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Niagara’s Flea & Tick Season Underway: 8 Natural Flea Treatments

Niagara’s Flea & Tick Season Underway: 8 Natural Flea Treatments

on Apr 1, 2014 in Blog, Health & Fitness, Pets & Vets | 0 comments

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – There have been reports in the Niagara Region complaining that pets have fleas, starting early this Spring season, considering snow is still on the melt.

cat fleaIs your pet itchy? These 8 Natural Flea Treatments below will bring relief to your scratching pet & yourself.

Flea bites get infected causing great discomfort to animals as the fleas extract and drink the blood of your pet, and leave saliva on the skin, causing allergic reactions, itching & scratching.

Maybe you wish to try natural treatments instead of applying poison to the skin of your pet or carpets, curtains, sofas, and bedding, as many of us are looking for more holistic solutions.

Plan of Attack: Clean, Clean, Clean!

  1. Clean all soft furniture, bedding and carpets.
  2. Apply a natural treatment to all cleaned surfaces & bedding.
  3. Remove and drown as many living fleas from your pet as you can.
  4. Wash the animal to get rid of lea eggs, dirt & dried blood.
  5. When animal is clean and dry, apply a natural treatment.

Various natural flea treatment methods are available:

1. Diatomaceous Earth:

Haeckel DiatomeaIt’s worth a try! This remedy works on fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, bed bugs, cockroaches, crickets, spiders & many other pests with an exoskeleton.

D.E. is the pulverized, fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae.

  • 1 1/2 lbs diatomaaceous earth
  • natural borax – 1 1/2 lbs
  • salt – 1 cup

Food grade D.E. is available & is not harmful to mammals, like your pets. So, if they lick it off of themselves or things around your home, they won’t be hurt. Food grade D.E. can be used alone to lightly dust your pets & home’s floors, soft furniture & bedding.

However, to hard-shelled pests have a tough time with D.E., as it attaches itself to the outer shell facilitating dehydration. As well, it is abrasive to their exoskeletons, cutting them, and further damaging their skin, ultimately killing them.

In Niagara Falls, you can find D.E. available for $22.99 + tax @ Global Pet Foods on 3643 Portage Rd.

2. Salt or Baking Soda:

Salt & baking soda are in almost every single kitchen. These 2 basic pantry items kill fleas.

  1. Sprinkle on carpets.
  2. Allow to sit for one day.
  3. Vacuum.
  4. Discard vacuum bag.

3. Natural Pet Shampoo for Fleas:

This combination makes an effective shampoo.

 

  1. Wet pet.
  2. Apply shampoo mixture working through fur.
  3. Rinse well.

4. Flea Comb:

Use a flea comb after applying soap in a bath.

  1. Run comb through your pets’ hair.
  2. Trap the fleas in comb.
  3. Drown fleas in hot soapy water.
  • Tip: Try using the flea comb coated in petroleum jelly. You will pick up more fleas.

5. Natural Flea Collar:

Flea collars from pet shops constantly emit toxins, which your pet inhales and so do you. They are poisonous necklaces.

A natural flea collar can be made easily…

  1. Soak a soft collar or bandana in a mixture of:
    • lavender1 drop lavender oil
    • 1 drop citronella
    • 1 drop cedar wood oil
    • 1 drop thyme oil
    • 1/2 tsp rubbing alcohol
    • contents of at least 4 or 5 garlic capsules
  2. Dry and put it on pet.

6. Natural Flea Trap:

  1. In a dish with a couple inches of water add a bit of dish soap.
  2. Place dish in carpeted area with a light source a few inches from the water.
  3. Turn other lights off & leave overnight.
  4. Fleas will be attracted to the lamp heat and will jump into water where they drown.
  5. Flush contents away.

7. Brewer’s Yeast & Garlic:

Try using brewer’s yeast and garlic in your pet’s food. Fleas don’t like the taste in the animal’s blood and stay away.

8. Essential Oils:

Treat pet fleas with essential oils they don’t appreciate…

  1. Use these oils by themselves or in combination with each other.
  2. The oils coat the fleas.
  3. Remove with flea comb, shampoo & rinse.

Hopefully, these 8 Natural Flea Treatments will help you along the way this season in Niagara. Enjoy the outdoors!

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