Although I
use Front Line on the animals regularly and you can buy it easily over here in
Italy, I really don’t like using chemicals on my pets. So I’ve put together a
few natural flea remedies. Please add your own in the comments box and perhaps
together we can defeat the little blighters!
Please note
that you try these at your own risk, use your common sense. I can’t vouch for
their efficacy!
FOR YOUR
HOME (not the pets!)
- Salt. Simple, cheap and quite
effective it basically dries them up. You sprinkle it everywhere a flea
might go (down the backs of settees, cracks in the floor, under pet
bedding and so on.) Leave it there as long as possible – a few days or
longer is ideal. Vacuum up. I have heard it’s a good idea to pulverise the
salt in a coffee grinder, but I couldn’t be bothered!
- Try leaving a bowl of soapy
water – a few drops of washing up liquid - overnight near a lamp in a dark
room. (Safety tip – pets, electricity and water DO NOT MIX – so be careful
when you try this one! Exclude the animals and small children) The theory
is that the fleas are drawn to the light and then throw themselves in the
water, get covered in the soap film, sink and drown.
- Vacuuming. Obvious but regular
vacuuming can suck up fleas and their eggs. Remember to get rid of the
contents of the hoover bag afterwards,
preferably by burning. However adding salt to the bag will also dry
them up.
- Borax – easily obtained this is
a real flea buster as they hate the stuff it fries them up – hooray! Mix
it with salt and use on rugs and carpets, in cracks and so on or in the
hoover bag. Be careful with exposing curious pets to this and don’t use it
for too long.
FOR YOUR DOG
- Fleas hate garlic, so try
adding some garlic to your dog’s food as well as some drops of vinegar to
his drinking water. Cider vinegar is best, but I haven’t been able to find
that in Italy. Don’t try this with cats (the garlic) as it has been known
to cause damage to feline red blood cells.
- Talking of drinking water, you
can try adding a few drops of homeopathic crabapple flower essence (NOT
OIL) to your dog’s drinking water. A lot of farmacie in Italy have
a homeopathic bit and crab apple is mela salvatica. If you can’t
get it where you are you can always try online.
- Buy one of those plastic spray
bottles and fill with a fragrant mix of 50:50 water and cider or white
vinegar. Throw in some crushed garlic cloves, a few drops of olive oil and
washing up liquid. Shake it up and spray the poor pooch ensuring you avoid
sensitive areas like the nose and mouth. I have tried this and it does
work, but you may find the smell makes you resort to Front Line again!
- A more pleasant smelling
alternative is to steep lemons in boiling water and let stand overnight
then put in your spray bottle and spray your hound, again avoiding
sensitive areas.
- Obvious but make sure you brush
your dog and cat daily as it does get rid of the gritty flea poop and
loose hairs and makes them easier to spot.
- When shampooing make a ring of
soap to stop the varmints fleeing (groan) to higher ground. Of course
there are flea shampoos you can buy here but for a gentler alternative try
a herbal shampoo with rosemary,
bergamot, lavender, citronella, pine, juniper, geranium or geranium. Be
careful about the eyes and nose as always when shampooing your dog.
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