I need to wash my 12 year old Maine Coon female who is infested with fleas. We live in old house which is hard to keep warm. I am on a fixed income. I need something inexpensive. Help?
By yemana from TX
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I have heard that dish soap is good for killing fleas on pets.
Hey there! If the pet is infested, there's a good chance it will collect more fleas again after the washing. I used to feed our cats Brewers Yeast (get at health food store for cheap). It is not only good for the cat, but it seems to detract fleas from wanting to live on the kitty's body! Just a sprinkle in the food really worked.
Ok, just wash your cat in the tub, using a tiny bit of Dawn (the stuff they use on Birds after oil spills, so it is gentle.) or Mane and Tail shampoo. It's not like you're washing the cat everyday. Don't use a lot obviously.
The best way to get rid of the fleas is to drown them, fine tooth comb them out while the cat is in the tub, and also use tweezers to really kill the ones that will scurry up around the poor kitty's ears and top of head (where the water isn't )
Be sure to vacuum the house really well, as there are likely many fleas eggs all about in carpets and hardwood flooring.
If you keep fine tooth combing them out, you won't have to resort to chemical sprays or toxic collars, and you're cat could love the attention. :)
When I have a baby animal that is infested, that needs a bath, I comb through her hair with a lice comb with a bowl of hot soapy water nearby; not a flea comb, and then I will spray her with peroxide. I keep a spray bottle of peroxide, since I have found it works better than always having to run and get a cotton ball for boo boos.
Then I rub it in their fur, and then I bathe in dawn or baby shampoo mixed with even more hydrogen peroxide. Leave this on a few minutes if you can and keep out of eyes.
Rinse and Rinse and comb and comb. I always put a flea collar in the vacuum bag and sprinkle salt on the floor and leave for a few days. I sprinkle salt all over the undersides of sheets, on the bed mattress itself.
I have heard that diamotacious earth is great for putting on them and getting rid of fleas. Not the kind used for filtering pools, but the garden kind.
Don't even bother using frontline, it has changed hands I have heard and the formula is different, and I just tried Advantage and it is not working either.
Check earthclinic.com and look under pets to see w hat other holistic cures are available. I wouldn't use garlic as it can cause problems but I am going to buy brewers yeast. robyn
Forgot to add, trim nails of cat first. LOL
I bought some plastic sheeting and hung them over our old windows and I do not use as high of a heat setting now that they are up. I found the sheeting at the Dollar General for six dollars a roll. robyn
An excellent and inexpensive flea shampoo is "Triple Action Flea & Tick Shampoo". I just bought a bottle six days ago for $13.20. You can only buy it from any veterinarian in your area. You do not need to see the Vet or have a prescription. The Vet office sells it over the counter. The shampoo is excellent for dogs, cats, kittens and puppies. It smells great and kills on contact. Always wash the neck FIRST cause the fleas run into the eyes and ears to hide so if you wash the neck first.....they have no where to run. The web site is www.vet-kem.com.
Two words...Dawn dishsoap. DO NOT use human shampoo or conditioners on pets! It is very harmful to the pet & their fur.
Using Dawn Dishsoap is the safest, cheapest way to kill fleas on any pet. It is recommended by vets & groomers to use on young kittens & puppies who can not have flea drops or wear collars because of their age.
We've used Vicks Vapo-Rub on cats (rub it into their fur down to the skin) for fleas with good success. After you've coated your pet, wash her with Dawn dish soap or a pet shampoo.
Fleas may be getting into your home through cracks around the doors or windows, so be sure to seal these areas as much as possible with silicone caulk or bubble wrap (call furniture stores -- sometimes they receive it in shipping and will give it to you for free). You can make draft guards from rolled-up towels or blankets placed against the bottom of a door.
Do Not Use shampoo intended for people! People shampoo is not good for any animals skin, however you can use baby shampoo. I am a professional groomer when I have a dog come in that has a flea problem I bathe them with plain old Dawn dishsoap. The key is not to wet the animal 1st. It takes a little more soap this way but it works. When you get an animal wet that has fleas the fleas emit an oil which protects them from the water. However if you dry shampoo them with Dawn they don't have a chance to emit that oil. Let the soap stay on the dog for at least 5 minutes, when you rinse you will see all the dead fleas falling off. Once you try this you will never buy flea shampoo again!
Dry borax your carpets and home to rid the infestation.
