If fleas infest your dog, soon your home will be infested as well. The best way to prevent that is to treat your dog for fleas during the flea season. However, many flea treatments contain harsh chemicals. For a flea treatment that will not harm your dog, try a garlic flea treatment.
-
Garlic for Fleas
-
You can feed your dog a daily dose of garlic to rid her of fleas. For a small dog, you would need only a quarter to a third of a large clove--or an entire one of the small cloves found in the bulb of garlic. A large dog can eat one large clove of garlic a day. If you give her too much garlic, she could have an anemic reaction. Using only fresh, raw garlic, crush or mince it to access the juice inside. (Don't feed garlic whole, as it will pass through your dog's system ineffectively.) Once your dog is regularly ingesting garlic, the smell and taste of it will be in her blood, making her blood unappetizing to fleas. If your dog also finds garlic unappetizing, mix it in peanut butter.
Add to the Mix
-
You can mix in some brewer's yeast to make your dog's blood even less attractive to fleas. A teaspoon of brewer's yeast a day is enough for a small dog, and a tablespoon a day is enough for a large dog. If your dog has an allergic reaction in the form of a rash, discontinue using the brewer's yeast in your garlic mix.
Vitamin B1 is also a natural flea repellent. According to the article, "Fleas & Ticks" (See Reference below), 5 milligrams of vitamin B1 a day can deter fleas.
Additional Benefits
-
Besides driving away your dog's fleas, garlic offers other health benefits for your dog. Ticks and worms are also repelled by the taste and smell of garlic. Furthermore, garlic will lower your dog's cholesterol and help him have a healthier heart.
-