As some of you know I recently rescued a dog.

It turns out she has fleas. Can anyone reccomend some methods or product to get rid of these? I know getting them off the dog isn't the complete battle as they will have laid eggs in my carpet by now

My friend told me put a clove of garlic in the dogs food so her blood tastes bad and the fleas die. I've done this but would like a more tried and tested remedy for quick removal as shes scratching and its not nice to see.

Thanks

[chevy & karen]

Originally Posted by damienpatrick

As some of you know I recently rescued a dog.

It turns out she has fleas. Can anyone reccomend some methods or product to get rid of these? I know getting them off the dog isn't the complete battle as they will have laid eggs in my carpet by now

My friend told me put a clove of garlic in the dogs food so her blood tastes bad and the fleas die. I've done this but would like a more tried and tested remedy for quick removal as shes scratching and its not nice to see.

Thanks

I was going to bring up fleas but when you said they were'nt bothering her I figured that was'nt it, but I did'nt believe the vet's diagnosis of hives. I have a post on fleas in another thread let me try to find it..

[chevy & karen]

There are some tip's in the Dog Chat sub-forum on page 2 of "Help my dog has a tick"

When the fleas are really bad here I put some raw minced fresh garlic in the food, I also cut up a flea collar and put it in my vacume cleaner bag and keep vacuming...

Let me know if you can't find the post I'm talking about it...

[chevy & karen]

Originally Posted by chevy & karen

I was going to bring up fleas but when you said they were'nt bothering her I figured that was'nt it, but I did'nt believe the vet's diagnosis of hives. I have a post on fleas in another thread let me try to find it..

Oh boy, I think I had Brandy mixed up with another pup on the forum.. I'm so sorry DamienPatrick. I could'nt find an embarressed smiley face but believe me I am embarressed..

Hug's to Brandy and I hope your winning the battle with the fleas....

[CorkyMax]

First I will say here what Sonya Fitzpatrick (The Pet Psychic) said in her book--What the Animals Tell me. Chemical flea poisons certainly kill fleas on contact but they are also toxic to your dogs (and cats), and also some people. There are many cases where an application of a flea spray, powder, or dip has produced tragic results. These deadly chemicals accumulate in your pet's bodies, and can affect their lungs, heart, intestines, skin, liver, and kidneys. Many animals have died due to a toxic buildup of these chemicals in their bodies over a period of time. In another paragraph she says she uses a simple trick to keep her house free of fleas without the use of poisons. Fleas are attracted to light, so she puts a small lightbulb above a bowl of soapy water in every room. When they try to jump up to the light, they land in the water and cannot escape. Then she says you can also sprinkle plain borax powder on your carpet. The powder penetrates the flea's hard bodies and literally dries them out, causing their death. Leave it in place for 24 hrs. and then vaccumn off. Keep your pets away from the carpet while the borax powder is in place, so they don't pick up on their paws and lick it. After you vaccumn, the carpet will be safe for them again.

Does anybody else have any good info to add to non-harmful ways to keep fleas off our dogs and in our homes?? Tis the season and I have decided this year I am not using poisons on my dogs!! But I sure don't want to end up with fleas either!!

[chevy & karen]

I had a bought a flea trap a couple of year's ago. it's alot like the light bulb thing you posted about corky and max. Only. This is a plastic thing and it has a small hood with a light bulb on it, it's like one of them christmas light bulb's and on the base of it is a sticky pad. I did see alot of fleas on it when I would turn it off in the morning but I think I would have had to have had alot of them going for it to really be of help.

That was 2 summer's ago when the fleas were so bad in the house. I had to resort to a dose of Frontline at that time and the flea collar's in the vacume bag's.. That was the last time I used Frontline but there again, even though I check chevy he now has Lyme disease so I don't know, maybe I should have used the Frontline more, I don't know. I just hate the idea of putting pesticide's on my pup....

hey chevy and karen don't worry about the mix up.

thanks everybody for the helpful input. i've been giving her a clvoe of garlic each day and spraying her with water thats soaked overnight in lemon juice and she's stopped scratching.

i've ordered some product fromt he nt to spray the house and her with to rid any eggs taht may be laying around.

i'll update again after i've used the treatment.

