What Are the Treatments for Fleas & Ticks?

Home Remedies

• Make a flea repellent using a quartered lemon boiled in water. Let it steep and cool overnight, pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray it liberally all over your pet. Keep it out of the animal's eyes, but spray a generous amount behind the ears and on the head as well as at the base of the tail to make fleas evacuate.

  For heavily infested animals, try filling a bathtub with warm water and add several drops of tea tree and lavender essential oils to the bath. Wash the animal thoroughly in the bath to rid it of fleas. Feeding an animal garlic will cause it to emit an odor from its pores that will repel fleas, according to Grandma's Home Remedies.

  To rid the home of fleas that will lead to re-infestation, sprinkle salt all over carpets and fabrics and vacuum up the salt along with the fleas.

Topical Treatments

• There are many different options for topical flea and tick control products available in pet and department stores. These remedies may include collars and dips. Choose one that is safe for your pet and family.

  According to the Humane Society of the United States, topical flea and tick treatments that contain pyrethroids can be potentially harmful to pets and humans. These products were linked to more than half of the pesticide reactions of pets over the last five years that were reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. Complications included brain damage, heart attacks and seizures.

  In addition, common flea and tick products containing organophosphate insecticides (OPs) and carbamates can be harmful to children and pets.

  However, buying flea and tick remedies available over the counter can be an effective measure if these harmful chemicals are avoided. Repellants containing cedar oil or neem oil are safe alternatives to dangerous chemicals.

Internal Treatments

• There are several flea and tick medications available through your veterinarian that can rid your animals of the pests without using a potentially dangerous topical chemical.

  Flea and tick medications come in pill and liquid form. They are hidden in dog or cat food and swallowed, and some versions begin killing fleas and ticks within a half hour. Products such as Program or Capstar are safe examples of this type of treatment. Always remember to read the labels of these medications carefully and know the weight of your animal to allow for proper dosage, according to the Pet Product Advisor website.

Keeping Fleas and Ticks Out

• Ridding your pet of fleas and ticks is only the beginning of the fight against these determined pests. It is necessary to keep the fleas and ticks out of your lawn and away from your home in order to protect you and your pets from infestation.

  Sprinkle diatomaceous earth (DE) all over the lawn. This substance is commonly used in pool filtration systems and is made up of the skeletal remains of microscopic aquatic creatures. The bone material poses no threat to human skin, but will slice open fleas and ticks and cause them to dehydrate and die.

  Using cedar chips along property lines and fence rows or around the home is another effective way to prevent fleas and ticks from entering. The aroma of cedar repels these pests and others.