Emergency Substitutions for Flea Shampoo

The dual discovery that your pet has fleas and there is no flea shampoo in the house is not the disaster you fear it is. There are other solutions that are just as effective and almost as effective, and the almost-effective ones will keep the pesky parasites at bay until you can buy some flea shampoo.

  1. Strategy

    • While the chemicals in flea shampoo help some, it's the immersion in wet suds and water that kill most of the fleas on your pet during the bath. Those flea shampoo chemicals also repel future parasite invasions, buying you time to de-flea your house, your pet's bedding, and your yard. Giving your pet a bath with any kind of gentle soap or shampoo in an emergency temporarily takes care of the problem.

    Flea Comb

    • A flea comb is distinguished by short teeth that are very close together. You are able to remove quite a few fleas and their eggs before the bath by thoroughly combing your dog all the way down to the skin. A bowl of soapy water nearby is a must -- dip the comb into it occasionally to drown the fleas and destroy the eggs you comb out.

    Vegetable Oil

    • If your pet is small and short-haired, start with a pre-conditioner of vegetable oil, rubbed in thoroughly all the way down to the skin. It conditions the skin and drowns the fleas at the same time. If you can crush up some fresh garlic into the oil about an hour before applying, this pretreatment will be even more effective; fleas hate garlic.

    Lavender

    • If you have any lavender-scented bath salts, soap, or shampoo, it's time to use it for your pet's bath. Lavender oil is another natural flea repellent, and it won't harm your pet. If your pet is very large, and all you have is a small bar of lavender soap, rub the bar across your cheese grater to make soap shavings and dissolve them in some warm water before applying.