ISO help with homemade remedies for fleas

[letscook]

Looking for a good homemade flea powder and or sprays.
I am tired of paying for them and not have them smell good and really work well.
Has anyone tried their own and had good sucess.
I found this one I am going to try.

Homemade Flea Powder
Mix together:
1 cupful of plain BORAX (usually sold as 20 Mule Team borax in the stores here)
1 cupful of plain TABLE SALT
1 cupful of plain BAKING SODA

thanks

 

[Mylegsbig]

 

[mudbug]

in spite of legs' rather drastic suggestion, I bet you are on the right track with the borax.

It's said to be effective against cockroaches if you lay down a c*ke line of it where they travel, so if it will affect an insect that's been around for a zillion years, it's gotta do something to fleas.

 

[StirBlue]

Are you going to use it as a dusting powder or bath wash?

They are going to lick themselves and that stuff will make them sick if you dust. If you are determined to try it, you should call the vet and ask about it.

You can get a product from the vet for about $20 that will take care of the problem all summer. They will sell it over the counter without having to see your pet.

Would I put it on my pets? NO!

 

[mudbug]

Breezy's probably right (she maintains more critters than me). Borax is pretty akaline, I think. Not real good to ingest in quantity for more attractive creatures.

 

[Constance]

I buy Frontline plus from Pet Shed at a very reasonable price. It's usually $27 for a 3 month supply, but we got a flyer advertising a sale price of $10 off. Our dog gets outside and runs through the woods and fencerows, but this product keeps her free from fleas and ticks.
Buy the time you buy the stuff to make your own flea powder, which will have to be applied frequently and won't work as well, you may as well buy a product that really does the job.

Here's the link for Pet Shed:

Frontline® Plus Flea and Tick Control on Sale! - Frontline Plus

 

[jpmcgrew]

Flea shampoo should work pretty well.What about a flea collar after a good shampoo?Or like Constance says Frontline but I would still give them a good flea killing shampoo first..At first the Frontline is a bit smelly but goes away and lasts like 2-3 months.

 

[Katie H]

Shampoo's a pretty good idea for dogs. Have you ever tried to shampoo a cat? It's a wonderful way to become a blood donor.

 

[letscook]

Not going to use on the dog - more for putting in bed and on carpet and leave it for a few mins and then vaccum it up -- I guess i should of also stated that looking for one to use on the dog powder or spray form
thanks all

 

[SpiritWolf]

I shampoo my cats all the time, you just have to get them use to it at a young age. Plus you must use Luke Warm water, never cold or hot, Wash gently, but thourghly, and never splash them, unless they are use to it, keep the bath to a maximum of 5 minutes, more if your cat loves it, and if you have the time and patience. I have 3 cats and they all get bathed once a fortnight in summer and whenever they need it in winter. 2 of the cats are fairly ok in water, but my biggest one, and he is only 2 years old and the size of a small dog, is the fiestiest, he puts up with it, but only just, I find the best way to bath my cats is to hold them on top of the neck, just like mum does when they are just born, and kittens, it doesn't hurt them as long as you know what you are doing, just be gentle, but firm at the same time, this way I get the best control over them and they cant scratch you, but you have to be allert, never take your eyes off them, they are very quick when they want to be, Yes I have been scratched, but no where near as much as I would have been doing it differently. Shampoo them quickly, rubbing it in well all over, then rince off in the water u have filled the wash tub with, ( I do mine in the laundry tub, and 1/4 fill with water), once they are rinced off properly, then towel dry, must be done properly, otherwise cats will get cold, snug up and keep them warm for a while, dont have fans or air-con on, they will dry themselves, they do love to be clean. After my cats are dry properly, I then spray them with a flea rince concentrate called "FIDO'S", I use that shampoo as well, it is all natural and doesn't harm them at all even when they lick and clean themselves, it does the trick, untill I do it all over again, I very rarely get scratched, as I be as gentle as I can.

