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Fleas are the nightmare of any dog guardian.
Not only will these tiny bloodsucking parasites trouble your dog and cause excessive itching as well as scratching, once they are in your house, they will lay eggs on your carpet, furniture as well as any other place they can get an access to.
To understand how to get rid of fleas, you first need to understand the life cycle of fleas:
The flea life cycle
The life cycle of a flea is divided into four stages:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa
- Adult
The adult fleas are the ones which infest your dog. These will stick to your dog’s fur and lay their eggs. Every time your dog shakes, scratches or lays down, the eggs spread throughout your home as well as yard. These fleas then start hatching into larvae. The most preferred location for this hatch is the bed, sofa or the carpet.
The larvae then form cocoons during the pupa stage. Following this, they hatch and become adults which then infest the animal hosts.
Why am I telling you this? You need to be aware of the flea life cycle because the treatment for fleas depend on the stage of their life cycle. Thus, always make sure to read the label properly and follow the directions when using flea medication.
The quickest, safest way to clear fleas is a flea product your vet recommends, used on every dog and cat in the home, plus a good clean of your house. “Natural” doesn’t mean safe: many essential oils and plant remedies are toxic to dogs and especially cats. Below I’ll show you what really works, and which popular home remedies don’t.Keep reading for the steps that work on your dog, in your home and in your yard.
How to treat fleas on your dog?
If your dog is scratching and you find fleas or flea dirt (black specks that turn red on wet paper) when you comb, here’s what to do: 1) Call your vet for a flea product; many kill fleas within hours to a day and keep working for a month or more. 2) Treat every pet in the home, including cats, with a product made for that species. Some dog flea products, such as permethrin spot-ons, are poisonous to cats. 3) Comb your dog daily with a fine flea comb and drop the fleas into soapy water. 4) Treat your home (below). 5) Keep going for at least three months.
Popular Home Remedies for Fleas: What Works and What Doesn’t
| Remedy | Does it work? | Safe? |
|---|---|---|
| Vet-recommended flea chew, spot-on or collar | Yes, kills fleas on the dog and stops new ones for weeks to months | Yes, when used as labelled for your dog’s weight. Tell your vet if you also have cats or your dog has had seizures |
| Fine-toothed flea comb + soapy water | Yes, removes adult fleas; good for puppies too young for some products | Yes |
| Bath with a flea shampoo labelled for dogs | Kills fleas on the dog that day, but no lasting effect | Yes, if labelled for dogs (and puppies, if yours is young) |
| Washing bedding hot, daily vacuuming | Yes, removes eggs, larvae and pupae from the home | Yes |
| Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (spray or in water) | No good evidence | Stings eyes and scratched skin; can put dogs off water |
| Lemon juice, lemon baths, citrus sprays | No good evidence | Lemon peel and oils are toxic to dogs and cats; can irritate skin |
| Essential oils (tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint, cedar, lavender, citronella), sprays or homemade collars | No reliable effect | No: can cause drooling, wobbliness, liver damage or seizures; worse in cats |
| Vodka collars, neem, coconut oil, rosemary rinses | No good evidence | Delays real treatment while fleas breed |
| Brewer’s yeast or garlic in food | No: a controlled study found yeast didn’t repel or kill fleas | Garlic is toxic to dogs |
Read more: how to spot flea dirt, are flea collars safe?, fleas in dogs and how to get rid of ticks on dogs.
Personal note from the original post (kept verbatim): “If your pup is anything like mine who does not like being sprayed or having new products applied directly on his coat, this remedy might just be the one for you.” This referred to the now-removed flea sachet advice, which is not recommended; for a dog that dislikes sprays, ask your vet about an appropriate oral flea product.
A bath and a flea comb
A bath with a dog shampoo can drown and wash off many adult fleas. Lather well, leave it on for a few minutes, rinse thoroughly and comb with a flea comb. Use a shampoo labelled for dogs (avoid “natural” ones with essential oils). A bath only helps that day: it won’t stop new fleas jumping on from your home, so pair it with a vet-recommended flea product.
How to remove fleas from the house?
Only removing fleas from your dog’s coat and fur is not enough. Once your flea infested dog has entered the house, your house has also got infested by fleas. Thus, the next step is to clean your house and get rid of the fleas so that your dog does not land up with a flea infestation again.
