Hello

I've got a bit of a flea problem. I have been vacuuming and washing dog beds and bathing the dogs with Zodiac flea shampoo that also kills eggs. A couple weeks ago I did my regular routine but also used Zodiac flea drops that you put on their neck. (I REALLY hate topical flea treatments as they are oily, messy, and I have heard so many reports of pets getting sick from them).

Unfortunately none of this worked as my dogs are still scratching (and I found a few flea eggs the other day).

I have obviously been keeping the population down as this has been going on since August and I have yet to see an actual flea, but i have not managed to entirely eliminate them.

I bought flea/flea egg collars but with all the shampooing and now the flea drops, I am hesitant to pile even more chemicals into their and my system and thought I'd find out if anyone has a better way.

Suggestions for chemical-free flea elimination??

Dawn dish soap diluted does a good job. Just leave it on for about 5-10 minutes and use a conditioner/remoisturizer when you're done.

flea collars in my experience are garbage. Don't bother with them.

As far as topicals. They work but you get what you pay for. Zodiac isn't one I'd bother with. Their room spray is fine but their topicals are junk in my opinion.

I'm sure someone else will bring up the wonders of D-earth.

The key I find to being flea free is to identify where they're coming from once you kill the ones in your home. If you have an indoor outdoor cat, treat the cat with solid product like frontline. They're nearly always the vector. If your yard is being contaminated by wildlife treat the yard, etc.

I have a friend who is a vet tech. She said that flea shampoos are kind of a joke because if you get your dog wet and shampoo it all up and let it sit a few minutes, fleas die, no matter what kind of shampoo it is. We've tested that and it's true - they drown in the suds. So it's not necessary to use chemicals in shampoo, you just have to make sure you soap 'em up good.

We have put that Mule Team Borax in our carpet (sprinkle it on, use a a clean stiff broom and massage it into the carpet), and it dehydrates the fleas and eggs in 24 hours - it really works and last for up to a year. After a day or two, vacuum and throw the bag away. The powder stays in the carpet and keeps killing anything in there. It's what FleaBusters is basically.

I don't like putting the flea stuff, like Frontline, on my dog either, but after talking with my dermo vet, I think it's better than the dog being miserable - and one flea can make them miserable! She said she has seen dogs using Frontline (which she says works the best of them all), for many years and has never seen a dog get sick or have skin problems with it. She uses it on her own pets, and she is VERY conservative with drug use. She likes the most minimal treatment as possible. Especially if your dogs have allergies, it's about the only way to keep them flea free. You don't have to use the whole vile of those products - i.e. if your dog weighs 60 lbs and you buy the Frontline for 55-80lb size dog, you can put only 1/2 of the product on and see if that does a good enough job.

@Melissa - thanks for the info. I will try the Dawn dish soap. I just googled it and other people say it works too. For the conditioner is human conditioner OK to use on them?

I do not have a cat, but all my neighbors have outdoor cats as well as multiple dogs so I am sure my yard has fleas in it. I could treat with diatomaceous earth, but there's snow out now, so I didn't know if it would be effective.

@Lori: I did try Borax in the house but the flea infestation is still there. I used in in my couch and also on the rugs that I use under the dog crates (to protect my hardwood floors). I did not vacuum it up.

I read the following on a PRO-Frontline web site. It's not exactly confidence-inspiring:

 Quote: Frontline Plus For Dogs

Are there any side effects of Frontline Plus?

Fipronil (the chemical ingredients in Frontline Plus) has been shown in studies to be neurotoxic to dogs and rats and affects the reproduction of rats. There have also been some disturbing reports of carcinogenicity (cancer causing) in the rat studies (however it must be stated that rats in these studies were given large amounts of fipronil and not the usual dose rate that is given to dogs/cats in flea prevention). It is classed as a Possible Human Carcinogen based on the studies done on rats. Constant exposure is the worry and there was a warning issued in 1996 regarding the Frontline spray product to all pet groomers and veterinarians who would be exposed at a far greater level than the public as there is a greater chance of inhalation and absorption of the product through the skin at increasing doses with these professions. The most common side effect seen with Frontline Plus application is skin irritation at the point of application. However there have been reports of animals that are allergic to Fipronil, and these animals will react violently to the product.

I will consider it as a last resort if I have to. I'm hoping to do this without using any more chemicals, but I know that may not be possible.


ETA: Above text quoted from http://www.ask-the-vet.com/frontline-plus-dogs.htm



Edited by Connie Sutherland (11/21/2008 11:19 AM)
Edit reason: ETA: Provide citation for pasted text

If it's snowing outside pretty much the fleas out there are dormant or fleacicles. Don't bother treating the yard. Odds are it cooled down and your fleas came in from the outdoors to be warm. I had this occur last year but happily I used some precautions and didn't have a reoccurance this year. I use powdered soap outside of the doors and bugs just won't crawl over it.

First off, treat your dog and give them some peace of mind. Frontline is a good product, everything has risks but I agree with another poster that it is one of the best options out there for truly nuking your flea issue. Put it on after your bath. If you do this and treat your house either with a spray, bomb, or whatever one application should be more than enough.

As far as conditioner I've used little kids conditioner in a pinch but I don't make a habit of it. If you go to a megalopet store you can find some very decent conditioners in the clearance bin. I suggest Nova Pearls if you can find it.

Best of luck with the culling.

Melissa