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As a pet owner, you’ll have to fight against fleas at some point, killing these parasites is a hard battle and it requires patience.
Fleas are the enemy of any dog owner. Flea bites irritate your dog and cause excessive itching, scratching and licking; which leads to hot spots and allergies.
Unfortunately, dogs are typical hosts for fleas. Your dog could suffer from flea’s infestation even with preventative measures.
When it comes to flea treatment, we tend to avoid medication and manufactured treatments for the well-being of our pets.
Home remedies for fleas
Luckily, there are many natural home remedies to treat fleas on dogs, and they are as effective as manufactured flea medicines and preventives.
In this article, we’ll mention the best home remedies to get rid of fleas on your dog.
Homemade flea sprays
Apple Cider Vinegar Flea Spray:
Ingredients:
- water
- apple cider vinegar
Combine these two ingredients in an empty spray bottle, that’s it.
This natural flea remedy is very useful in preventing flea infestation. However, apple cider vinegar has a powerful odour, so this remedy may be a bit stinky.
Apply the solution on your dog every 2 or 3 days to keep fleas away.
Please keep in mind that home remedies to get rid of fleas are only effective if your house is fleas free, your dog will become infested with fleas after a short while if your furniture, carpets and back yard contains adult fleas.
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Lemon spray Flea repellent
This spray is really one of the best natural flea remedies for dogs
Get a fresh lemon and cut into quarters, then put the sliced quarters in some boiling or hot water, and let the lemon slice steep in the water overnight
In the morning, put this solution in a spray bottle and sprayed it all over the body of your pet, avoid spraying it near the eyes of your pet as this solution can be harmful to the eyes.
You can spray this solution just twice a day to get rid of fleas on dogs naturally.
Herbal spray
This natural flea repellent for dogs works well, and it’s safe to use for pets as well.
Make a mixture of water, vinegar, lemon juice, and hazel.
Pour this solution in a garden sprayer and spray it everywhere in the house, garden, carpets, window sills, furniture…etc.
Garlic
Fleas dislike garlic, and that makes it a natural and safe flea repellent.
You can use this remedy as a natural way to get rid of fleas in your yard.
You will need:
- 6 heads of well Chopped garlic
- Gallon of water
- Put the garlic in a large pan.
Steps:
- Pour the water.
- Allow the mix to steep for 12 hours
- Pour into a garden sprayer using a filter.
- Gently spray your yard.
You don’t want to harm beneficial bugs that live in your yard, so one light, a gentle spray is enough when treating your lawn with garlic flea remedy.
Homemade flea spray with vinegar and baking soda
You’ll need:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Warm water
- Half tablespoon of salt
- Half tablespoon of baking soda
Place the ingredients into a sprayer and gradually add the liquids.
Check the expiration date of your apple cider vinegar, so you know the shelf life of your natural flea spray.
Store the solution in a dark, cool place.
This spray will not kill fleas, but it will make them jump off your dog since these parasites hate apple cider vinegar.
Essential oils Flea Spray
Essential oils can be great insect repellents for animals (and humans, too).
Naturally mild, these oils will help your dog’s coat health while working at a cellular level to boost the immune system.
If you don’t like the smell of apple cider vinegar, here is another home remedy for fleas on dogs that smell better, and just as effective as the above one.
Ingredients:
- Five drops of peppermint oil
- Five drops of lavender oil
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
Stir the ingredients in an empty spray bottle and fill the rest of the spray bottle with water.
This natural flea treatment for dogs smells goods and just as effective as apple cider vinegar flea spray.
Apply this spray on your dog every 2-3 days to keep fleas at bay.
Rinses
Many plants can be made into rinses to use after bath, or even to spritz on before each walk.
Every coat reacts uniquely, so find what is best for your pet.
Rosemary
Put 2 cups of rosemary in boiling water for 30 minutes, remove the leaves and add a gallon of heated water. When cool, pour over your pets after the bath, or just before a walk on a hot day.
Fleas hate the smell and taste of rosemary and usually flee immediately after sensing the ingredient.
Other items you might use for dogs are citrus oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil and cedar oil.
Herbal coat rinse
If the pet is scratching itself excessively, make a herbal spray or coat rinse.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp dried calendula plants.
- one tbsp dried peppermint.
- 1 tbsp dried chamomile flowers.
Steps:
- Add these ingredients to boiling water and steep.