 

[pacanis]

20 mule team borax will work dusted on your carpet to dry them up, but it won't work on eggs.
Some people swear by garlic pills to keep the dog flea free.
Regular shampoo will kill fleas by drowning them, it just won't prevent them from coming back.
Avon Skin so Soft is supposed to be a bug repellant, the oil based kind.
Flea collars are a waste of money period.

And don't forget; eating a flea is the only way a pet can get tapeworm. I do what I can to keep them and their area flea free and if that means using chemicals (I use Frontline+ every 45-60 days and Ultracide in the house and my business), then so be it. I also use deodorant on myself, so am not trying to lead a chemical free lifestyle .

 

[middie]

My in-laws use brewer's yearst to keep their dog flea-free.
It works. I've never see fleas on the dog or in their home.

 

[fireweaver]

alrighty, letscook, i'm a vet, and i don't work in private practice at all, so i'm not getting any $ to say this. here's my 2 cents:

1. do NOT bathe your pets in borax. works pretty well as an environmental treatment, but its best use is for poofing into the walls (example: take off the switchplate covers, and tump a little down in there) to control roaches and ants that live in between the walls of the house. don't be dusting your pets, because them eating borax is not a good thing. you could dust your dog's bed with borax and then vacuum it all up later, but hot water & soap is just as effective, so why not toss the bedding in the washing machine and avoid the mess?

2. as others have mentioned, flea collars are pretty much crap. the only time to bother with a collar is if you DON'T already have fleas on the pet, or in the house or yard, AND you can't get a source of something better. they work by releasing insecticide that coats your pet's hair, so they take a couple of days to start working completely, and they'll also be used up quicker than you think they will. better stuff is available, so basically, don't bother.

3. flea spray, likewise, pretty much crap. the only way for this to work is if you spray all the pets in the house on the same day that you spread insecticide over the yard and bomb the house. repeat in 2 weeks, repeat 2 more after that. the point here being that fleas aren't ONLY on the pet, they're in the grass and the carpet and the dog's bed, and this is a life cycle just as complex & ongoing as lions hunting zebras on the serengetti, so if you just kill off some of the zebras, another herd will move in soon enough.

4. bathing the dog is far more effective than flea spray (at least you know you treated the whole dog), but at most, flea shampoo only has a week or so of residual activity. meaning that after that week or so, the shampoo's chemicals don't have any more bug-killing powers. don't forget you MUST treat the environment (house, yard), or the fleas will just jump right back on.

5. which brings us to what you should actually do. frontline, frontline, frontline. some of my colleagues will reccomend revolution instead (covers heartworms as well), but frontline is more powerful and longer-lasting, and it's what i use on my dog, so there you go. total solution = give dog a bath, and wash the bedding the same day. 3 days later (so dog is totally dry, and his skin oils have normalized over the hair coat), put that dab of revolution in between his shoulder blades. it's kind of oily in that spot, and lots of dogs want to go rub their now weird-feeling back in the grass, but don't let 'em. that oily spot will disappear in a couple of days, and then it's been absorbed into the skin, making it work even if you occasionally have to bathe the dog (it doesn't wash off easily at all). the package is labelled that you need to re-apply every month, but i get a good 2 months' worth out of each tube of this stuff. since frontline is so effective, you don't HAVE to treat the house/yard at the same time, though of course, if the fleas are biting YOU too, it'll help you keep your sanity if you do.

the problem with all the natural remedies is that it's totally unregulated. no way to tell if your brewer's yeast is live or dead in the bottle, your citronella oil might be real citronella or just lemony-scented, etc etc, which is probably why people report such varying results.

good luck!!

 

[bethzaring]

I have friends who swear by brewer's yeast too. They feed it daily, maybe 1 to 2 teaspoons mixed in with the food.

