My doodle got fleas :(

[Phoebe Schwartz]

Hi All,

I'm new here, and I'm the proud owner of Charlie, my beloved Doodle :)

Recently I found out he has fleas, plenty of them.

I'm vegan and a healthy environment believer. I'm trying to avoid any artificial or chemical stuff.

I'm looking for a natural flea treatment for him. I don't wanna use any of the well known brands, like Advantix, Frontline etc. I think it's not healthy for dogs and humans.

I read here http://www.bestfleamedicinefordogs.com/articles/natural-flea-killer/ that I can use salt to kill fleas. My question is - do you think it's too dangerous to use salt with my Charlie? I'm afraid that he will eat the salt, which probably not good for him.

Please share any other recommendation for home remedies you have experience with. Thank you!

[Lynda Kamrath]

We have never had fleas, but plenty of experience with ticks.  They are all over the woods here.  I also am vegan (or at least vegetarian) and do not like using any chemicals on my dogs.  However, it is just not worth the chance of getting something even worse than fleas.  Once you get rid of them, you will not want to take the chance again of getting them.  We use Frontline during tick season and  Quadri or ComboGuard all year long.  Worms (all types) are even more prevalent here than ticks.

[Stacy, Bruno, Molly and Gracie]

I have to say, with everyone else, that we had a flea infestation during our 1st year with our doodle and it was a nightmare to remedy. It took VERY diligent cleaning, vacuuming and being on high alert to even ONE flea! I did use diatomaceous earth on my floors and the pups bedding and even on him. We also spread it in our yard.

The only thing that eventually worked, along with all the cleaning, was using Vectra 3D. I now use it as a preventative and we have not had a single flea! Good luck. I admire your desire to do this without chemicals and if you succeed I would love to see a post on your success and the steps you take!

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I agree with everyone else, in this case, the chemicals outweigh the alternative. When we moved into a new apartment in the Philly suburbs several years ago we quickly learned the previous owner had fleas. :( It was awful. Not only did the dogs have such a huge infestation that required 2 injections per dog plus topical treatment but we too had flea bites. We had to "bomb" the apartment several times b/c we couldn't get rid of them. Our dogs had never had fleas before moving in and I hope we never experience fleas again. 

We don't use chemicals on a regular basis, we use holistic methods for preventives and all health matters, so I understand your concern. However, I do think it would be better to get the fleas taken care of so you and the doodle are safe and sound! 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

This won't help for your dog or inside your house but my holistic vet recommended nematodes for the yard. They eat flea larva, among other things. I am about to try it. My next door neighbor feeds all the feral cats in the neighbor hood. Don't get me started on that issue...

[Karen & Maple]

I was looking into using Earth Animal Internal Powder along with their drops during peak season:

http://www.earthanimal.com/flea-tick-program/view-all-products.html

However, not sure if I should risk not also using topical treatment along with.
Also I've heard using diatomaceous earth (food grade) around bedding etc is effective. Haven't yet tried it myself. I'm a newby as well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

These things may help prevent another infestation in the future, but they won't get rid of one once your dog has fleas, or once there are eggs/larva in your home.  

[Karen & Maple]

Karen, just curious, have you had experience with these products doing just that...preventing infestation? Wondering if I'm wasting my time and money, and if they are safe. They do contain garlic. I was thinking perhaps in combo with topical it may be more effective than either alone.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I tried the diatomaceous earth, also Borax, when I had the infestation. Neither did anything. It got so bad that even the chemicals required repeated treatments. My dog and cat both needed repeated flea baths and topical applications, and my home had to be professionally bombed twice, after I tried the do it yourself products that failed. Vacuuming every day, throwing away the bags after each vacuuming.  It was truly one of the worst things I've experienced. I was being bitten by fleas in my sleep, they were everywhere. They were in my slippers. After all that, I would never take a chance on using anything that isn't proven effective, i.e. the topicals. It truly isn't worth the risk, if JD got fleas with his allergies, it would be catastrophic. So no, I haven't used these "natural" products for prevention, and I don't know that they wouldn't work used that way. My feeling is that nobody likes to use chemicals, and if there was any other method that showed any real evidence of being effective, nobody would. The anecdotal info (someone saying "I use such and such and my dogs have never had fleas") is worthless, becaue my dog was 14 years old when we got the flea infestation, and I had never used anything to prevent fleas, and she never got them...until she did. :) 

[F, Calla & Luca]

This is a valuable cautionary tale!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I went trekking in Brazil. Lots of the group I was with went with "natural" mosquito repellents. Out of twenty of us only two remained unbitten and healthy. Me and my room mate. Two were hospitalized and three had septic boils and other parasites. I got the nickname "napalm Nicky"!!! Bottom line do whatever it takes to get rid of those dangerous fleas and throw whatever chemical is proven to work at them.

[Greg Pyles]

Hello, we have two doodles and live in a rural suburb of Cleveland. Our dogs have invisible fence and 5 acres to play in. We also stay away from chemicals that are sold for use on our doodles. We use Skineze it is a spray that we applyon their paws and across their backs. Making small spritz as an application. We buy it at allergicpet.com. We have never had fleas, our dudes sleep with use every night so there is no way I would have a dog in our bed with fleas. I hope this helps.