[chevy & karen]

Originally Posted by damienpatrick

hey chevy and karen don't worry about the mix up.

thanks everybody for the helpful input. i've been giving her a clvoe of garlic each day and spraying her with water thats soaked overnight in lemon juice and she's stopped scratching.

i've ordered some product fromt he nt to spray the house and her with to rid any eggs taht may be laying around.

i'll update again after i've used the treatment.

Ugh, I'm still embarressed but am glad to hear you have found some relief for her.. Yes please keep us updated..

Stop the garlic. It doesn't help with the fleas (many studies have proven this) and it can be toxic to your dog if they get too much.

Go to your vet and get Comfortis. If your vet doesn't carry it, find one who does.

Unlike the other flea products commonly sold, Comfortis is the ONLY FDA approved chewable tablet for flea control. It also have received the Presidential Green Chemical Award for being effective and not harmful to the environment.

The active ingredient in Comfortis is a natural metabolite of a specific species of bacteria. It kills fleas so fast they do not have time to lay eggs. They feed once, and they're done. And because it's only been on the market for a couple of years, there are no resistant populations of fleas to worry about. It'll kill them all after just one bite.

Which brings up the issue of fleas bites. Yes, for Comfortis to work the fleas have to bite. The spot on products like Frontline all advertise that the fleas don't have to bite to die, which is true. It's also true that most of them will bite several times before they die. So rather than one bite, you dog will be bitten several times by each flea.

The one side effect seen most often is vomiting. Once, on the day following administration of the pill. And there can be a problem if Comfortis is used in conjunction with the high, off label dosage of Ivermectin used to treat demodectic mange. If your dog isn't being treated with Ivermectin for mange, you have nothing to worry about.

So, to sum it all up, Comfortis is safe, highly effective and environmentally friendly. Once a month convenience, easy to administer, and no pesticide residue on your pet. What do you have to lose, besides the fleas?

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

F In another paragraph she says she uses a simple trick to keep her house free of fleas without the use of poisons. Fleas are attracted to light, so she puts a small lightbulb above a bowl of soapy water in every room. When they try to jump up to the light, they land in the water and cannot escape. Then she says you can also sprinkle plain borax powder on your carpet.

Fleas are not attracted to light. They are attracted to heat, vibration, and carbon dioxide. If they're jumping at the light, it's because it's warm.

[mrandrei]

I recommend Frontline for dogs. It's the best flea removal product in the market. Little buggers don't stand a chance.

Originally Posted by mrandrei

I recommend Frontline for dogs. It's the best flea removal product in the market. Little buggers don't stand a chance.

Not any more, it's not. With topical spot ons, the fleas will bite several times before they die. If the spot on doesn't contain an insect growth regulator, they have time to bite and lay eggs that will hatch into a new batch of fleas.

Capstar, an oral medication, will kill 100% of fleas on the dog within 3 hours. They bite once and die. But this product only lasts for 24 hours. It's great to use in some situations, though. When picking up your dog from a kennel, for instance.

But the real rising star in flea prevention is Comfortis. It is the ONLY FDA approved oral flea medication. Products like Frontline are not FDA licensed, they are only EPA licensed.

Comfortis kills fleas so quickly they only bite once, and have no chance to produce eggs.

Unlike pesticides like Frontline, the active ingredient in Comfortis is spinosad, a combination of the two most active compounds found as a naturally occurring metabolite of a specific type of bacteria.

Some of the benefits of Comfortis: it leaves no pesticide residue on your pet, and won't produce the irritation and redness sometimes caused by spot ons. It can't be washed off. You can immediately pet, bathe, groom, or play with your dog after administering Comfortis. It will not leave stains on furniture, rugs, bedding. If you have a cat you do not need to worry that your cat could be poisoned by Comfortis, as can happen with spot on treatments. There are no pockets of flea populations that may have become resistant to the active ingredient in Comfortis.