 

[bethzaring]

alrighty, letscook, i'm a vet,

the problem with all the natural remedies is that it's totally unregulated. no way to tell if your brewer's yeast is live or dead in the bottle,
good luck!!

Please elaborate on this, if you will.

Have you tried brewer's yeast to control fleas on cats or dogs? Have you found some brands to be more effective than other brands? What does "dead or alive" yeast cells have to do with the effectiveness of brewer's yeast controlling fleas?

 

[letscook]

Thank you all for you suggestions and help

 

[Caine]

The borax mixture is fine for carpets and furniture, but for an animal, especially a cat, use Advantage once a month. That's advantage, not advantix! Advantix works on dogs only. It will kill your kitties. We (that's the Cats Cradle Rescue 'we') buy the Large Dog size Advantage and use it on all our cats. It's the same formula for all sizes of dog and cat tubes, but much cheaper to buy in the large tube. Just one drop for kittens or two drops for full grown cats will last a month. If you use too much, you'll know it because your cat will start to twitch. Just adjust the quantity the next time.

Oh, and don't get your fingers into the Advantage and then touch your mouth. You'll feel like you've just visited the dentist! It is, after all, a nerve agent, and it will put your lips to sleep!

 

[RMS]

Thanks for sharing all this good advice!

 

[Barbara L]

There is a lot of good advice here. I had a lot of success with Frontline on my cats. I haven't tried it yet on our new dog. I have also known people who had luck with brewer's yeast (you can get it at stores like PetSmart). I have sprinkled borax on my carpet and had some success with that. Which leads to why I am writing. Fleas live in your yard and in your carpet. They jump on your dogs and cats for a meal but they lay their eggs in the carpet. Much of what you do to treat your dogs and cats won't work if you don't treat the carpet (and yard if possible). It takes about 2 weeks for flea eggs to hatch, so one treatment won't do it. You have to treat again a few times to get rid of them all. Also make sure you vacuum your carpet regularly. My dad (who sells and repairs vacuums) says that carpet should be vacuumed daily, but if you are like me that doesn't always happen.

Barbara

 

[fireweaver]

Please elaborate on this, if you will.

Have you tried brewer's yeast to control fleas on cats or dogs? Have you found some brands to be more effective than other brands? What does "dead or alive" yeast cells have to do with the effectiveness of brewer's yeast controlling fleas?

the "dead or alive" bit was because i was assuming the yeast was producing something in live culture that was beneficial, kind of like yogurt only works for the health benefits if the bacteria in it are alive at the time. i'm saying assumed because i had no idea how b.y. works...and i've spent a chunk of time this afternoon trying to look it up, and failing that, calling my crew on it.

the best info i can come up with (i.e., the most frequently reported anecdotal theory as to what's up with the yeasties) is that "its high content of b vitamins makes your pet's odor less desirable to fleas." being as how that makes NO sense - why not then just toss a multivitamin in there? cheaper and much higher b vitamin levels - i put out the APB to some schoolmates. everyone that got back to me said they have at least one client that swears by the stuff, and just as telling, not a single one of these vets think it does a darn thing. in fact, one of my buds had a hilarious story where some woman brought in her dog for uncontrollable itching, he promptly diagnosed a flea issue due to all the flea dirt on the dog's skin, and she said that there was no way in the world, that the fleas must have jumped on in the waiting room, because she fed her dog b.y. every day. he had a devil of a time explaining that "flea dirt" is really flea poop, meaning that of course that poor dog had fleas for a lot longer than 15 minutes in the waiting room.

"all natural" is such a hot buzzword, but don't get swayed by it as an emotional/moral selling point. remember, arsenic, cyanide, and heroin are also all natural plant products...natural does not = safe. i say this as someone who routinely uses herbs to treat myself and my pets. and of course the health food stores are in it for the $ too, not just the warm fuzzies...otherwise, they'd be selling you that $3 bottle of b-vitamins, and not the $10 bottle of "pet grade brewers yeast".