight! What was Noah thinking letting 2 Fleas onto the Ark???
Baking soda worked this year too! And it didn't bother my allergy prone dog. Not one flea! I check every time I brush. And there are a lot of dogs and cats around here!
Posted by Yankee (Seymour, Tn) on 08/05/2012 ★★★★★
Regular table salt mixed with baking soda. Sprinkle on your carpets and let sit for awhile then vacuum it up. This is also safe to rub on your pet. I also heard apple cider vinegar but havent tried it.
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.
Posted by Max (St-pascal, Quebec, Canada) on 12/22/2011 ★★★★★
Based on what I read here, I decided to mix up different solutions for maximum effectiveness.
I used ACV, Yeast and Sea salt (about 2 tbsp acv, 2tbsp yeast and 1tbsp sea salt) in 500 mL spray bottle, and used on my cat once a day. It was dramatically effective!! My cat stopped itching herself all the time and was flea free, but we didnt take care of the eggs so she became re infected... we will re-do the treatment with eggs in mind soon.
Interesting side effects is that her hair became completely nice and soft, and prior to that had been filled with hard hairballs all of her life! She also got a very improved mood, more energy, and became more sociable!
I believe the nutrients from the high quality Brewer Yeast (used Lewis Labs brand), and the ACV did wonders for her health! As soon as she would be all wet with the mix she would try to lick it all up, so she ended up eating quite a bit of it... (a reason why NOT to put too much salt in there..)
But I was wondering if you ever tried benadryl for your dog, cause I use it on mine and he doesn't scratch and his sores are all gone. Its helped, but your using nothing but nature remedies rather that chemical stuff right?
If thats the case, have you tried c and d vits. As well as vitamin e? Cause that helps encourage moist skin as well as soft fur.
I don't know how you feel about adding a cap full of vegitable oil to your dog's food but it also is a great remedy for skin health. If this helps, no dog likes taking medicince. Lol. But if you put the vitamen in something like cream cheese or peanut butter, or even a tim-bit donut for Tim hortons, it works.. But anything with the consistancy of cream cheese or peanut butter works. I just prefer using cream cheese, cause a little of it goes along way. Plus, the dog stopped stealing my cream cheese buttererd bagels, lol.
At least, as far as I know, but I'm young, and still learning. And you seem to know alot more than myself.
Posted by Dorrie (Austin, Texas) on 10/26/2011 ★★★★★
Here's what's finally gotten my dogs' horrible allergies under control: she's allergic to flea bites and the harmful spot-on treatments had ceased to work, so I took her off and put her on chewable garlic and brewers yeast tabs. They stopped biting her after a few weeks. Combed her everyday to get them off her. I have a huge yard and cats that are indoor/outdoor and are able to wander over to the neighbors' yards so they bring them in. Diatamacious earth on the lawn lessened them but still have to do lots of flea combing. Put the dog on holistic grain free food and at night she gets raw- the chicken in the big sausage kind. Tried various shampoos and AVC rinses, so-so. Tried enzymes etc. Found a spray called Dermacton and a bar shampoo they make. Shea butter oil and essential oils that have moisturized her coat and also repels fleas. She stopped itching like immediately and smells devine. She doesn't really like being sprayed but seems to know it helps. This past week she's been scratching some more and I think it's because she's been off the raw food. So... It seems to be a combination of keeping her on the raw food with a pinch of kelp added, washing her feet to get rid of the stuff she walks through and spraying her every other day or as needed with the spray. The spray has definitely made the biggest difference though. Just wish they'd lower the price.
I forgot to mention that Cedarcide's Best Yet spray can be used on carpets, flooring, furniture. It does not stain. However, I do not think I would use it on silk or fine damask. I used it in a room with a 75 gallon salt aquarium, making sure the spray did not go into tank & nothing was harmed. The aroma of cedar does not linger for long.
Posted by Diana (San Marcos, Texas) on 04/27/2011 ★★★★★
For fleas in the house, throw banana peels down around the areas where the fleas are concentrated. Leave them until they're black & dried up. They emit something that kills fleas as they dry. Is sounds gross but the peels don't get nasty, they just shrivel up & get hard.
Posted by Lynne (Shady Valley, Tennessee) on 02/22/2011 ★★★★★
When we first moved to Tennessee, our "new" house had wall-to-wall carpet upstairs, our bedroom shared by the dog of course. We noticed that where the sun hit the rug, there were fleas hatching into yucky little worms. By hit or miss, we came up with a simple and very cheap solution! Get a dinner or sandwich plate (light color like yellow or white) put one drop of dish soap and fill with water. Then place the dish on the floor under a desk light that you put on the floor and aim the light at the dish. In a few hours the warmth of the light attracts the fleas and they jump in the water and drown! How simple and safe!
My son has a black lab and she got case of fleas. He wasn't sure it was fleas because he treats her monthly with frontline. She was in the process of developing mange, he had her to the vet a couple of times but he hasn't go a lot of money, he lives on disability, so I went on line and found your idea of borax and peroxide. He tried it and she is as good as new. We thank you so much we can't tell you how much. God bless you and your work. He also put cider vinegar on her spots as you recomended.
You can buy something called lufenuron. This is the active ingredient in flea medication without the poison fillers. I get it from owndoc dot com. It's about 35 bucks canadian. It's a small bag of white powder. Put it in your pets food. They don't even notice it. About a teaspoon treats all my 5 cats when they eat. Same with the dog. That little bag does me for two years. One treatment or two tops. You won't get fleas in your house either. I've been using it for years.
Posted by Cleoppa (Cleburne, Tx) on 08/28/2010 ★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
I've long been a fan of DE. I know it can do wonders, but it has been less than helpful with my recent problems. In trying to discourage fleas and roaches when I was on vacation, I spread it on my carpet. Not only did it not seem to discourage the bugs, but my vacuum cleaner started smoking when I vacuumed it up. There was still dust floating around for days (which really isn't healthful to breathe). I will definitely never try that one again!
Posted by Rosie (New York, New York) on 03/01/2010 ★★★★★
Another natural remedy for fleas is orange rind. Very good for kittens and for your home. I don't know if it works on dogs. Orange rind contains natural chemicals (pyritherins I think) that kill insects. It must be fresh. Use an orange zester - the large or small gauge. Both will express the orange oil out of the skin. Then just move fresh zest over your cat's fur and watch the fleas fall dead. You do not have to rub it in- gentle moving it around in the vicinity of the cat works well. Cats really don't like the orange but it works so well and harms nothing. I zest oranges before making juice and then toss the zest on carpets, let it set about 10 minutes and then vacuum it up. For furniture I place muslin or a sheet on furniture to protect it. Flea free.
Just a bit of warning about using garlic on dogs and cats.... They have found that onions are toxic to animals and galic is in the onion family so be very cautious of the amounts you give as you could be harming you dog and I would never give it to a cat.... Just fyi
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