Natural Flea Prevention For Dogs

Natural Flea Prevention For Dogs

Posted by RJewel on Oct 23, 2016

Customers are always asking about natural flea treatments without using the spot-on chemicals or the once a month pill. It is something that has to be thought about holistically to fully understand how to address the flea issue.

We cannot stand to see our dogs and cats with fleas. Often our pets do wind up with some pretty bad flea allergies, that can complicate the situation.

The bad news is the flea and tick medicines being sold by our veterinarians are dangerous toxic chemical pesticides- this chemical cocktails are being put into our pet’s sensitive little systems, without through about side effects

The good news? - A healthy dog with a great immune system can resist parasites as a general rule. 

So the most important thing you can do to prevent fleas is boost immunity. It comes come to a species appropriate raw diet, minimal stress, a lot of love, regular exercise and grooming and adding immune boosting supplements when needed- including colloidal silver.

It may seem difficult to imagine being able to change overnight but if you are determined you can use totally holistic and natural flea prevention for dogs and keep them off all year- it is not as hard as it seems, but it is a bit more work then just giving a monthly one drop or pill.

In today's shrinking world, fleas have become ubiquitous and impossible to avoid. Too many of us, the thought of our pets having fleas is loath some. 

However, for me, using topical flea and tick treatments is not an option.

The concept of using a poisonous pesticide on dog's skin or giving them a monthly flea-killing pill which contains ingredients so deadly that within hours they wipe out fleas for an entire month is an abomination to me! My mind boggles imagining what it could do to dogs' internal organs.

Natural flea prevention for dogs and cats is the only healthy solution. The first step to natural flea control is diligence rather than toxic chemicals. Understanding the lifecycle of the flea and stopping the larva. By killing them when they hatch. 

I have a steam mop for my home – steam and then vacuum... ALOT!

Fleas comb daily – I have a grooming table for my dogs. It makes grooming and flea combing pretty easy. If your dog has long hair you must brush it out first before you can run a flea comb through it. 

Bathing a dog kills the majority of fleas.

Fleas hate citronella or d-limonene, which is a citrus oil,

Luckily it is easy to make:

Chop up lemon, orange or grapefruit skins and simmer them for 15 mins.

Add a few drops of oil to to it. Either a bit of neem oil or essential oils - either lemongrass, citronella, rosemary or lavender oil.

You can add a teaspoon of baking soda if the dog has itchy skin as well

Next add a spoonful of Dr. Bronner's Castile soap into the mixture in the warm water.

Then bathe the dog in it. Begin at the head (avoid the eyes), under the chin, top of the head, behind the ears etc.

Once the dog starts getting a soaking the fleas will jump off and drown

Start at the top it will stop them going there for safety.

After applying the shampoo, leave it on for 15 minutes before rinsing it off


DYI NATURAL FLEA SPRAY FOR DOGS

In a quart sized sprayer add 2 cups distilled water and 1 cup apple cider vinegar. I also put one cup of colloidal silver. ( or if not using silver 2 cups of vinegar) but the smell is going to be stronger. OR more water -
so just adjust how you prefer the strength of the vinegar. Then to that mix I had 1 teaspoon of Dr. Bronner's soap (as an emulsifer) then essential oils of peppermint, cedar and lemongrass or citronella. I usually use about 30 drops of each to the quart. Shake well.

So you can adjust this to the size of container you want to make. I would suggest experimenting with the vinegar. You could use straight vinegar for that matter as vinegar kills fleas on contact. But it is all about if your dog (and you) can tolerate the smell of it applied that strong. In a case of lots of fleas- don't hesitate to spray vinegar on them.

natural flea spray for dogsHere are 13 ways to use natural flea prevention for dogs as well as some natural flea treatments:  

  1. Feed a raw species-appropriate diet. See more info here about the raw food diet.
  2. Remove all chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, all toxic cleaners – stop using spot on topical or flea pills.( these not only have toxic side effects they also lower their vibration and make them more susceptible to pests in the long run) 
  3. Stop vaccinating your pets and wean off all pharmaceutical drugs.  More info on  vaccination.
  4. Give organic garlic every day. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes before adding it to your dog’s meal. A large dog can eat two decent-sized cloves of garlic daily while a small dog or cat can have one small clove.
  5. Add B-Vitamin supplements to their diet- nutritional yeast is a popular form. Add 1 t. to 1 tablespoon to food once per day depending on size of dog. 
  6. Adding apple cider vinegar about I - 2 tablespoon to their bowl daily seems to deter fleas due to the fact fleas do not like it! 
  7. Bath your dog frequently when fleas are present. See above recipe- always use a non-detergent shampoo like a Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap-or an organic dog shampoo if you don't have time to make your own.
  8. Use a spray on cedar essential oil spray or the make your own DYI recipe to the right. Use after the bath and before going out to the dog park or hikes.  
  9. Essential oils that help for dogs: Lemongrass, rosemary, cedar, geranium oil for ticks.  Mix with a carrier oil and apply to their collars, bandana, wipe them down with it before going out to tick and flea infested areas. Take the collar off after returning home so dog doesn't have to inhale essential oils all day.
  10. Vacuum your house and pet’s living quarters daily if possible- wash the pet’s bedding regularly
  11. Sprinkle carpets with borax, salt or baking soda and let set for 2-3 days or so before you vacuum it up to kill the fleas. If you have carpets shampoo your carpets with 20 MuleTeam Borax added to the water. (Rent a shampooer for this unless you own one) 
  12. Diatomaceous earth is best used outside around yard in cracks and crevices. Just  sprinkle the DE powder where fleas are usually found. This could be in the grass in your yard, your carpets in your home or even the areas where your pets sleep and play. 
  13. Purchase a batch of nematodes for the yard area - Beneficial Nematodes are live microscopic organisms (non-segmented round worms) that occur naturally in soil everywhere..


They are parasitic to  fleas in particular- that typically have a larval or pupal stage of life in the soil; however, they have been known to also parasitize above ground stages of adult fleas, nymphs and  the larvae. (click bag before to 

see how to order) 

nematodesAlso you can add apple cider vinegar in water their water bowl and/or food to deter fleas 

Organic rose geranium oil ( Pelargonium Capitatum x Radens) applied to shoulder blades can deter ticks and can help with fleas too

Another effective parasite dust can be made from any of the following herbs: ( all these powdered herbs are available on amazon- click bag below for neem powder) 


Powdered Rosemary 

Powdered Rue

Powdered Wormwood

Powered Neem

Powdered Yarrow

Diatomaceous Earth ( you can add this in or not)

Mix the herbs in equal parts in a shaker top jar and store in a cool, dark place. 

Dust the coat with this powder before venturing into tick infested areas, working it into the coat with your fingers.

I also recommend for added for assurance amber collars

(click on collar to see them) 

It is not a magic or a bluff it is physics and chemistry. There are two ways in which natural raw amber collar can  help to protect your pet. The first is a slight electric charge which comes from friction when amber beads rub into pet‘s fur. Another way is the aroma substances. Baltic Amber beads contain terpenes.

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