- Allow the ingredient to cool till lukewarm.
Keep this flea repellent for dogs in a spraying bottle to be used each day or when the puppy is scratching itself.
Allow the coat to drip dry naturally after spraying.
Bathing
Use anti-flea shampoos while bathing your pup.
Bathing helps to kill most fleas effortlessly, and it’s the first line of treatment to be applied for flea bites on dogs.
Usually, start with the pet’s head, after that, wash the remaining areas. This ensures killing all of the fleas.
Different brands are available today and can be purchased in practically all pet stores all over the country.
Flea Comb
Your pet’s greatest protection against fleas is a flea comb.
Though time-consuming, combing helps lessen the adult fleas on non-bath days.
Flea combs have fine teeth that pull out fleas from the coat. Most pets enjoy this treatment;
Pay more attention to your pet’s face and neck, and the area in front of their tail.
Dip the flea comb in soapy water or an alcohol solution to kill fleas removed from the dog.
Buy an effective flea comb with the teeth positioned super close together. Buy several, so they are in easy reach wherever you are sitting.
You can also use a flea comb “booster” to increase the effectiveness of the flea comb. Lemon contains the chemical limonene. It repels the pest, fleas, and at the same time, it is harmless to the pet owner and the pet.
Nutritional Yeast
Fleas also don’t like the taste of Yeast at all, and it’s known for repelling bugs as it is full of B vitamins.
Due to this little known fact, we can use Yeast as our secret weapon.
You can purchase some brewed or traditional yeast and literally rub it into your pet’s skin.
Yeast can also be sprinkled or mixed into their wet food, it may seem a bit extreme at first, but it is perfectly safe.
Many commercial yeast tablets use specific types of Yeast, extra B vitamins, garlic or herbs to make them more effective. Test out what your local holistic pet store have or order online.
Flea Collar
The holy grail of treating a flea problem is, of course, doing so without using harmful chemicals.
For the dog lovers out there, making a flea collar yourself is a lot easier than it may sound.
Take the purchased collar or neckerchief and put a liberal amount of drops of Eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, citronella, and lavender or geranium.
Each of these liquids can be used separately on the collar, but in my opinion, the flea collar will be more effective if the liquids are combined together.
If you want to buy a safe and effective flea collar for your dog, check this article “Best flea collars for dogs”.
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Apply food-grade diatomaceous earth (D.E.) in areas where fleas are present the most.
Sprinkle D.E on your pet’s bedding and your upholstered furniture, under your refrigerator and oven and wherever you suspect fleas.
The dust stays effective for an extended period of time, but you can remove it by simply using a vacuum cleaner, don’t forget to reapply D.E. after vacuuming.
The use of DIATOMACEOUS EARTH is shown to be an effective flea control; it is suitable for carpeted room and even tile floors.
You can apply D.E. directly into the fur of your dog; he will love the belly rubs for sure.
D.E. is a powder made from the fossilized remains of single-celled algae.
It is safe to ingest Food-grade DE, but it should never be sniffed or inhaled.
Always use a protective mask and exclude animals and little children from the area before applying D.E.
Allow the powder to stay a few hours before vacuuming.
Avoid using diatomaceous earth that contains pesticide poisons.
Vacuum
Vacuuming is also an excellent natural flea treatment, and it’s also beneficial in preventing re-infestation because it eliminates larvae and flea eggs.
Cleaning your carpets and furniture thoroughly with a flea vacuum cleaner is just as effective as using synthetic pesticides.
Studies have shown that vacuuming eliminates 90% of flea eggs and 50% of adult fleas
Always remember to seal and remove vacuum bags immediately after a cleaning session.
Flea Traps
Flea traps are extraordinary when they actually work.
Fleas are attracted to heat and light, so we use a technique to trap them.
Studies have shown that fleas are attracted to light in wavelengths of 510-550nm. They are more attracted to yellow-green than white lights. Fleas will travel up to 26 feet to get to a light, especially if it is an irregular one.
These parasites are attracted to heat also, so a light bulb putting out heat is very beneficial at attracting adult fleas.
Some people have put the bowl of soapy water or sticky paper on a heating pad, while others prefer buying highly electric effective flea traps.
And there you go, the natural ways to get rid of fleas on any dog and you can do it all at home. If you like this tips, please remember to share this content with your friend.
Last update on 2024-12-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API