Outside of flea circuses, no one loves a flea. These tiny, high-jumping pests can turn your dog into a scratching, itching ball of furry misery--and when the fleas are done feasting on your dog, they'll latch on to you. Fortunately, you don't have to turn to harmful chemicals to fights a flea infestation. A number of natural remedies will have you flea-free in no time.
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Treat Your Dog
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The best flea treatment begins with a bath. Simply by bathing your pet, you'll drown countless fleas and any ticks that have made your dog their home. Soap will do in the rest, and water will wash the flea eggs down the drain.
A dip can help keep fleas and ticks from coming back, but instead of pesticides, try a citrus dip. Simmer citrus peels in water and use this as a rinse after your dog's bath. Or turn to essential oils. Cedarwood, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, thyme and pennyroyal repel pests. Put a little essential oil in water and spray on your dog and on his bedding. Or crush the leaves of these herbs and rub on the dog's coat.
To fight fleas on your dog between baths, use a flea comb. The fine teeth of this metal comb pull the fleas from the dog's hair. Drown the fleas in a solution of water and dishwashing soap.
To fight fleas and ticks from the inside out, feed your dog brewer's yeast. This makes the dog's blood less palatable to the flea. Garlic is often recommend in your dog's diet to repel fleas, but plants in the ailum family (including garlic) may be harmful to dogs. Feed the brewer's yeast in the form of tablet--one or two per day--or as nutritional yeast flakes, a tablespoon or so sprinkled on your dog's food.
Treat the Environment
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To keep fleas off your dog and you, get them out of your house. Vacuum carpets regularly and dispose of the debris in a sealed plastic bag. Sprinkle your carpets with diatomaceous earth or powdered pyrethrum flowers or borax and let this set for 12 hours, then vacuum. For bad infestations, shampoo the rugs to remove as many fleas and flea eggs as possible.
To repel fleas, spray carpets with a solution of essential oil and water. Test in an inconspicuous area such as a closet to make sure the oil you chose doesn't stain your carpet. And don't saturate the carpet--spray lightly.
Wash pet bedding. Adding cedar chips to the pet bedding is another good way to repel fleas. Diligence in treating your house and your pet will help keep fleas from bugging you and your pet.
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