Is there a natural way to rid pets and house of fleas???

Question

I know there are a gazillion products out there on the market to get rid of fleas.... but does anyone know of a natural remedy/treatment for these (besides getting rid of the dogs???)

Answer 1

I work at a vet's office, and the best suggestion I can make is non-natural products. The key is to get these products FROM YOUR VET. It breaks my heart when someone comes in with a flea collar on their pet, or to see a cat with it's nose eaten off by an owner self-medicating it with bad balm. The best thing you can do for your pets and yourself is to go to the nearest vet and ask for Frontline, Advantage Multi, or Revolution to treat your animals, and for a house spray to get rid of the fleas that (believe it or not) have made their home in your carpets and the shadowy corners of their home. Please take your animals to a vet. It's the best option for all of you.

Answer 2

Neem is a natural product which has great flea-repellent properties. It is available in pet shampoos, and when I lived in Germany, I was even able to get it as a spot-on treatment for pets, which was extremely effective. I'm back home in Ireland now, so can't get the spot-on, but I am pretty sure you could find it in the US, if you looked around.

I don't know of a product like this for treating your house, although there may be one by now, and getting rid of your dogs wouldn't erradicate them from your house anyway.

You may just have to use a chemical product to rid your house of them, unless a natural one has been developed for this. Getting rid of the dogs would just make the problem worse for you, as the fleas can live and reproduce quite happily without a primary host, and would then be using YOU as their main food source.

Whatever product you DO choose for your house, you will need to cover all carpets, soft furnishings and dog bedding, and also launder all sheets etc, and store them in a dry place for several days before using again.

Best of luck with removing the infestation, and I really can strongly recommend the natural Neem products, for the pet treatment at least. If you can get the spot-on, this should be used once a month, to keep them at bay.

And just to add, if you can bear to use chemicals at all, putting a flea collar in the vacuum cleaner is a huge help in keeping fleas at bay.

Answer 3

Sorry to say that home remedies don't work. Fleas are just too tough to be killed by anything but proper insecticides - ones that are specific to fleas that is, not just general insecticides.

There actually isn't that big a choice of flea products that actually work. Don't buy anything at all from a pet store - stores aren't licensed to sell medications or the chemicals suitable for flea treatment, so any treatment you get from a store will not work.

People on here are going to suggest garlic, salt, borax, neem oil and dawn dish soap. Oh, and diatomaceous earth, as well as probably 'light traps', and bathing in flea shampoos. Just take it from me you'll be wasting your time. Go to a vet and get some Frontline, Advantage, Revolution or Advocate. These all work well, and are safe.

Chalice

Answer 4

Here are some ideas from someone who has an aviary and can not use any chemicals on or around her pets, because they would harm the birds:

"FLEAS
Combine orange peels, grapefruit peels, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon rosemary, (optional) and one pint of water in blender. Blend until liquefied. Heat mixture on low heat for 15 minutes. Cool and strain liquid into spray bottle. Spray on pet, and massage thoroughly into pet's coat, avoiding their eyes.
Vacuum furniture and carpet frequently. Change bags after each use or store vacuum cleaner outside of home; clean your pet's favorite sleeping spots regularly and sprinkle with fennel or rosemary. A ratio of 1 teaspoon vinegar to one quart water used as drinking water helps to keep most pets free of fleas and ticks.
Spread leaves or shavings of Fennel, Rosemary, Red Cedar Shavings, Sassafras, Eucalyptus, or Pennyroyal under and around your pets' beds.
Dust powdered Rosemary (cooking herb) onto the pet or areas where the pet sleeps.
Make a water trap by partially filling a shallow pan with water. Suspend light source securely above it. Fleas (and other bugs) are attracted to the light and fall into the water and drown."
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/wingtips/safepest.html

That website has natural solutions for other common pests as well.

Answer 5

The safest and cheapest method of getting rid of fleas is to use a mixture of boric acid and salt. The powder should be sprayed on carpets, bedding and areas frequented by pets.

Answer 6

When my indoor cats had fleas I washed them with flea shampoo,put flea collars on them and then had to treat my house. Go to the store and in the laundry section get yourself some borax. Sprinkle that around and let it sit for 7 days. Vacuum really good and make sure to take the bag out of the vacuum and dispose of it immediately. then sprinkle it again and wait for the seven day period. The fleas do not like the borax and they should die. I would use front-line flea collars for the dogs and make sure they don't stay out in the yard. You will have to walk them.... good luck

Answer 7

DE(diatomaceous earth) works great. Make sure you get food grade instead of pool grade. The pool grade often has other chemicals in it that are not safe for pets. Good Luck!