Machine wash
To get rid of fleas from your household, the first step is to wash all the beds, towels, pillows, blankets and mats in the washing machine.
Tumble dry
Washing of all furnishings is very important. However, putting all of them in the tumble dryer will be more effective. If your furnishings spend 15 minutes in the hot tumble dryer, they will get rid of fleas in any stage of growth (egg, larvae, pupa or adult).
Vacuum
Water-based vacuum cleaning can drown fleas as they are picked up. If you use a dry vacuum cleaner, the fleas may try to escape when you open the canister. Empty the canister outside your home and dispose of the contents. Vacuum before you use any household flea spray: the vibration makes new fleas hatch out of their cocoons, so the spray can reach them.
Baking soda
Baking soda can be directly sprayed on your carpet. Following this, if you work it into the carpet fibers with a brush, the fleas and their eggs will get dehydrated. Leave it on your carpet overnight. The next morning you can just vacuum up the fleas.
Salt
Salt works pretty much in the same manner as baking soda. Sprinkle salt on your carpets and furnishing overnight and vacuum the next day. One point to note here is that salt needs to be used with caution, as it can cause rusting in your vacuum cleaner. Thus, make sure to properly clean out all the salt from your vacuum cleaner after using.
Steam cleaning
Steam cleaning your furnishings and carpets will drown the fleas on impact.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder made from fossilised algae. If you use it, choose food-grade, wear a mask, sprinkle a thin layer on carpets, keep pets and people out of the room for 48 hours and then vacuum well. The dust irritates lungs and stomachs if pets breathe it in or lick it off, so never put it on your dog. A household flea spray with an insect growth regulator (IGR), used as labelled, is usually more reliable.
Flea trap
For this, fill a bowl or plate with some warm water and add a few drops of dish soap. Leave this on the floor overnight. The viscosity of the mixture will act as a glue and trap fleas. Next morning, empty out the mixture and wash your bowl or plate.
Get rid of fleas in your backyard
Backyard is the most common source of fleas as it provides a rich habitat for flea growth. There are many simple yet effective methods to get rid of the fleas in your backyard.
- Trim or eliminate the hedges and bushes. Try to keep your garden free of weeds.
- Remove the twigs and dead leaves from under the bushes. Allow sunlight to enter your backyard as much as possible and prevent over watering of plants.
- Keep wildlife such as raccoons, opossums and stray cats out of your yard; they carry fleas in.
- Regular mowing of your garden will keep the fleas at bay.
Remember, the flea life cycle can take anywhere from two weeks to several months, and pupae can wait in carpets for months. Keep every pet on flea control for at least three months after you see the last flea, and keep vacuuming and washing bedding.
Ask your vet for a fast-acting flea product (some oral tablets start killing fleas within hours) and treat every dog and cat in the home. A bath with a dog flea shampoo and a flea comb help on the day, but they don’t stop new fleas hatching from your home.
You can do a lot at home: comb your dog daily, wash bedding hot, vacuum every day and throw the vacuum contents away outside. But home remedies like vinegar, lemon or essential oils don’t clear an infestation, and some are toxic. Over-the-counter products labelled for dogs, used exactly as the label says, are an option; your vet can recommend the most effective one.
No, not as a home remedy. Tea tree, eucalyptus, pennyroyal, cedar, citrus and other oils can be absorbed through the skin or licked off and can cause drooling, wobbliness, liver damage or seizures. Cats are even more sensitive, so never use them in a home with cats either.
There’s no good evidence that apple cider vinegar kills or repels fleas, whether you spray it on or add it to water. It can sting scratched skin and put some dogs off drinking.
Usually about three months. Flea pupae can survive in carpets and furniture for months, so keep every pet on flea control for at least three months and keep vacuuming and washing bedding, even after you stop seeing fleas.
Yes. Fleas cause itching and flea allergy dermatitis, can cause anemia in puppies and small or elderly dogs, and spread tapeworms when a dog swallows a flea while grooming. Ask your vet about deworming if your dog has had fleas.
Conclusion
Now that you have numerous methods of flea prevention as well as elimination at your disposal, write in the comment section below, which method is your favorite and which one is the least favorable to you. Has your dog ever suffered from fleas? What did you do to help him or her?
Thank you for reading.
See you in my next post Shruti
