Pure Flea Treatments for Pets That Work!

I’m all the time in search of the most secure option to cope with my household’s minor well being points — and that features our pets too! Fleas are a typical situation with cats and canines however standard flea merchandise are chemical-heavy. I wished to discover a safer possibility for maintaining fleas away and coping with infestations once they happen. So I did some analysis and located these pure flea treatments for pets.

How Did My Pet Get Fleas?

Grownup fleas are tiny bugs (no bigger than 1/8 inch) that may be brown or black in coloration. They feed on the blood of pets and different animals. Fleas get round by leaping — making it straightforward for fleas to move from pet to pet in your home or neighborhood. 

Fleas are most problematic within the spring and summer time when the climate is hotter. They want a number (your pet) to reside their full life cycle however can reside for a couple of days in your house, yard, or native park as effectively. It’s very straightforward for pets who go outdoors to get fleas!

Does My Pet Have Fleas?

In case your pet is scratching greater than traditional and appears uncomfortable, they might have fleas. The best option to inform in case your pet has fleas is to put him on a white towel and brush him. If there’s a whole lot of dust that falls off, you doubtless have a flea drawback. This dust known as flea dust and is a mix of flea poop and blood. To make certain you’re flea dust, moisten the dust on the white towel or on a paper towel. If it turns purple or reddish-brown, you recognize your pet has fleas.

Pure Flea Treatments That Work

As soon as a pet has fleas, they are often powerful to do away with. They’ll even infest your private home! Listed below are my favourite pure flea management treatments I exploit when my pets begin itching from fleas:

Optimum Well being

One of the simplest ways to maintain your pets from getting fleas is to optimize their well being so flea infestations are much less prone to happen. A wholesome physique is extra capable of fend off fleas.

Feeding your pets a complete meals weight loss program is a good way to optimize their well being. I make home made pet food for our canines because it’s probably the most cost-effective option to feed them. However I’ve additionally bought this high-quality (uncooked and grain-free) pet food and am very pleased with it. Additionally they promote high quality cat meals when you’ve got cats in your house.

You may give your pet probiotics and different dietary supplements that may assist as effectively. I focus on this with Veterinarian Dr. Rob Franklin in a podcast episode the place he offers some methods for optimizing our pet’s well being (together with emotional well being too!). One in every of my favourite additions to my pets’ weight loss program is coconut oil for high-quality fats that helps assist wholesome pores and skin, coat, and digestion.

Use a Flea Comb

A flea comb has tooth which can be carefully spaced so it will probably take away fleas out of your pet. That is useful to start the method of eliminating fleas however may also be useful in figuring out how infested your pet actually is. Do that outdoors if doable to maintain fleas out of the home.

Give Them a Tub

After your pet is combed, a shower is the subsequent step. As with most parasites, fleas don’t like clear hosts as a lot as soiled ones. So bathing your pet may also help. The soapy water can even assist take away and drown fleas. Use a pure flea shampoo or citrus-scented castile cleaning soap (use unscented for cats). 

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a go-to in my dwelling for all the things from meals poisoning to dandruff. However ACV can also be useful in pets. ACV is assumed to assist stability the pH in your pet’s physique, which helps repel fleas. Whereas there aren’t any research on this motion, many pet house owners discover that it really works to maintain fleas away in addition to cope with an infestation.

Add ACV to your pets’ meals (not water) to assist do away with fleas. Use ½-1 teaspoon of ACV per 25 lb of physique weight for canines. For cats, use simply ¼ teaspoon.

You can too use ACV in a topical pure flea repellent spray. Combine 1 half water and 1 half ACV in a sprig bottle. Spray in your pet (not of their eyes!) to maintain fleas from hitching a journey. This is probably not as useful when your pet already has an infestation however it does assist hold fleas away.

Important Oils

There are a selection of important oils that assist deter bugs together with ticks and fleas. A few of my favourite pure flea treatments embrace:

Important oils all the time have to be used rigorously as they’re extremely concentrated oils. However we have to be much more cautious utilizing important oils with cats. Based on Pet Poison Helpline, cats should not have an important enzyme to course of and take away important oils from the physique.

This implies important oils could construct up of their physique inflicting toxicity. Because of this, many vets suggest not utilizing important oils with cats. Nonetheless, cedarwood important oil is probably going protected for cats when used safely and can assist with fleas.

 All the time dilute important oils in a service oil earlier than making use of. You can too add them to the apple cider vinegar spray talked about above.

Diatomaceous Earth 

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a finely powdered pure fossilized type of diatoms (a kind of algae). Due to its microscopic tough edges, it will probably minimize by the exoskeleton of the flea, killing it. To make use of DE, sprinkle in your pet’s dry coat.

DE may also be utilized in your home to do away with fleas which have jumped off your pets. Fill an previous stocking with DE and shake it out across the edges of the rooms in your home. You should have a nice white powder on the flooring that can kill bugs however is not going to hurt your pets or kids. Simply make sure you use food-grade DE.

The way to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home

In case you don’t do away with the fleas and flea eggs in your house, your pets are prone to get reinfested. Right here’s what you have to do:

• Vacuum all the things – Vacuuming will assist get fleas and eggs which can be on carpets, wooden floors, curtains, and different locations the place you’ll be able to most simply clear with a vacuum.
• Wash all bedding – Particularly locations the place your pets hang around. Use scorching water if doable.
• Use DE – As talked about earlier, sprinkling DE round your private home can kill fleas simply. Go away the DE in your house for a couple of days. Then sweep and vacuum it up (attempt to sweep up as a lot as you’ll be able to since DE will be powerful on vacuum filters). In case you can’t get DE, salt or baking soda may go too.
• Create a flea entice – Place a bowl or shallow dish of soapy water (dish cleaning soap works effectively)  in your house close to infested areas. Fleas will soar in and drown due to the excessive viscosity of the soapy water. 

Home cleansing must be finished as quickly as you will have used your chosen pure treatment on your pet. You need to attempt to reduce the potential for fleas reinfesting your pet from the home or fleas out of your pet reinfesting your private home.

Flea Dwelling Treatments: Maintain Your Pets Protected and Wholesome

Flea infestations could be a large frustration for you and your pets! However these pure flea treatments are easy to make use of at dwelling with elements you could have already got available.

This text was medically reviewed by Dr. Rob Franklin, a veterinarian with Full Bucket Well being. As all the time, this isn’t private medical recommendation and we suggest that you simply discuss with your loved ones vet.

What’s your favourite option to do away with fleas?

Sources:

1. Benson, Kia. (2020, March 6). Important Oils and Cats.