Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a Shih tzu/Cocker mixed dog who is about 17 years old and also 6 cats. The dog is the only one that goes outside. She is so eaten up with fleas and has been chewing and pulling her hair out on her back to her tail. She is bald in that area and her skin is full of sores and kinda crusty on her back.
I have tried everything. I have used Dawn dish soap, mild flea shampoos that are suppose to sooth her skin, and salt and flea powders for the carpets. I have ordered products online, and nothing seems to work. I give her a bath, and the next day she is covered in fleas again.
The cats are scratching like crazy, and my 1 Siamese has some hair loss and sores all over him. We can be just sitting on the couch and fleas get on our legs. I can't stand it. We have to be careful what we use as our 9 month old grandbaby is staying with us for about another week or two.
I have read about so many flea treatments online and homemade treatments, it's mind boggling. I haven't tried boric acid yet on the carpet due to the grandbaby being here. All help would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
By Kathy W. from IL
Have you tried diatomaceous earth? There have been many posts about it in the past. Under a microscope you can see that it has sharp edges which pierce the exoskeleton of the insects.
Plain old table salt on carpet and furniture works. Sprinkle on carpet and upholstery, let sit for at least 24 hours and then vacuum up. Wait a week or so and repeat. The salt makes the fleas dehydrate and die, but when the eggs hatch there will be new fleas. This is safe and very inexpensive as you can find salt for a dollar or less. Baking soda works too, same way as the salt.
20 Mule team Borax sprinkled into carpet dry. Leave for 2 weeks before you vacuum. If baby is allowed to eat it, it will cause a very bad upset stomach. Just don't let baby eat it.
I have a 5 month old puppy and he's been itching like crazy. I tried using a couple of itch relief sprays with no results. Then I bathed him with flea shampoo and gave him flea medicine in pill form.
The medicine was supposed to work within 30 minutes, but he is still itching. Also, I am covered in little bites now, but I'm not even sure if they're flea bites. What should I do?
By me
Try neem oil - the super fleas in Melbourne Australia are immune to all the commercial chemical spot on treatments and this is the first alternative I have tried and I'm very impressed. There are neem oil products specifically for pets and its completely non toxic to you and your pet. Good luck.
Please be careful not to use commercial flea products meant for dogs on your cats - they are too strong and will kill the cats. The salt, borax & diatomaceous earth should help with the fleas in the carpets, etc. I always swear by Brewer's Yeast tablets; you can feed them to dogs and cats. One a day per pet is all they need. After a week or so, the yeast makes the pets' blood taste bad to the fleas & the fleas leave the pet & look for something else. One of my cats loved the Brewers Yeast tablet so much she would pick it off the top of her dish of food and eat it first, but if the pet doesn't eat the tablet voluntarily it can be crushed & mixed into the food.
Please get a handle on the problem asap, because your pets can become severely anemic and die if they lose too much blood from the flea bites; I learned this the hard way many years ago. If your pets are anemic they might need special supplements, or even a blood transfusion in severe cases. This is an expense you can prevent if you get rid of the fleas quickly and permanently. Good luck in your efforts to get rid of the fleas.
