HELP! Louie has fleas.

[mah4angelParticipant]

So, first of all, hi! I haven’t posted in here for a while. Life has been crazy. I moved to LA, got a new job, etc. Louie is doing GREAT on his homemade raw diet.
But now I’m pretty sure he has fleas. I say “pretty sure” but, he has fleas.
He started slowly but surely scratching a little bit more every day when we moved from Salinas, CA (central/northern coast of California- relatively cool, mild weather) to LA in January. He usually hits his hindquarters, paws, underbelly, and less so his face. I’ve been checking him for fleas periodically for a while now and hadn’t found anything. And then all of a sudden summer hit and his scratching got completely out of control very very suddenly. He’s scratching more now than not and EVERYWHERE. And then last night I found one TINY little bug near the hip of one of his hind legs. It was about the size of a spec of dirt, about the size of lice, actually and it scurried away when I parted his fur. Then I found another bug, bigger, about the size of one of those tiny flies but elongated. Friggin’ flea…
I’ve been bathing him with Dr. Harvey’s flea and tick shampoo and rotating between ONPS Herbal Defense Oil and Richard Organics Flea and Tick Spray and I’m so disheartened that my poor baby has fleas 🙁 How do I get rid of them holistically? How much do I have to worry about an infestation in my house?? What do I do for my poor Louie?

[NaturellaMember]

Hey! I think there was a threat on holistic ways to end fleas:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/forums/topic/heartworm-hookworm-tapeworm-roundworm-and-fleatick-prevention/

Also this:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/forums/topic/does-anybody-use-de/
And:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/forums/topic/anyone-in-the-market-for-food-grade-de/

So, you can look into these products: Diatomaceous Earth, or Cedarcide Best Yet. Good luck!!! 🙂

[crazy4catsMember]

Hi-
Also check out Springtime garlic tablets or granules. Several regular posters on this site recommend as a holistic way to prevent fleas. Good luck!

[Nicole VMember]

Hi mah4angel! Ugh, I can totally relate to the flea frustration…I live in Orange County and I also have to battle fleas naturally. My terrier mix is very sensitive to chemicals and would get pretty sick when I applied spot-on flea treatments. Once I read how dangerous they can be, I decided to take a different approach. Here’s some of the products I use for flea control, with web addys to purchase them. The following is cut & pasted from an email that I sent to a friend earlier this month…hope it helps you!

Diatomaceous earth (food grade) – I make a dry shampoo with this stuff (2 parts DE to 1 part corn starch stored in a glass jar) and rub it into the fur around the base of Cookie’s tail and around her neck and ears after her bath. From my own experience, DE is very effective against existing fleas.

Cedar spray – This can be sprayed onto a slicker brush and combed into a dog’s fur, if your dog is not sensitive to strong smells. Cookie is sensitive to everything, and was “depressed” after I applied this to her. She also acts “depressed” when the groomer sprays dog cologne on her, so it’s just her being a weirdo, and not an issue with the product. We sprayed some on the beagle and he was fine. It helps repel and even kill fleas and mosquitoes. It also can be sprayed around the home. I spray it on my screens and on the front door threshold. It smells like a campfire, so that’s the only downside.
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/CedarCide-Best-Yet-Pest-Repellent-Spray-4oz/550001.aspx

Herbal collar – I got this for Cookie to wear outdoors only…it can be stored in a Ziploc to maintain potency. It’s pretty much just an extra repellent and it actually smells pretty nice.
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Natural-Research-People-Herbal-Collar-with-Cedar/412000.aspx

Neem spray – This is just to help relieve any general itchiness, and also works as a mild repellent. I may spray this on her legs and tummy before a hike or visit to the dog park. She doesn’t get “depressed” when I put this on her. Mostly I just got this to use on myself. 🙂
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/DERMagic-Certified-Organic-Shampoo-Bars/532000.aspx

Apple cider vinegar – This is the method my students’ families use for their pets, and they swear by it! They mix it with water (50/50 ratio) and spray it on their dogs to kill and repel fleas. I haven’t tried this yet because I’m sure Cookie will hate it.

Vacuum and washer/dryer – This is my most hated method, but I have a strong feeling that it’s helping a lot. I vacuum at least 1-2 per week, and wash all bedding and blankets every week. Boo…it sucks.

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