natural flea reppelants

doggiewalker00

now that the flea and tick season is finally here
apart form the usual monthly prevention using advocate advantage etc
(which dont actually prevent the fleas from jumping on your furrry friend)

has anyone tried natural ways to prevent them.
I heard this one yesterday.

1.slice one whole lemon and leave peel on.
2.leave slices in 12 onces of water
3.take the slices out and put into bottle
4.spray lighlty on pet

aparently the fleas wont jump on cause they dont like the smell
anyone every tried this?

morganafay

I've never heard of that, it might bleach your dog's fur though

I've heard if you feed them garlic then it will keep fleas away, they might smell garlicky though! And also that feeding them some raw veggies and raw garlic first thing in the morning is good if they have worms. I did that with my dogs when they had worms (with worm tablets too of course!). I dunno if it made a difference or not?

Tootle

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

now that the flea and tick season is finally here
apart form the usual monthly prevention using advocate advantage etc
(which dont actually prevent the fleas from jumping on your furrry friend)

has anyone tried natural ways to prevent them.
I heard this one yesterday.

1.slice one whole lemon and leave peel on.
2.leave slices in 12 onces of water
3.take the slices out and put into bottle
4.spray lighlty on pet

aparently the fleas wont jump on cause they dont like the smell
anyone every tried this?

This sounds great! I'm all for natural remedies. I'm on my first pup and I was wondering how often people use flea preventative and how is is 'flea season now'. Sorry I'm a total novice so any advice on preventing fleas would be great.

lorebringer

morganafay wrote: »

I've never heard of that, it might bleach your dog's fur though

I've heard if you feed them garlic then it will keep fleas away, they might smell garlicky though! And also that feeding them some raw veggies and raw garlic first thing in the morning is good if they have worms. I did that with my dogs when they had worms (with worm tablets too of course!). I dunno if it made a difference or not?

It does bleach their fur - I remember at a dog show once talking to a lady who had Cockers and she used to spray them with lemon juice coming up to shows to get them lovely and blond. I don't think one lemon in 12oz of water would do too much though.

Garlic can upset some dogs stomachs, as can onions (these are much worse) but I have never had this problem. After a while of giving garlic once of twice a week they can small a bit garlicy, esp when they get wet.

I have used Tea Tree oil on the dogs beds (haven't a clue where I heard this from) and I have never found a flea in their beds - even if one of them picks up fleas somewhere. Now that I have said that though, I'll prob find a million fleas in one of the beds! I use spot on treatments as the primary flea prevention in the house and wash the beds regularly, but also use Tea Tree spray on the beds. I have put some Tea Tree into their shampoo to sooth any irritated skin and it really works well. I have heard of a good few people using Tea Tree oil to prevent fleas jumping onto dogs... don't know the basis for it working but might be worth a try.

morganafay

lorebringer wrote: »

I have used Tea Tree oil on the dogs beds (haven't a clue where I heard this from) and I have never found a flea in their beds - even if one of them picks up fleas somewhere. Now that I have said that though, I'll prob find a million fleas in one of the beds! I use spot on treatments as the primary flea prevention in the house and wash the beds regularly, but also use Tea Tree spray on the beds. I have put some Tea Tree into their shampoo to sooth any irritated skin and it really works well. I have heard of a good few people using Tea Tree oil to prevent fleas jumping onto dogs... don't know the basis for it working but might be worth a try.

We use teatree shampoo on any dog with fleas who comes in to get groomed.

doggiewalker00

do you just pour the tea tree oil over the dogs bed blankets etc?or do you put it on when washing bllankets and bedding.

So If you wash the dog in tea tre oil shapoo they wont jump on the dog when their out exploring........sounds good
what brand shampoo you use out of interest?

morganafay

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

So If you wash the dog in tea tre oil shapoo they wont jump on the dog when their out exploring........sounds good
what brand shampoo you use out of interest?

Well if they already have a few fleas then the shampoo might get rid of a few, but they'd still need a flea treatment if they were infested with them. We use Wahl tea tree shampoo. And it also soothes the skin if it's irritated from fleas or other reasons.

