Fleas, Oil based Shampoo

[Kay Bolin]

Hi all - 

I thought someone suggested a shampoo that didn't have soap but used oil instead.  My problem is that we are trying not to use chemicals and are using Flea Treats and Flea Free food supplement.  Maybe they're working in that maybe she would have more fleas if we weren't using them, but I feel like we're loosing the battle. 

 

The last couple of weeks I've been needing to leave Misty with a friend who has no fleas because she uses chemicals and she doesn't want my puppy bringing fleas into her house.  Can't blame her for that!  So I've given Misty two baths in two weeks.  We give her a bath and pop her into the car and hope the fleas are not on her any more.  These baths were with La Pooch Puppy Shampoo.  These were her first two baths since leaving the breeder a year ago.  I'm having some medical issues which necessitate me leaving her again and I don't want to keep using soap to kill the fleas.

 

So - my questions:  What was that oil based shampoo that does not have soap?

Will that shampoo kill fleas like the soapy ones do?

Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks for your help!

Kay and Misty

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfotunately, there is nothing that kills fleas except chemicals. It is not just the fleas themselves you are dealing with. There are also the eggs and the larva, which are probably in your car and your home. The only way to break the cycle is to use the usual chemicals. I think you have to weigh the risks and benefits of using products which hundreds of thousands of other people are using without ill-effect and preventing flea infestations VS being chemical free but having flea infestations, which BTW can also be life-threatening to dogs under severe circumstances.

 

[Alli and Barkley]

Karen, is there a certain flea medicine you would recommend?  Are they safe for puppies?  Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As you may know, Jackdoodle has severe Atopic Dermatitis, so preventing fleas is an absolute must for him, as a flea infestation could kill him. I'm also concerned about the safety of the products, especially for a dog with skin issues.

Jack's specialist believes that the longer a product has been around, the more is known about it, which helps with safety issues. She recommends Frontline and one other product, which I unfortunately don't remember but I want to say Advantage. (I realize that's not much help, lol). We use Frontline Plus, and it has not caused any reaction in JD, although he seems to dislike it when I apply it..

I also don't know about the safety of using it on puppies; Jack was 14 months old when I got him. I never used any kind of flea products on my previous dogs, and they never got fleas...until, of course, my last dog did get them at the age of 14. :(

I would ask the vet about using it on puppies.

[Alli and Barkley]

Thank you! Barkley has his 8 week appointment on Saturday so I will ask then

[Bonnie and Kona]

Dear Kay, I am so sorry to hear you are having some medical issues. I hope your health will be restored soon. We tried to go chemical-free and were okay until this month when we decided to use chemicals during the summer months and then treat naturally the rest of the year. I'm glad you have a friend to dog-sit for you and hope that you won't worry too much about using the flea preparations for a short period of time.

[Leslie C.]

Hi.

Sorry to hear you have fleas ... I had a horrible super powerful fleas for about 6 months!!! Why 6 months?  Well, I too tried to stay away from harsh chemicals.  I know that I have a discussion some where on fleas (you might want to search for it).   I had no real idea what I was dealing with until the cumulative effects hit.  I likely spent over 1k in trying to deal with this problem. I don't know how many vacumme bags I tossed out.  I was both physically and emotionally exhausted from dealing with the ordeal.  My one neighbor who is allergic to harsh chemical uses a pill type flea protection monthly for her dog from the vet such as sentinel.  LiliBear now gets Vectra 3D as I thought the Frontline Plus was not working so well.  I did find out that some of my other non-chemical types of shampooing such, as lathering her up with Dawn (which only worked so much) was actually stripping her flea protection.  Even the groomer made this mistake.  I was even vacumming the fleas off the poor dog.  I also did not allow her back in to puppy /young dog obedience training for 6 months due to the flea problem, as I did not want anyone to have this nightmare.  Unfortunately, I think fleas are becoming more powerful.  I watched several come back "alive" as they disengaged from deep in the dogs skin as the coat dried (despite the soap staying on for an extended time)  Below are some products and steps to consider. 

Natural Chemistry Flea and Tick Spray

DeFlea Shampoo

Flea Trap (light you plug in that has adhessive on the buttom tray and a grid over it)

Vacumming everything and put vaccumme bag in a sealed up trash bag to throw away immediately

Vaccumm and treat your car

Treat your yard

Treat your house

Get a professional exterminator (I had to do this as it was soo bad!!)

Treat all pets in the house

*Learn as much as you can about the flea life cycle and flea protection & flea removal

 

Good Luck!!  ~Leslie and LiliBear

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Leslie, that was also my experience with a flea infestation back in 2004. I am convinced that it shortened my elderly dog's life and took much of my sanity. It also cost me thousands of dollars, as even the mattresses had to be replaced. I did make it my business to learn as much as i could about the flea life cycle, to the point that my friends and family thought I had lost my mind.

Kay, get yourself a pair of white socks, roll up your pants, and walk around the carpetted areas of your house after vacuuming. If there are fleas there, you'll see them on your feet.

I lived in white scrubs and white socks for months, lol!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I saw some natural flea sprays on www.bitchnewyork.com. I have not had flea trouble for many years now. I used to have a problem when I lived in a damper climate. We beat them accidently. We had a spider infestation outside so we had a company come in and spray the outside of the house. It killed the spiders, but also got rid of the fleas. I'm assuming the fleas were living outside and the spray created a barrier. I also sprayed my baseboards and I used natural products on the dogs and on their bedding. My flea infestation was started by a stray dog I brought home. We fought those fleas for 3 years until the spiders got sprayed.

[Kay Bolin]

Thanks all for your input!

After loosing sleep and even dreaming about fleas, I gave Misty "Comfort" this afternoon - this is the chemical treatment our vet had recommended when we got her almost a year ago.  A few hours later I did my usual flea check and found no live fleas, and one dead one.  I had been finding 4-5 every time I checked before.  I did my night check for fleas just now and no sign of fleas.  I walked around with white socks too and there weren't any, so maybe we're done.  Though Misty just itched.  Hmmmmm... I'll be covering the floors with Borax again next week to catch any stragglers and young-uns.  (ALL of them I hope!)

Kay and Misty

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Glad to hear you didn't see any fleas. I think the flea product your recommended is called Comfortis.

[Kay Bolin]

yup - that's it

[Susan & Ginger]

I am a big proponent of natural pest control, but I do give my Ginger the liquid flea treatment from the vet largely because it also includes heartworm control. I also feed her a powder of garlic and brewers yeast mixed with her wet food (it comes in treats too), which is said to make the dog "taste bad" to fleas, so they don't stick around. So far we haven't had any problems, but I am on the lookout since flea season is here. If your home has infestation, you can sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth powder (finely crushed shells), but not on the dog--it can irritate their skin. for more info on that, visit www.earthworkshealth.com or just do a google search.