Control Fleas with All Natural Remedies
Citrus repellent:
Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog’s `armpits’.
Aromatherapy repellent. Using 10 ml. of sweet almond oil as your base, add 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of cedarwood. Shake well and use 1 or 2 drops spread over the skin at least twice a week to keep the fleas away.
Keep Fleas Away:
Plant the herb, ‘ Pennyroyal ‘, around your home or kennel, it repels fleas. You may also wish to grow and keep the herb inside your home or apartment.Bathe pets in a mixture of warm water and ‘ dawn Lemon Scented Liquid Soap ‘. ‘ dawn Lemon Scented Liquid soap ‘ is a great flea killer and repellent. If you have fleas coming inside, or notice them just outside your door, sprinkle a little ‘ Twenty Mule Team Borax Soap ‘, on the grass and lawn in this area.
Do not try keeping your pets out of the house if you are having a flea problem. The fleas will then attack you instead. Flea eggs are stimulated into hatching by activity, if the activity stops, so does the flea egg hatching cycle. Try vacuuming several times a day, this will stimulate the flea eggs into hatching and you can suck them up with the sweeper. Again change your sweeper bag daily since flea eggs can hatch inside the sweeper bag.
Dogs with fleas can be a real problem. Fleas are blood suckers, and where there’s one, you can be certain there are a whole lot more. Besides the usual minor itching and scratching a flea infestation causes, some dogs are extra-sensitive to flea saliva. Just one bite may be enough to bring on the unbearable itching of flea-allergy dermatitis (FAD). In severe cases, the cycle of itching and scratching causes the dog’s skin to thicken and her hair to fall out. The raw skin is also more vulnerable to bacterial infections.
Getting fleas out of the carpet: Vacuum regularly, remembering to do areas like under beds, around skirting boards and window sills.Sprinkle with borax and leave for 48 hours, then vacuum. Keep pets and children away during treatment.
Poor health attracts fleas:
There are a few natural remedies for the avoidance of fleas and also for flea control, BUT a healthy lifestyle, including a good natural diet and exercise can help to prevent fleas. Parasites are attracted to animals with ‘tasty’ blood, therefore feeding a lesser quantity of a high quality food may avoid the build up of toxic waste in the system which attract the parasites. Cleanliness in the pet and home is paramount to keeping fleas at bay. Vacuum around the house at least weekly, paying attention to cracks and crevices. Empty the vacuum straight away as the fleas could breed quite rapidly amongst the dust and debris in the bag. Launder your pets’ bed weekly in hot soapy water. Heat will kill fleas, larvae and eggs, so if possible dry the bedding using as high a heat as possible.
