Cheap way to get rid of fleas?

Question

I'm a college student so i dont have a whole lot of money but my dogs have fleas really badly. A flea bath did not work is there anything else i can do to get rid of there fleas and prevent them from coming back

Answer 1

A flea comb is probably your cheapest alternative. Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart sell inexpensive ($4 & up) flea treatments that go on the back of your dogs neck and last up to 30 days. These have always worked for my dogs. The fleas drop off quicky.

Answer 2

There's no cheap way. I've been dealing with a flea problem for a year now trying to keep it cheap, but the best thing to do is fork out the money now; it's cheaper in the long run.
You need to not only treat your dogs with Frontline or Advantage (i think it's called that); but you need to treat your house and everything the dogs touch. Foggers are the best, but if you're like me in an apartment, you need to get those house-hold sprays and spray everything from couches to the entire floor area, window seals, under your bed, around the floor boards, and anything else you can spray. Wash your bedding and blankets or anything else in cold water. You need to do this all at the same time so that the fleas won't transfer from one area to another. Let your house air out, then let the dogs back in. Usually you can bathe after 24 hours of treatment, so giving them another flea bath won't hurt to get what you can off. Just make sure you don't over-due it. Don't use any Heartz products either, it almost killed my cat. They use an ingredient used in pesticides that are known to not only kill insects, but also larger mamals. I use Sergeant's flea and tick shampoo for cats. They make a dog shampoo too. The reason I bathe my cat is because the flea med. is oily and she cleans herself so much I don't want her licking herself and getting ill and dying from the med. So I just put a cone (actually it's a paper plate I make into a cone) around her head so she can't lick for a day, then I bathe her.
It will take a little time, but in just 1 1/2 months I've noticed such an extreme difference. There's only maybe one or two on my cat at a time, and it's getting better everyday.
Good Luck :)

Answer 3

If you can afford it, schedule an appointment with Pet Co (or some place similar) that will both groom and flea dip the dogs (takes about 3 hours, but they will watch the dogs for as long as you need), while they are there, I'd suggest bombing the house with a flea bomb and buying a package of Front Line. Its a little expensive at stores, but the vet usually sells it cheaper (or you can purchase it online from overseas for even less).

Pet Co also recently started selling a generic form of Front Line that retails at about $9.99 - I've heard it works well.

The flea/tick medication needs to be applied 24 hours after the flea dip and then monthly there after. My cat had fleas and that treatment got rid of them quickly.

Good luck!

Answer 4

The nice and simplest will not be the most cost effective. Here in Southern California where it certainly not freezes we have now yr around fleas. Go to a backyard store and get a yard spray and comply with directions carefully. The dogs can't be within the yard for a few days. It particularly helps. I take advantage of capabilities tick and flea killer on the puppies. I've now not obvious a flea in years. A child Opossum came via the pet door and my puppies would now not let him to the canine dish. It was once often empty but they managed to chase him in the back of my shoe closet. The rescue lady that got here for him picked him up quite simply and he did then play possum. She known as me later to let me know that he used to be healthy and in good and didn't even have any fleas. That means the yard spray is worth any amount of money. My two Chihuahuas in no way get a flea. I don't take them to the canine park and the advantage protects them from park fleas and sand fleas on the neighborhood walks. The canine park has kennel cough issues.

Answer 5

I would take him to the vet to get rid of the ones he has right now, but for prevention try Frontline or K-9 Advantix. The are not cheap cheap, but are affordable. My dogs use Frontline and have never had fleas. Also, make sure you flea-treat your house because fleas can also live in carpet, etc.

Answer 6

ok the problems not the flea soap its your not treating their stuff. (the yard, the bedding, the carpet ect...) wash the dogs thuroghly in sergents flea and tick shampoo. then with your fingers, a flea comb or blunt swezers. get all the fleas off or they can come to. (the soap actually just knocks them out when they dont STAY in it.) then use a spray bottle with a very thick (just thin enuf to spray) soulution of the soap and water to spray down the carpets and bedding. Use a standard pesticide on the yard, one that works on fleas. This should help and you will still have to continute to wash the dogs in the soap each week to ensure the fleas stay off. if every thing is well treated the fleas should decrease.

Answer 7

get some capstar - it's not too expensive, and kills all the fleas with in 20 minutes. Then bath them with Dawn dish soap, it kills fleas and keep them clean. Get yourself a flea comb, and use it. If they are outdoor dogs, you need to spray the yard and keep the lawn cut down, that will also help. Flea bomb your house to kill what is already inside. There is a monitary investment here, but it's the least expensive way to get the job done

Answer 8

you can buy Hartz flea medication and other medications you put on their backs once monthly or whenever you are having flea problems and it helps and is really cheap...like 7 bucks from our vet..but advantage and Hartz sell it over the counter at places like petsmart and walmart.

You can also buy flea shampoo for like 3 dollars at walmart...you "dip" or shampoo them once weekly until the problem is gone. Until recently I have only used the flea dip and it works perfectly and is cheaper than anything else you could come up with...make sure when using it you start at their head and work backwards though...when you wash dogs fleas tend to migrate toward the head and its harder to clean their heads than other areas...

before you treat them it might be beneficial to flea bomb the house...otherwise they will still be living in the bedding and carpet, and will reinfect the dog

Answer 9

To make sure that it never comes back use a flee dip (you have to dilute it with water). Don't use the household products that other people are suggesting because it will overdry the skin and make it ichy. Also stray with flee spray in the areas that she goes, and there is a flee spray for dogs too that works well.
With all this, you can also give her a little butter and olive oil in her food to make her skin recover from bites. All this total at Walmart costs below $ 20.
Just make sure you follow the directions on the bottles and use it several times.
GOOD LUCK!

Answer 10

only a fool would make their dog bald. some people do that, but i know you wouldnt, anyways fleas are attracted to hair thatsmells good or looks good. so if you were to dirty ur dogs hair, the fleas might just go away