Flea Control

**Jessika** · 03-08-2006, 11:01 AM

Does anyone know of a reputable store online with good prices that sells Sentinel?

**LittleOrangeKitten** · 03-08-2006, 12:54 PM

The best thing for fleas and ticks on dogs AND cats is to add just a bit of vinegar to their drinking water. Usually 3-4 tablespoons per gallon (adjust for how much water you leave for your dog). My sister had problems with fleas from her two dogs and I kept telling her to add the vinegar. She finally did, voila! no more fleas. The vinegar is a wonderful homeopathic alternative to chemicals that do who knows what to your animal.

**Jessika** · 03-08-2006, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by LittleOrangeKitten

The best thing for fleas and ticks on dogs AND cats is to add just a bit of vinegar to their drinking water. Usually 3-4 tablespoons per gallon (adjust for how much water you leave for your dog). My sister had problems with fleas from her two dogs and I kept telling her to add the vinegar. She finally did, voila! no more fleas. The vinegar is a wonderful homeopathic alternative to chemicals that do who knows what to your animal.

White vinegar or Apple Cidar Vinegar??

**steph** · 03-11-2006, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by JenBKR

But, as I said, Stronghold is not available in the US........not to mention that ticks can be deadly, they carry Lymes disease and if you live near a wooded area you are going to get them. Ticks are nowhere near that easy to get off, and even if they were by the time you get them off the animal already has the disease. And when you use frontline to prevent, you don't need to treat the house because fleas won't lay eggs.

not available in the us? ok!
and with the ticks not being easy to remove.. i doubt that they are different in the US, unless they are the size of golf balls, but surgical spirit WILL help, they will die and fall off after about half hour.. but if you are happy using frontline.. then thats that, as with the Lymes disease, not all ticks carry it, if your amimal developes a rash like symptom after a tick, then they may have lymes - not all ticks do, but like you said, woodland areas mostly do.
Frontline is not a preventative of infestation of fleas - the flea has to bite the animal to die... and fleas can lay up to 50 eggs a day and are sterile for LIFE, So they will just keep on popping eggs out, but you can frontline that will treat the home called "frontline combo" - but it does not treat worms or ear mites.

**CorgiLuvr1012** · 03-27-2006, 08:19 PM

I stay away from chemicals in flea repellants. Fleas can become resistant to the pesticides, and the flea still has to get on the dog for it to die. I think prevention is the better method. My dogs get 1/4 a clove of garlic and 1 tbsp of brewer's yeast per day, and I have never seen or heard of any problems with gas, and surprisingly, they don't stink either. I think this has to do with their lack of sweat glands.

Dogs do have a natural resistance to fleas, we've just over vaccinated, medicated, fed poor quality dog foods, and stuck "bandaids" over things for so long that these natural resistances they once had have diminished. I believe the answer is to improve the dog's base health so it can fight insects, intestinal parasites, and heartworms on its own. A weak dog is a good target for a parasite. It bothers me that the frontline and other pesticide boxes warn me against touching or inhaling the fumes of their product but it's okay to put it on my pet...it just doesn't seem right. Even if all these claims about harsh chemicals used for flea repellants on pets aren't true, I'm not about to risk it. I just know that I've seen outstanding results by avoiding commercial pet products and chemicals.

Another thing I do that works very well is making my own flea repellant spray. You can spray it around the house, pour it on the dog after a bath, spray it on between baths, and even put it in the rinse load in the washing maching. It's perfectly safe for dogs and I know many people who use it. Just boil one orange or lemon peel for 10mins in 1 pint of water and let it cool. Leave the peel in as you use it. The fleas can't stand the citrus scent, and also there's no nasty pesticide residue on their furr.

Another helpful method is to use natural essential oils. Just put a few drops on a nylon collar once a week and you have a natural flea collar. Neem oil and citronella are good to use for this. You can get them at natural healthfood stores or just type it in google for internet sources to buy from.

Always make sure the sources of fleas are cleaned. Steam clean carpets, and wash all the pets' bedding in hot soapy water and dry on the hottest setting to kill flea eggs. Ants also eat flea eggs and larvae, so if you can stand a few around your yard, don't discourage them.

I like these methods because many have been used for years and years, and it's impossible for fleas to become resistant to a less appealing dog.