I am looking for ways to get rid of fleas naturally.
Jean from Central Islip, NY
I've heard and read that a garlic tablet bought in the vitamin aisle at Walmart will do it. I would say 1 tablet per 40 lbs. (08/20/2006)
By edieparks
Borax and salt. My dog came home with a couple, and our neighbors had infestations. I immediately got the Frontline and purchased two containers of the "flea powder" and used them upstairs, the downstairs we used borax. That was on July 18, and we have not had any sightings or incidents yet! We did it at night while the kids and dog were sleeping, and sprinkled it on, rubbed it in with the broom and let it sit for at least 8 hours. Then vacuum daily (and change your bag after each!). I don't know if we had more or not, as I can't stand parasitic insects in my house. I had to go on the offensive. (08/20/2006)
By Kelly
Assuming you have pets, please consider Frontline. The fleas are coming from the pets. Treat the pets and it interrupts the flea life-cycle. (08/21/2006)
Someone told me years ago to sprinkle the pet (or area) with baking soda. Supposedly the flea mom will roll her eggs over and they then get covered in baking soda and they get suffocated. (08/21/2006)
Getting Rid of Fleas Naturally
You may want to begin by getting rid of them outside your home or you will just continue to carry them into your pets. One way to get rid of them outside is to install a Purple Martin bird house. Purple martins will eat the fleas, thus keeping the outdoors flea free. They get rid of the ones indoors. (08/21/2006)
By Connie
I would check with the Vet. I treat mine with Frontline (all year) and have never had a problem. A friend who is a Vet Tech told me garlic does not eliminate fleas and therefore the pet is still in threat of anemia, etc. from the loss of blood.
Please check with your doctor, and add any "home remedies" he or she feels might be effective outdoors/indoors in addition to the Advantage or Frontline.
Jennifer, Northern Virginia. (08/21/2006)
Frontline is a good (expensive) product and works well. However, the lady's Vet Tech friend is mistaken about garlic. I have two dogs, one of which is 14 years old. I had a lot of problems with fleas when I first got him. A friend suggested garlic - I thought no harm. I tried it.
I give my dogs one 5000mg soft-gel capsule a day. I put the capsule in a small amount of canned dog food, hamburger, a small dab of peanut butter, etc. I've used it for years now with great results. No fleas. If I remember correctly, it took about a week before enough got into their system to work. (08/22/2006)
I would imagine checking with the vet as to the amount of garlic might be a good idea.
Herbs and vitamins:
Brewer's yeast, thiamine, garlic, citronella, rosemary, and other herbs have been advocated as effective flea control substances. There have been no clinical trials to prove their effectiveness. This does not mean they may not work in some situations, but their reliability is questionable. As with citrus extracts, these 'natural' products are not without potential harm. Use them carefully.
The above paragraph is from the link, peteducation.com
I hope this is helpful! (08/22/2006)
Garlic IS the way to go naturally. Use fresh garlic diced in a food processor. You can put a dab of oil into it to chop it to smaller pieces, plus the oil will make for a nice shiny coat. You don't have to use a garlic supplement, use a garlic clove and mix it into the food (08/23/2006)
The site www.aspca.org has a poison control list and garlic is on the list of things to avoid. I would ask my vet before giving garlic to my dog. I use Frontline and find it works very well. (08/23/2006)
By Paula
I am using sergeant's nature's guardian on my 13 year old boxer. The smell is very strong at first but goes away after a few hours and is then very mild. He is doing great with it. We are also using the powder in our house. I have heard of using garlic mashed with mustard seed and put in gelatin capsules to expel worms (VERY effective), but I have never heard of it being used for daily flea treatment. I'll look into that one too. (03/15/2007)
By angelathey
For the adult fleas, you could try an oil bath. My dog is experiencing her second round of fleas since living in San Diego, and I asked my grams what to and she suggested an olive oil bath. My dog is a small dog which probably makes it easier, but I used about 6 fl. oz. of oil all over her, and the fleas just drowned in it and fell out.
By savannah
All you out there may want to check the deadly effects of those trusted, highly harmful chemicals used in Hartz, Frontline, and other major popular brands on the market. They are killing our pets and ruining our health at the same time. (08/06/2008)
By nancy
I had a Dalmatian and I used garlic as a means to control fleas on him for over 12 years. Not once did I have a flea problem with him, nor did he ever have a problem taking garlic. Garlic is natural and can not hurt dogs. My vet is a strong advocate for using natural product for pets whenever you can, as the chemicals we use on our pets can cross over to us as we pet, hug, or sit with them.
Now I have two new dogs, a one yr. old dalmatian and a 4 month old black lab. We brought the lab home with fleas and didn't know it until both dogs had them. I gave them both garlic and within a week, the fleas were gone. Each dog receives 2000mg of garlic per day. I haven't had problems in 2 months. I also use the borax/salt mixture on our carpets.
Another reason I will not use any chemical version of flea control is that it doesn't always work (Frontline and Sentinel did not work on my sister's dog). Plus you end up paying a lot of money for something that may not work. She had to switch to garlic as well. The natural way does work, it's cheap, and it's safe for dogs and people to be around. (09/15/2009)
By C
"The site www.aspca.org has a poison control list and garlic is on the list of things to avoid." By Persnickety Paula
I looked at the list on the ASPCA website and I guess you didn't realize that they also list flea products as a hazard to our pets as well. I would rather give my pet something natural than a chemical which could harm both of us in the long run. (09/15/2009)
By C
We fought the battle of the fleas and the fleas lost! I spoke to a nature-path regarding fleas as we also did not like the idea of using chemicals on our dogs, 2 Newfoundlands. For a few reasons, but mainly, was we would not want the chemicals soaking into our skin, so why do that to them? And the other is that both of the dogs live in the house. We were told to use brewers yeast. We give them each 2 brewers yeast tablets twice a day, they will take them plain even as they think it is a treat!
We started this 6 years ago and haven't had a single blood sucker around. I would know if there were as I am allergic to them and they love my blood, not a single bite in 6 years! And absolutely no scratching from the dogs either. Our dog weighs in at 200 lbs. and gets 2 tablets twice a day, so for smaller dogs a single tablet is fine, as it is a nutritional item not a chemical and you have to love that! It does take a little time, about a month but then home free and fleas are homeless! (09/15/2009)
By Beau
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