🐾 Understanding the Flea Problem
Poisoning the fleas on your pet's body is a losing battle because most of the fleas are living in your pet's environment, rather than in its fur. Further, fleas proliferate at an alarming rate: a single flea can lay as many as 60 eggs per day. It's probably impossible to keep up with that rate of reproduction.
With fleas living for about 90 days, that's a lot of eggs, and it means there is always a fresh wave of invaders to take the place of those that have been poisoned.
Chemical repellents are equally ineffective, exposing your pet to toxic chemicals while only temporarily warding off these blood-sucking parasites. The repellents may have worn off by the time flea eggs hatch, leaving the animal vulnerable once again to their hungry bites.
✅ Best Approach
The best approach to controlling fleas is to start with the least toxic and most natural choices, resorting to stronger measures only if reasonable control is not achieved. As a prerequisite to any flea-control program, it is recommended to build up your animal's health and resistance as much as possible through a healthy diet and lifestyle.
🛡️ Recommended Control Measures
💊 Topical Preventatives
Get your pets on a topical flea preventative, such as Frontline, Revolution, or Advantage. Do NOT use Advantix or any of the OTC products you can get in pet stores, as those are toxic to pets and ineffective.
🌾 Diatomaceous Earth
A great choice is Diatomaceous Earth. You can get it at any home and garden center. It's an all-natural organic pest control solution - an abrasive powder made from mineral remains of single-cell aquatic plants. It kills by abrading and dehydrating crawling insects, like slugs, ants, cockroaches, earwigs, grasshoppers, and fleas.
🌲 Cedarcide
Cedarcide has many applications, including flea control.
⚠️ Borax (Use with Caution)
Borax laundry soap is effective against even heavy flea infestations and it's cheap. Although safety with pets and small children is an issue. Don't take any chances.
⚠️ SAFETY WARNING: Be VERY cautious when using Borax (sodium borate), which can also cause serious health problems, including death.
Application Process:
- Remove pets and children from area
- Thoroughly vacuum carpet
- Sprinkle Borax over carpet
- Work deep into fibers with broom
- Don't vacuum for a week
- Repeat weekly for a month
🌿 Herbal Essential Oil Repellent
Safe Recipe for Plants, Pets & People:
- 2 cups water
- 4 drops each: lavender, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, and sage essential oils
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle; shake well before use.
🧹 Cleaning & Sanitation Methods
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is effective in killing flea eggs.
Vacuuming
Thoroughly vacuum floors and furniture at least once a week to pick up eggs, larvae, and pupae.
Hot Water Washing
Launder pet bedding in hot, soapy water weekly. Dry on maximum heat.
Flea Combing
Use fine-toothed combs daily to trap and remove fleas from your pet.
🥗 Nutritional Support
🧄 Garlic & Nutritional Yeast
Fleas dislike the flavor of garlic and nutritional yeast. Mix with pet's food to make their blood unpalatable to fleas.
💊 Vitamin B1 & Apple Cider Vinegar
Natural repellents. Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar daily to pet's drinking water.
🌲 Natural Deterrents
Cedar & Eucalyptus
Cedar chips for bedding, eucalyptus nuts around rooms as deterrents.
Peppermint Oil
Vacuum tissue soaked with peppermint oil soap to suffocate fleas in vacuum.
🌱 Outdoor Flea Control
Beneficial Nematodes
Microscopic worms that eat flea larvae. Place in moist, shady spots around your house. Available at pet and garden stores.
🌸 Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies may also be helpful, although reports of their success are mixed. Commercial homeopathic preparations for pets are available.
Natrum muriaticum
Low-dose homeopathic table salt for chronic flea allergy
dermatitis.
Dosage: 4 pellets (12X
or 30C strength)
Other Remedies
- • Sulfur 30C: For dry, flaky skin
- • Apis: For red, swollen bites
- • Arsenicum: For chronic scratching