Dog Got Fleas? Need a Natural Remedy?
Does your dog have fleas? Don't want to douse them in chemicals, but can't bare watching them suffer through the bites and itches?
Diatomaceous Earth & colloidal silver are two of the best options, but below are many more.
Apple cider vinegar. It's your best friend's best friend. A little in their drinking water will help their coat shine, and the fleas will go running.
If it's not appealing and they refuse to drink it, or if you think they need extra protection, soak their collar in a combination of the vinegar, diluted with a bit of water.
The other option is making a spray out of the vinegar-water. If your buddy still isn't having it, boil some lime/lemon (with the peel) and use the liquid from that in a spray bottle. The third option is to mix D.E. (diatomaceous earth) with water.
If they protest the citrus and vinegar sprays, there's an herbal option as well.
Take two cups of fresh rosemary leaves and add them to two pints of water, and boil for thirty minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves, and mix it with approximately a gallon of warm water. Pour this over your animal friend and allow them to air dry.
If they allow for it, try to add a few drops of the citrus mixture to their collar, to help keep new fleas off.
Remember that fleas live in the dog's environment, not just on the body, so the obvious still applies:
-Wash everything in hot water (and colloidal silver) for at least 20-30min, to get rid of all fleas and their eggs.
-Vacuum the carpets and floors. It helps to sprinkle a little baking soda and/or on the carpet, before & after vacuuming.
-When bathing your buddy, start with the neck and behind the ears first, so the fleas won't jump on his/her head. Then work your way down and thoroughly wash their coat, their tail, and even between their little toes.
-Sprinkle some D.E. on their coat,, and some in their food. Consuming it helps them fight internal parasites as well.
Hopefully these steps will keep you, your best friend, and your home free from fleas.
What do you think about sprinkling food grade diatomaceous earth in the carpet? We have removed carpet and gone to hard-wood and even did a painted concrete floor in our bedroom (it looked and worked great).
I actually am shocked at myself for not mentioning DE, it's one of my all-time favorite remedies. Thank you for the reminder @jamesc, I'll add it to the post
The hardware stores in the US sell (or sold, I'm not sure) a version of DE that was treated with heat and turned into more of a sharp glass. It probably works better for bug control but it is more dangerous to breath and you don't want to consume it! So I make sure people know to get food grade for large treatments especially indoors. DE really works only in dry areas too..
Hi, thank you for all the remedies for ticks. I've heard about apple cider before. That's an adorable pic. Followed you.
Yay for non-toxic remedies!
I must admit that I'm quite skeptical of colloidal silver though... I hear a lot of people talking about how awesome it is, but for some reason I remain suspicious... Could it really be safe?...