Remember too that you must rid your house of fleas because they are only spending feeding time on your pet. They do not live on your pet, they live in your house!
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Don't buy expensive dog shampoos for bathing your dogs. I use Suave and some of the other inexpensive brands for people and have great results. Just be sure to rinse them well.
By Robin
I know you're trying to save money, but human shampoo is way too drying for a pet's skin, even if it's a so-called "gentle" shampoo. I buy Natural Animal and it's concentrated so you get a lot of shampoo out of it. I'm sure it costs me less over the long haul and it's very good for them and has nothing bad in it. I buy it from their site, but I'm sure that some might find it in the local stores. (11/19/2004)
By Vic
Do not use this on dogs. My vet said the PH in their skin is nothing close to ours. You are taking a huge chance to save a couple of pennies.
My dogs' shampoo comes from PetSmart or the Vet. I have two big dogs and believe me it does not cost that much.
Jennifer (11/20/2004)
You can just dilute the dog shampoo. It will still work. And I found out something recently. I keep diluted dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle similar to the one with diluted dog shampoo. I use the diluted dish liquid to mop my floor, or I did until I mixed them up and the floor was sparkling in half the time.
I reasoned that it's my cats and dogs who make most of the mess on the floor, so a shampoo meant to clean them will very likely clean up after them better. I use regular dog shampoo on the dogs sometimes, but for flea shampoo I only use cat flea shampoo as dog flea stuff is too strong for cats and my cats and dogs are crazy about each other. Cat flea shampoo still kills a mighty amount of fleas.
(11/20/2004)
By Linne
I have always used Dawn or Lemon Joy dishwashing liquid on my Sheltie. It kills the fleas. Her skin has never dried out or caused any problems. I have told many people about this and no one has said anything about their dogs having any skin problems. Make sure you rinse it out good, because any shampoo left on skin could dry it out. (02/16/2005)
By Jeanette
Dish detergent strong enough to dissolve the nastiest grease on dishes is too harsh for animals. Think about it. Even if their skin doesn't appear dry or there's no flaking, it's common sense. You wouldn't use laundry detergent on them? Would you use dish or laundry detergent to shower with? Then you shouldn't use them on your animals either. (02/21/2005)
By Vicki
I bought a puppy flea shampoo for my rat terrier and it was harsh for his skin. He didn't want to be touched after I used it. I found some other non tear shampoo for dogs which he likes much better. I have also used Dawn dish soap mixed with aloe gel, this also works good to wash the dog. I liked it better than dog flea shampoo. (02/21/2005)
By Cork
My dog is pregnant and my vet highly recommended me to use Dawn for fleas. (01/13/2006)
By Tina
I use only handmade lye soap on my dogs. The ingredients are only water, lye, and olive oil (or lard). You can find these soaps on the internet. It's natural and non-toxic. It's very gentle, but does a great job. It rinses easily.
Then as a conditioning rinse, I put a pinch of citric acid (not ascorbic acid) into a quart or so of water. I pour this over my dog after the soap is rinsed out and leave it on for a minute. You can give your dog a massage for this time if you want. Then I rinse him again. Your won't believe how soft this makes them. You won't be able to stop petting them.
My dogs have no skin problems whatsoever. I am a health fanatic and won't even use most of the products at the health food store. Please try this method. It's amazingly cheap and lasts a long time. Your dogs will be so happy. (02/22/2006)
By Zoe
As a bather of over 5 years experience, I think Dawn dish soap is the best shampoo for the relief of fleas, ticks, very oily coat, and bad skin. I highly recommend Dawn for Cocker spaniels (esp. the ears), Chows, Shih tzu, and really any dog that needs it.
Dogs with bad skin are usually oily or smelly, or the skin is flaky. I use Dawn to clean the dog before the medicated treatment. If the coat and skin is not clean then the medicated treatment will not be able to work.
I have used Dawn on too many dogs to count and it's hard to tell people my secret, because there is a taboo about using dish soap to bathe dogs, but I use Dawn and Dawn only. No other brand of soap and not the ultra concentrated version of Dawn. Dawn is used to save wildlife from disastrous oil spills. The oil on dogs is much like an oil spill. So I highly recommend Dawn, but only for dogs that really need it. (07/25/2007)
By Crystal
Main and Tail shampoo and the conditioner are designed for horses, pets, and their owners. They are inexpensive and do a beautiful job. (10/14/2008)
By Laura
