Home Remedy?

Question

What is the best home remedy to get rid of fleas Ive tried using K9 Advantix but my dog just goes crazy after we put it on him

Answer 1

There are others, but one home remedy is to sprinkle salt on the carpet and then vacuum it up in an hour or so. Just like with slugs, salt will dry out and kill fleas. This won't solve your problem. It's just one strategy to control fleas.

Of course, wash your dog's bedding regularly, and anywhere else washable that he hangs out. Also give him a bath. You can use flea shampoo, but I think just a bath and a flea comb will rid him of many fleas (wash down the drain, but mostly not kill them). Flea combs work better for some dogs, though. Flea combs go easily through my Brittany's coat. And since he's white, fleas are easier to spot on him.

I'm glad you're not continuing to give your dog medicine if he obviously doesn't like it. I always try to avoid topical flea medicine if I can. It just doesn't seem totally safe putting a month's worth of flea poison on my dog. I do use it occasionally if I start to get fleas, but generally I can control it with home remedies and other things.

Answer 2

Whenever the next application of flea product is due, bathe him in Johnson's Baby Shampoo (fleas don't like that stuff) and wait about three days then try a different application flea prevention. I now use BioSpot on my three dogs and so far, so good. It's smells a lot better, but there is more liquid and you apply it from neck to rump along the back. It stays greasier looking for a bit longer than other stuff, but I really prefer it to the others.
Also, you can start adding some powdered Brewer's Yeast with Garlic to his food daily. Pet stores often carry this. I knew a guy with a Lab that swore by it- that it prevented fleas. I didn't see any on his dog. It is good for dogs skin and coat so there are no negatives to using it! Only pluses.

Answer 3

There is no actual veterinary proof that home remedies like feeding your dog garlic will actually work. The safest and most reliable product on the market is Frontline Plus. It's more natural than other over the counter products and is very safe. And not only does it protect against fleas but helps protect against ticks as well. If you're not crazy about applying a product to the skin you can try Revolution which is a once a month tablet that protects against fleas, heartworm, and intestinal parasites. Ask your veterinarian what they would recommend for your dog.

Answer 4

There are other preventatives, frontline and advantage. You can use a spray called Knockout on your carpet and furniture, and there is also a 24 hour pill that you can give that kills the adult fleas that are on your pet. but you will want to use another product after the 24 hours is up, so you can take care of the eggs.

Also, when the representative came and spoke to the clinic i work at, he said that in the summer months you may use the preventative every 3 weeks instead of once a month like they were saying.

Have you spoke to your vet about why he reacts that way when you apply it to him? I saw one person that came in and their dog had a bald spot because when they used whatever flea prevention they had him on he had a reaction.

Answer 5

Mix a little garlic and brewer's yeast into your pets' breakfast. Many pets like the taste, so you won't have to disguise it. It may well make the animal unappetizing to fleas.
Plus...a few drops of eucalyptus oil into your dog's shampoo will help repel fleas.
Wash your pets bedding once a week and vacuum your home weekly for a non-toxic way to control fleas inside. Then place the vacuum bag in a tightly sealed plastic bag then place it in the freezer or in direct sunlight. The extreme temps -either hot or cold- will help kill the fleas.

Answer 6

Washing him with Lemon Joy dishwashing liquid is a quick fix, but since the flea eggs will continue to hatch, you'll have to do this every day or so for awhile.

I'd look for a more permanent solutions. Try something else besides Advantix. Maybe your vet would have samples to try.

Answer 7

I would, too...advantix is poison and smells awful especially to their sensitive noses...

If you are just trying to kill fleas on the dog, Simple Green will do the trick, used as a flea shampoo. As far as repellent, I would get a horse fly spray (kills fleas, too) with a citronella based repellent and permethrin type spray, and mist them on the dog.

Answer 8

Here is my blurb on fleas (sorry it is so long), but first I have never heard anything positive about Advantix (as opposed to Advantage, whihch I'm pretty sure has to be purchased from a vet.) Be sure you evacuate ALL your pets if you flea bomb your house.
PART ONE - Treat your pets:
Advantage and Frontline spot treatments both work well, but each works only on a certain type of flea. All the other flea collars out there are useless or dangerous. Call your vet to find out which works best in your area.

You need to bathe your cats first. Shampoo them with Dawn dishwashing liquid and leave the soapy lather on for 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to get it in your pets' eyes. Rinse them thoroughly. When they are dry apply the drops.

Even after you have treated your home (PART TWO below), you'll have to comb your pets out every day with a flea comb, as new fleas will continue to hatch out for a month from your rugs. Your set-up will be: the flea comb, a zip lock baggie, a lint roller. As you comb out each cat or dog, stick the hair, dirt and fleas to sheets of the lint roller. When you catch a flea, quickly behead him with the flea comb, so he cannot wiggle free. Dispose of the lint sheets in the ziplock bag, and to be safe put it into a second ziplock baggie. Go on to the next animal. You'll know it when your pets are becoming cleaner. At the worst phase you'll need to do this every day or twice a day for each pet.

PART TWO - Treat your home: Do not call a pest control service. They put down some chemicals, and spray some, mostly without any consideration for the safety of you and your pets (birds are especially vulnerable to all kinds of chemicals). You do not want any chemical residue left in your home, do you?
Go to Home Depot and get "foggers" or "fog bombs" of the strongest type you can. (This needs to be done by an adult). You're going to have to fog your home at least twice. But one fogger for each 1000 square feet of your home - for each session. So if you have 3000 square feet, buy 6 foggers. Be prepared to evacuate all animals and people from the house for the duration of the fogger plus 2 hours. Prepare carefully, according to instructions (cover food prep areas, put food away, turn off electricity and pilot lights, etc.) Everyone out, set up your foggers and set them off according to a plan, which will leave the door you exit from last. When the time is up, you'll need to come back in the house to open all the windows, and put on the fan, to let the air out of the house. Ventillate for 1-2 hours this way. Don't let anyone in before this has finished. Fog again in 2 weeks. (You are lucky if you can do this during the summer months!)

PART THREE - more house preparation: If you have a fair amount of carpet, this is not going to be enough to get rid of your fleas. All carpet must be washed thoroughly and vacuumed. If you have orientals, send them out for cleaning. (Don't forget the cat tree and doggie beds!)

Even after the carpets have been washed thoroughly and professionally, fleas may still hatch out. You'll need to vacuum the entire carpeted area of the house every day. Each day, immediately after the vacuuming is finished - remove your vacuum bag, seal it in double layer of plastic ziplock bags, and put in a new bag.

If you can buy (either on the Internet or at your vet) some spray Frontline or Advantage, put a tiny bit on a sponge and lightly rub it into some problem carpet areas. Also, you can treat a room that is isolated with carpet, by rubbing a mixture of table salt and Borax (1:1) into it, waiting 7-10 days, then vacuuming it up thoroughly.

I'm sorry to tell you all this, but you'll probably have excellent controll of all fleas within a month. You're going to think "My life is fleas!" But, this will pass and your pets will be flea-free and healthy.

PART FOUR - avoiding reinfestation: Make sure your dogs get their treatment every month. We use Frontline and it is very expensive, but if we had 5 cats or dogs I would definitely use the spray (one squirt to the back of the neck skin) to save money. Comb your animals at least once a week after the fleas have passed, and keep a close eye on the situation.

Answer 9

I heard that Dawn Dish soap will help control the fleas

Answer 10

See a vet