Dogs and fleas  

salt water is supposed to help, I know my friend used to take his dog to the beach for a free flea dip.

I believe garlic is deadly to cat & dogs. I have heard that apple cider vinegar added to the water bowl helps out.

We started using frontline on our cats a few months ago and it worked great. I don't think it is still working though. Our cats are indoor only. They go on our balcony made a few times a month, outside on a leash maybe 2-3 times a year. I am not even sure how they even pick up fleas (other than we may be bringing them in the house when we walk through the courtyard at our complex. Up until maybe 6 months ago we never had to treat them for fleas.

I used to use Frontline but it's too expensive for me right now ,so I am using Seargeants. He isn't scratching, so I guess it's working.

Don't feed your dog garlic; it can cause anemia in dogs!

There are a few things you can do naturally to keep fleas under control. First, sprinkle your yard with food-grade diatomaceous earth. It will kill fleas by cutting their exoskeletons, but won't hurt pets or people, just be careful not to inhale it while you're applying it. Keep the grass cut short, especially in shady parts of the yard where it tends to stay damp. Some plants such as eucalyptus, mint, and lavender have natural flea repellant properties. Plant them around the yard, or stuff your dog's bedding with it. I believe eucalyptus is toxic to dogs, though, so be careful not to let them eat it.

In the house, mop, dust, and vacuum regularly. It's good you don't have to worry about carpet but fleas will still live in your upholstery, draperies, and bedding, and will lay eggs in the cracks in floors or around baseboards. Throw a handful of diatomaceous earth or plain table salt in the bag to kill any fleas you suck up, or change the bag each time so the fleas don't get back in the house. Shampoo your dog about once a week, it doesn't necessarily have to be flea shampoo because lots of them will come off and drown when you rinse off the shampoo. Use a flea comb to get any ones you missed.

Wash your dog's bedding regularly in hot water.

Try to avoid using chemical flea killers if at all possible; fleas are developing a resistance to them anyway and the poisons can affect the central nervous systems of people and animals. If the problem gets too bad for natural remedies then you may have to resort to flea bombs to rid the house of them. Use them as the manufacturer directs and air the house out before letting anyone back in. It's more effective to use a small bomb in each room than to try to bomb the house with one big one.

Also, keep your dog in optimum health with a good diet, it will keep his skin the healthiest and he won't react as severely when he is bitten.

I have three dogs so I know what a nuisance those fleas can be! Good luck!

I used to use frontline too but last year switched to bio spot its about half the price and it works better. They say bathe your pet in dawn dish soap for fleas but I don't know if this works or not as I take mine to be flea dipped.

I have two dogs and one cat. I spend recently over $150 for Frontline. I am not happy and I am not ready to spend about the same in the next 3 months.
I have feeling that dogs medications cost more than one for human....

I too used to use Frontline on my dogs until I found it stopped working. I swapped to a product called Advantage that does work. Tansy, wormwood, feverfew, lavender, rosemary and sage are all flea-repellant herbs that you could rub through your dogs coats and/or place amongst their bedding.

I always have used Provantage for my cat. I have never used Frontline. I know it is expensive. That sucks that they are starting to not work any more. Especially considering how much they cost!!!



I remember when I was a kid my mom used to make up dog food for our dog which combine dry dog food with ground beef, and garlic powder and brewer's yeast. I remember that supposedly the brewer's yeast keeps fleas off. I don't know, but maybe you could try that.

Good luck with this. So far the Provantage has been working for my little guy.

Have a great day and happy myLotting!!

Do you by any chance bathe your dogs within 24 hours of putting the front line on? If so this may be the problem, that product needs 24 hour to travel thru its system to be completly effective. OR do you live in an apartment and may your neighbors have flea problems?

You should treat your yard with this stuff called 7dust, that you put down with a spreader, not sure how long you have to wait to let your pets back on it again, I would read the bag...I have clients at work that swear by that stuff!!

Fleas are bad everywhere this year...Good Luck and I hoped I helped you out some!!