I don't know if it repels them and stops them jumping on though.

lorebringer

I put some of the oil into warm water in an old spray bottle, give it a really good shake and spray it one to the beds. You might need to shake it as you go along because it separates pretty quickly. I tried putting it in when I was washing the beds (in the softener compartment - I don't use softener) but it doesn't really stay on and just gets rinsed off. I leave the beds to dry before I let the dogs into them, doesn't take long because it's only a light mist.

On the shampoo front - I either mix the oil with the shampoo (put a blob of shampoo on my hand and drip some oil in, then mix it in and use it like regular shampoo on the dog) or I use "Johnsons" (not the baby brand!) Tea Tree shampoo, most pet stores sell it.

meow

Frontline spray is very good. (not natural)

My dog is allergic to flea bites so I have to keep her flea free.

I've found frontline spray the best- the spray, not the spot on. You spray it all over body, don't let the dog get wet for 24 hours, and that one spray lasts for 3 months.

Its expensive enough but I feel its well worth it- I know if I didn't use it I'd spend a small fortune in getting her allergic reactions to bites treate

morganafay

meow wrote: »

Frontline spray is very good. (not natural)

My dog is allergic to flea bites so I have to keep her flea free.

I've found frontline spray the best- the spray, not the spot on. You spray it all over body, don't let the dog get wet for 24 hours, and that one spray lasts for 3 months.

Its expensive enough but I feel its well worth it- I know if I didn't use it I'd spend a small fortune in getting her allergic reactions to bites treate

Frontline is good. I just wanted to add, for anyone reading this, be careful not to use Frontline too often. I heard of someone who was using it every few days for a while, and the dogs got neurological damage which could never be repaired. They were ok, but would never be the same. I can't remember exactly what was wrong with them. And I'm not just saying I heard it from a friend of a friend, but a friend who works in a vet saw it.

lorebringer

morganafay wrote: »

Frontline is good. I just wanted to add, for anyone reading this, be careful not to use Frontline too often. I heard of someone who was using it every few days for a while, and the dogs got neurological damage which could never be repaired. They were ok, but would never be the same. I can't remember exactly what was wrong with them. And I'm not just saying I heard it from a friend of a friend, but a friend who works in a vet saw it.

:eek: Are people mad?!?!

mymo

I use frontline, my vet recommended it and have had no problems with it. One of my dogs also has a bad reaction to flea bites(it also works for ticks and mites), so I use it about twice or three times a year, must get some now the weather is warming up and it lasts for 3 months at a time.
I was under the impression it worked on the skin and not into the bloodstream? I must check that, but to be honest I think if you follow the instructions correctly your pet should be fine. I thought it was only available through the vet, my vets office remind me of the instructions every time I buy it. I do remember some years ago some of the older spot on treatments being withdrawn due to issues with them making pets very ill. I trust my vet to recommend something safe as he's not one to push the dearest stuff(food, treats, toys or equipment) just for the sake of it.
I have tried tea tree collars, they're ok but cats did get fleas one summer with the collars, I use the shampoo sometimes on the dogs if I haven't used the frontline in a while, wash beds and blankets weekly(more often in muddy times) on a hot wash, and clean brushes etc regularly too.

Wisco

One little correction about what Frontline treats- it's fleas, ticks, and lice (not mites). Products like Advocate or Stronghold will treat mites as well as fleas and many worms (but not tapeworms).
If you are concerned about flea allergy, I would advise treating with Frontline once a month in warmer weather and less often as it gets colder. The most important thing is to wash bedding regulary as that's where the fleas lay their eggs and to hoover around your dog's bedding (any hatched larvae will look for dark crevices like baseboards) to hide in. In my opinion, flea collars and flea shampoos are a waste of time and money as the flea only hops onto the dog to bite it, then hops off again to lay eggs. Shampoos will only kill whatever is on the dog at the time of washing, but won't break the life cycle.
Hope your puppy stays itch free!

meow

[HTML]Morganafay: I heard of someone who was using it every few days for a while,
and the dogs got neurological damage which could never be repaired.[/HTML]

Poor dogs...
Whoever it was probably though they were treating them quicker- thats sad.

[HTML]Wisco: One little correction about what Frontline treats-
it's fleas, ticks, and lice (not mites). [/HTML]

Thanks

morganafay

lorebringer wrote: »

:eek: Are people mad?!?!

I guess they just didn't know. Poor dogs. They are fine like, but will always be slightly damaged.

Frontline is safe though if you use it properly.