Having an elderly dog ​​with kidney and liver problems and recently infested with cat fleas from an onslaught of stray cats in the neighborhood, I went on a quest to find the safest, most natural flea treatments I could find. After extensive research, I was able to compile a veritable arsenal of flea treatments that I thought I would share with other dog owners, especially since most of us know how harmful chemicals and insecticides are. I, like many of you, strongly refuse to expose my dogs to carcinogenic substances.

My dog ​​has flea allergies so it was crucial for me to find effective yet safe solutions to this flea problem. A flea bite drives her crazy! Let me start by telling you this, if you want to be natural in your quest to rid your home and pets of fleas, you need to understand that you will need to use various flea prevention methods, and you will need to arm yourself with a little patience.

My interest was piqued in herbal necklaces and I decided to investigate them a bit more. To my dismay, I discovered that most herb necklaces include pennyroyal and rue. These herbs can cause liver and kidney damage (as well as many other health problems) when ingested, and while the chance of my old dog actually ingesting his collar was slim, I wasn’t prepared to take the chance.

The next natural flea prevention solution I read about was borax or boric powder. People have been touting the miraculous effect of these flea-fighting products, and although I have no doubt, I soon realized that they were not safe products for my beloved pet. Borax is an abrasive substance, so imagine what can happen if your pet inhales it, plus borates tend to concentrate in the kidney and can cause kidney damage.

Well, to cut a long story short, aside from my ever-reliable flea comb, here’s what I’m using:

1. Flea traps: The kind that works by attracting fleas to a sticky surface. They use small bulbs to attract fleas to a sticky surface. I caught several small bugs and fleas. What I do is leave them overnight when it’s dark for maximum effect. A good way to increase their effectiveness is to move them from time to time. I even put them on my dog’s beds (she has two, one in the living room and one in our bedroom, so at night I put the trap on her bed in the living room and during the day I darken the bedroom and put a trap on her bed at night ).

2. Dawn or Fairy dishwashing liquid: Dawn of Fairy regular dishwashing liquid is excellent for bathing your dog infested with fleas, it is less harmful than special flea shampoos as it contains no chemicals or insecticides and you will get a distorted sense of pleasure from seeing fleas. nasty creatures drown. the bath water

3. Herbal Necklaces: There are some harmless herbal flea collars out there; the one I’m using contains lavender buds and cedar wood chips. While I’m not a big fan of cedar wood chips, it’s only a minimal amount, just enough to keep those nasty pests off my dog. The same company also makes a flea powder/dry shampoo with all natural (and safe) ingredients and the owner of the company is really concerned about the safety of their products (I questioned her with all my concerns). Let’s just say it’s definitely “bon voyage” for the fleas!

4. Diatomaceous Earth: be sure to buy HUMAN FOOD GRADE D/Earth, everything else is potentially toxic. Sprinkle D/earth under diapers, beds, and anywhere your dog doesn’t hang out constantly. Make sure the dog stays away while you’re doing this, as inhaling the fine dust can cause problems, and wear a dust mask if possible. D/earth can be used indoors and outdoors, but I would advise against using it outdoors as you would also be killing a lot of “good” bugs. Ants, if they’re not a problem for you, eat flea larvae, so I consider them a valuable part of my flea-safe arsenal!

Human food grade ground or fossil meal as it is also called is supposed to be good for fighting internal parasites as well, I intend to try this because I am afraid to use commercial deworming medications on my dog ​​at the moment . I’ve tried to find out if it has any harmful side effects, but haven’t been able to find any; in fact, people use fossil flour on a daily basis and claim that it has many benefits. If you know of any harmful side effects from using it orally on a pet, please let me know!

5. Biological Labels: There are a couple of companies that claim that their tags provide your pet with a magnetic shield to keep fleas and ticks away. There are good and bad reviews on the subject, but I haven’t been able to find any literature on the harmful side effects, so I’m going to buy one for my dog. Worst case scenario, I’m a few bucks short, I love my dog. and I would do everything in my power to make her feel comfortable and healthy, so I don’t care. I imagine it won’t harm her and if it works, that’s great!

6. Motion Sensing Sprinklers: These are a great and humane way of keeping flea-infested animals out of your garden.

That is all; I think I’ve covered it all! This is the culmination of my extensive reading and research and I hope it helps you get rid of fleas too. Please let me know if you have any safer flea cures!