The most common side effect is a single episode of vomiting within 24 hours after administering. And if you use Comfortis every 30 days, that side effect seems to diminish, and the dog no longer vomits when given Comfortis.

However, Comfortis cannot be used with the off-label dosage of Ivermectin that is used to treat mange. There is anecdotal evidence that it can trigger seizures in dogs known to have seizure disorders, but this has not been confirmed in clinical trials.

[TotalTag]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

First I will say here what Sonya Fitzpatrick (The Pet Psychic) said in her book--What the Animals Tell me. Chemical flea poisons certainly kill fleas on contact but they are also toxic to your dogs (and cats), and also some people. There are many cases where an application of a flea spray, powder, or dip has produced tragic results. These deadly chemicals accumulate in your pet's bodies, and can affect their lungs, heart, intestines, skin, liver, and kidneys. Many animals have died due to a toxic buildup of these chemicals in their bodies over a period of time. In another paragraph she says she uses a simple trick to keep her house free of fleas without the use of poisons. Fleas are attracted to light, so she puts a small lightbulb above a bowl of soapy water in every room. When they try to jump up to the light, they land in the water and cannot escape. Then she says you can also sprinkle plain borax powder on your carpet. The powder penetrates the flea's hard bodies and literally dries them out, causing their death. Leave it in place for 24 hrs. and then vaccumn off. Keep your pets away from the carpet while the borax powder is in place, so they don't pick up on their paws and lick it. After you vaccumn, the carpet will be safe for them again.

Does anybody else have any good info to add to non-harmful ways to keep fleas off our dogs and in our homes?? Tis the season and I have decided this year I am not using poisons on my dogs!! But I sure don't want to end up with fleas either!!

You're right about flea products that contain chemicals. They have caused many animals to get sick, and many have also died.

I recently came across an article on the disadvantages of chemical flea and tick control products, and in the article, the author told about a pet owner whose dog became seriously ill after the pet owner used Advantix on her dog. In addition to telling the pet owner's story, the author listed some of the ways chemical flea and tick control products can affect pets. That said, I'd definitely use caution if you decide to use a chemical product on your pet. Personally, I prefer organic pet products to help control the fleas and ticks.

As for keeping fleas out of your home, vacuum daily, bathe your pet in Johnsons & Johnsons baby shampoo at least once a week, and wash any bed linens or other linens that your pet lays on during the day. All of this should at least help keep the flea population in your home down, but in most cases, it gets rid of them.

I hope this better of information helps you. Best of luck with everything!

I order something called frontline spot on for dogs and cats? Its a pippette that you put a few drops on the back of your pets neck. The frontline comes in different sizes depending on your dogs weight. i found a website with amazing prices for frontline at Pet Supplies | Frontline Spot on | Hills prescription diet | Royal Canin | Pet Health | Dog Supplies.

you can get some good flea spray's to spray around the house where the fleas are apart from on the animal. you can have a look at some brands at Pet Supplies | Frontline Spot on | Hills prescription diet | Royal Canin | Pet Health | Dog Supplies

I've used Frontline Plus or K9Avantage for years now, I didn't have to do this in the past until I moved back East, and we get the hot humid weather and all the bugs with it, in all these years since using it I have never saw any fleas on my dogs.

I can't say I like to apply these products but I don't want to see my dogs scratching or getting those flea bites plus the fleas that are in the house, then you use the bug bomb thing and you have to take yourself and the dogs out of the house for alot of hours until you can come back in, not to mention cleaning all your cookware and utensils.

I think using the bug bomb to rid the house of fleas is worse on the pet and yourself than the Frontline etc.

Its all what you are comfortable with doing. If your choose to do the topical Frontline, make sure you apply it from the shoulders down to top of the tail because applying it all in one area can cause redness, my pets do ok with it.

hope this helps.