Keeping Fleas Under Control:

A FLEA COMB IS YOUR SECOND BEST FRIEND AGAINST FLEAS

(DIET IS THE BEST)

****EARLY WARNING SYSTEM: Use a flea comb regularly to detect the flea feces (B.M.): dark black, gritty (red when wet) tiny debris. You will often see this before the fleas themselves. On dogs, you will find it on the back, just in front of the base of the tail and cats at tail base and also behind their ears. On cats who do not like baths, you can spend 30 min or more and remove all fleas and flea just with a flea comb. Keep a towel with alcohol or soapy water on it to rub the flea comb to kill fleas.

****The presence of fleas is usually a reflection of the underlying health/unhealth status of your pet. A very healthy pet on a great diet is unlikely to get fleas. So one key to flea control is to IMPROVE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM of your pet through nutrition, exercise and homeopathic treatment. By not using “monthly fleas treatments” you will have another clue to the health of your animal(s). In addition, Advantage, Program, etc. can be harmful to your pet.

****THE KEY to treating fleas is to TREAT THE ENVIRONMENT and the animal at the same time, and repeat treatments as needed to break the life cycle of the fleas. Even apartments!

****Sometimes the best diet and environmental care fail. Holistic treatment to improve your animals overall health is often needed. Call the veterinary advice line, 866-4-VET NOW to speak directly with a veterinarian who can help you decide which holistic modality will be the best, refer you to a veterinarian who can help (maybe one in Florida where they see a lot of fleas) have you animal so healthy the fleas just won't hop on.

1. OUTDOORS: Most outside treatments, even diatomaceous earth, may harm good insects as well as fleas. A new product of nematodes, that you mix with water and spray on your yard, eat only flea larvae, so don't upset the normal flora of your yard. One name is BioFleaHalt from Farnam (800-234-2269). It is also available from Flea Busters.
2. HOUSE: This is absolutely key, since this is where fleas hang out.
   Vacuum daily and carefully. Keep 1T borax in your vacuum bag so the eggs you vacuum up do not hatch and crawl back out. Or discard bag with each use.
   Call the Flea Busters Company. Many areas of the country have this franchise. They give a year guarantee, use a borate type powder, which is very safe and non-toxic, and also dehydrates the flea. To find the one near you, call 800-666-3532 to find the nearest one to you. They, and health food or pet stores also sell do it your self yard & house products.
   Or sprinkle diatomaceous earth (available from organic gardening places or natural pet companies) around the house, let sit 12 hours or so and then vacuum. Repeat frequently. Or sprinkle POW or other powdered pyrethrum flowers and vacuum in 3 days. This may be good at entrances to your house. Or Green Hope Farms - Flee Free - misted in house.
   To see where the fleas are in your house and to help kill them, put BOWLS of soapy water on the floor at night with a light shining on them. Put where your pet won't drink it.
   
3. MOST IMPORTANT IS YOUR ANIMAL: The goal is for your pet to have maximal HEALTH. The KEY to a great immune system is a great diet. The ideal is raw meat and fresh foods in the right proportions for your animal. Next best is natural pet food, supplemented with fresh food.

When you know you have a problem:

1. Some supplements can help make your pet unpalatable to fleas: Nutritional Yeast (1 teaspoon for a cat or small dog up to 3 Tablespoons for a big dog), (yeast can be detrimental to some animals), garlic (1‑4 cloves), or capsules. There are several commercial products that include yeast, garlic & more.
2. Exercising and grooming and flea combing daily is also critical.
3. Baths can be given whenever you see the flea dirt (or fleas). Safer's flea soap, Canex flea soap, Citrus oil shampoos and sprays (Lightning is one brand) are quite good. Often just a good quality non-medicated shampoo, lathered up well and left on 10 - 15 minutes will remove a few fleas. Rinse two to three times. Be sure to always check for any residual fleas or flea dirt after your pet is dry and remove it, or you will think you are re‑infested when you check the next few days.
4. Topicals: Do not use smelly products if your pet is being homeopathically treated.

***Remember that anything put on your pet can be absorbed into its body.***

Powders: Use pyrethrum products made from 100% chrysanthemum flowers: POW, Natural animal flea powder, other brands, even nutritional yeast or diatomaceous earth.

Sprays: Lightning Spray (citrus), other natural sprays, or make your own.

Rinses: Avon Skin So Soft 1T in a 1/2 gal water. Rosemary tea. Lemon rinse: (Put a whole scraped lemon in a pint of boiling water, boil 20 min and sit over night. Strain and use.

Natural/herbal collars: (these seem better on cats).

Topical and internal: Green Hope Farms’ Flee Free. This flower essence can be misted on, one drop put on hair and the etheric body rubbed, misted in the house or out of doors, with the request that the fleas leave your area. Green.hope.farm@valley.net (603-469-3662). Put a drop on your hands and rub all over the body, or etheric body of your animals. Put a few drops in water in a mister and mist your house and/or yard and say - “leave us, fleas.” Also give it orally, one drop straight, or if your animal does not like that, you can dilute 1-2 drops in 1/4C water and give a few drops a day. This also sometimes helps with ticks.

Do not ever use the new “magic” flea preventatives - Program, Advantage, Frontline, or in combination with Heartworm preventative, chemical flea collars or dips. If your pet is bringing in a lot of fleas from outdoors, you can spray a light mist of the above natural flea sprays, or lightly dust on powder, or sprtiz with Flee Free before walks to prevent the fleas from jumping on your pet. Always check when they come back in the house with flea comb. Prepare ahead of time for when you are travelling, since other areas may be loaded with fleas.