Fleas!

[PitbullLover*]

this is really gross! but i seem to be having a flea problem in the house...my sister has had a flea problem and now I have it I treated my freckles (dog) with flea stuff (frontline) and also the whole house and vacuumed everything, now the only problem my german shepard dana is on immunosupressors and cannot be treated and she had the most fleas, the thought makes me itch! What is the fastest way to get rid of these nasty little bugs? how can i treat my german shepard naturally?

[BrokenAquarian]

I've found that my dog is allergic to chicken, so when he eats it(no more!), his immune system goes down and he gets itchy. Partly from sensetive skin and mostly from the fleas LOVING him when he's in that state.

I have some raw coconut oil that I rubbed on him - fleas HATE it. Probably because it coats them and they drown/suffocate. I then comb the dog to remove living and dead fleas. Doing this every few days keeps things good while his immunity goes back up.

It doesn't stain, it's fine to eat and it's good for all our skin.

I apply it by taking a spoonful of solid oil and rubbing it in my palms like soap. I take what's melted on my hand and rub it into the coat. Repeat until lump of oil is gone.

[BabyReba]

We have used natural flea soaps made with Neem oil and they work really well, too! They kill fleas but to repel them, you'd need a Neem spray that you would need to apply daily. There are a lot of them on the pet supply market these days.

[mtlu]

Food grade diatomaceous earth - it's a very fine powder that you rub into their coat. It can also be given as a supplement - just don't breath in too much of the dust as it can cause irritation in the nasal passages. Around the house, dust the diatomaceous earth in corners and around furniture legs, then vacuum a day later. Repeat in about 2 weeks and you might want to do it a third time two weeks after that. DE dries out adult fleas, eggs and larvae - repeating the dust/vacuum at two week intervals should catch the various stages of the flea life cycle (they don't live for very long).

[Curly_07]

I'm going to second the Coconut Oil. I use this on my girls, both in their daily feeding and on thier skin. I also use Apple Cidar Vinegar in their water and on their skin. I have no flee problems, and haven't for 2 years. They used to still get fleas, and the house would have to be treated when I had them on topicals. They haven't been on a flea treatment in 2 years.

[PitbullLover*]

thank you everyone! Seems like i'm going shopping for coconut oil! I do get a flea comb and comb both dogs, to get rid of the living fleas. I vacuumed everything last night in downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. Today i'm going to put flea collar pieces everywhere and put a piece into my vacuum bag. Gping again to vacuum everything and but some more chemicals into the livingroom etc. I also going to clean my parrot and parakeet cages very well as i heard they also like to go there ugghhh I never had fleas but ever since I stopped using chemicals on one of my dogs, and in the house because of allergy's I am now in this mess

[Misskiwi67]

thank you everyone! Seems like i'm going shopping for coconut oil! I do get a flea comb and comb both dogs, to get rid of the living fleas. I vacuumed everything last night in downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. Today i'm going to put flea collar pieces everywhere and put a piece into my vacuum bag. Gping again to vacuum everything and but some more chemicals into the livingroom etc. I also going to clean my parrot and parakeet cages very well as i heard they also like to go there ugghhh I never had fleas but ever since I stopped using chemicals on one of my dogs, and in the house because of allergy's I am now in this mess

Don't put the flea collar in the vacuum bag -- it can heat up and release things that weren't meant to be created into the air.

Each female flea is laying 40 eggs a day in your home. You are only seeing about 3-10% of the fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and flea pupae you currently have in your home. Vacuuming can pick up 80% of these if you are diligent.

It can take up to 3 months for the flea life cycle to completely run through, so you cannot stop when you stop finding fleas or they will come back again.

The best thing you can do is treat EVERY animal in the house with a quality topical medication (any veterinary recommended topical is safer than most flea collars) every month for a minimum of 3 months combined with regular vacuuming (daily, like you are possessed, moving furniture and everything).

[PitbullLover*]

thank you everyone! Seems like i'm going shopping for coconut oil! I do get a flea comb and comb both dogs, to get rid of the living fleas. I vacuumed everything last night in downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. Today i'm going to put flea collar pieces everywhere and put a piece into my vacuum bag. Gping again to vacuum everything and but some more chemicals into the livingroom etc. I also going to clean my parrot and parakeet cages very well as i heard they also like to go there ugghhh I never had fleas but ever since I stopped using chemicals on one of my dogs, and in the house because of allergy's I am now in this mess

Don't put the flea collar in the vacuum bag -- it can heat up and release things that weren't meant to be created into the air.

Each female flea is laying 40 eggs a day in your home. You are only seeing about 3-10% of the fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and flea pupae you currently have in your home. Vacuuming can pick up 80% of these if you are diligent.

It can take up to 3 months for the flea life cycle to completely run through, so you cannot stop when you stop finding fleas or they will come back again.

The best thing you can do is treat EVERY animal in the house with a quality topical medication (any veterinary recommended topical is safer than most flea collars) every month for a minimum of 3 months combined with regular vacuuming (daily, like you are possessed, moving furniture and everything).

my vet actually told me to go ahead and throw a piece in there but perhaps i should reconsider. the problem with treating is that one of my dogs is immunosuppressed for anal fistula and severe allergy's i'm not allowed to put anything to treat fleas on her because that could flare up the immune system and that is just something i do not want. So i need to find something natural that will work, my other dog is going to be treated with something chemical and so is the house, will go by vet to make sure i get something that will work. I am already vacuuming few times a day and will continue to do so...hopefully i can get this problem under control its just too disgusting for words. I feel ashamed too. Even though i did use frontline (on dog and house) as if i'm possessed. thank you for your advice it is appreciated. Will keep updating this topic

[Mooresmajestic]

A bath in plain old Dawn dish soap. Leave lather to sit on the coat for about 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly. This will kill any live fleas on the pet at that time. It's what we do for kittens/puppies too young for conventional flea treatment.

[PitbullLover*]

A bath in plain old Dawn dish soap. Leave lather to sit on the coat for about 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly. This will kill any live fleas on the pet at that time. It's what we do for kittens/puppies too young for conventional flea treatment.

Yes i heard about this and did it with my german shepard dana, who is now flea free, just spend 80 buck at the vet for treatment in the house etc.

[Misskiwi67]

A bath in plain old Dawn dish soap. Leave lather to sit on the coat for about 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly. This will kill any live fleas on the pet at that time. It's what we do for kittens/puppies too young for conventional flea treatment.

Yes i heard about this and did it with my german shepard dana, who is now flea free, just spend 80 buck at the vet for treatment in the house etc.

Well, flea free until she dries and picks up more fleas from around the house. You just killed 3% of them... keep vacuuming!!

[Mooresmajestic]

A bath in plain old Dawn dish soap. Leave lather to sit on the coat for about 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly. This will kill any live fleas on the pet at that time. It's what we do for kittens/puppies too young for conventional flea treatment.

Yes i heard about this and did it with my german shepard dana, who is now flea free, just spend 80 buck at the vet for treatment in the house etc.

Well, flea free until she dries and picks up more fleas from around the house. You just killed 3% of them... keep vacuuming!!

Exactly. It's a good short (very short) term solution if you don't have any other options available.