Looking for success stories about *natural* flea/tick control for pets...

[Jill- OK]

Yes, we're getting a dog. :-o

 

One of the things I'm firm on, is a search for natural alternatives to traditional flea/tick control. Sooo...I'm looking for success stories. Or warnings about what hasn't worked.

 

I've done some reading and researching...I'd just like some been-there-done-that anecdotes, KWIM? :001_smile:

 

I'd also prefer to hear from those in the South/Southwest, who live in regions like ours...lots of ticks, and always the chance for mild winters, and even MORE ticks. As a matter of fact...if you have any common-sense, natural ways to combat ticks (we had chickens, and plan to get more)...I'd love to hear ideas for that, too.

 

I'm all ears, ladies!

[LaxMom]

In my experience, I have not found any of the natural alternatives to work adequately. We use Frontline. In the toss-up between flea/tick stuff concerns and concerns about the vectors of disease that are ticks, especially deer ticks, the Frontline wins for me.

 

(And if I could top-spot my kids, I might consider it.)

[Guest kacifl]

it is waterproof. We only have to apply it about twice a year.

 

We use to have a cat that wandered through the neighborhood and apparently would bring fleas home from his journeys. Thus, we needed to apply meds to cat and dog monthly. When the cat passed away, we didn't have anymore fleas. However, the dog will pick one up occasionally or bring them home from the groomer's. But still... only two applications a year.

[Mamagistra]

We use monthly oral tablets (Comfortis) for year-round flea control...simple enough since we are giving them heartworm tablets monthly anyhow. We've had no breakthrough with the Comfortis.

 

As for ticks, frankly, we just check for them and remove them manually. If the outdoor dogs seem to be picking up an unusual number of ticks, our vet offers a collar that is effective. I prefer not to use topicals or collars on our indoor dogs.

 

Not terribly natural, sorry. ;) Though I will say we've hardly seen a tick (or a snake!) since we've enlarged our chicken flock and added a couple o' crazy guineafowl. :D

[Aggie]

Though I will say we've hardly seen a tick (or a snake!) since we've enlarged our chicken flock and added a couple o' crazy guineafowl. :D

 

Debra...can you tell me about your fowl set-up? :001_smile: Are they free range? Do the dogs bother them at all? We have several strays who have adopted us and I can't imagine them leaving any birds alone.

[Rosie_0801]

We used to grind up garlic tablets to put in the dog and cat's food. It worked pretty well.

 

Rosie

[Mamagistra]

Debra...can you tell me about your fowl set-up? :001_smile: Are they free range? Do the dogs bother them at all? We have several strays who have adopted us and I can't imagine them leaving any birds alone.

 

Hi Aggie,

 

The birds are mostly free-range, and the outdoor dogs (border collie littermates) pretty much ignore them entirely. In puppyhood, there was an incident (the great Valentine's Day Chicken Massacre :glare:), so we did some early training with an Innotek collar and wire, which was pretty effective. Now they behave. My eldest dd even taught one of the dogs how to herd errant birds, so that's pretty funny. :D

 

The indoor dogs are a bit more eager to chase chickens once in a while, however, the two big, goofy danes don't really catch them, and the pug couldn't bite one if he wanted to! :tongue_smilie:

[Supertechmom]

I used apple cider vinegar in the dog's water and bathed him in it every so often. We are in deep south where we have summer for 9 months, spring for 1 and winter for 2 :D He was a short haired and I never saw fleas or had any bites or ticks either. And he was an outside dog. I would also spray his main area with apple cider vinegar after any rain as well as the door ways and entrance areas of the yard. I've heard that if you feed your dog a raw balanced diet they will not have fleas or stink. We did that for a while and it seemed to work but then I got pregnant and couldn't stomach him chowing down on a dead chicken :tongue_smilie:

[Jill- OK]

...for those who use Frontline...are your dogs indoor, sleep-with-the-kids dogs? That's one reason I'm hesitant to use topicals/collars.

 

And Debra...how did you know I'd been thinking about guineas? ;)

 

I'll keep in mind the apple cider vinegar and garlic tablet thoughts, as well as tablets for flea control.

 

I have to check kids daily for ticks...what's another four-legged one, lol?

 

Thanks again for the responses, guys.

[joannqn]

We have mild weather here so fleas can be a problem some times. We generally don't treat our cats/dog (all indoor/outdoor) until they have symptoms. Once we are aware there are fleas, we treat naturally and with success every time. We bath the animals with regular, non-flea shampoo. It works just as well at getting the fleas. Then we treat the carpet and fabric furniture. We vacuum well and dump the canister outside. Then we sprinkle a light amount of a mixture of 1 part salt, 1 part baking soda, and some lemon essential oil. I leave that mixture on the carpet and under the couch cushions until the next time I vacuum. (I use the broom to sweep it into the fibers.). I reply the salt mixture every time I vacuum for the next couple of weeks. It's worked every time...even when we brought home two kittens with very severe infestations...and we avoid having pesticides in our home.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I live in Texas. Pretty much flea central according to most people. Here is my story (lol):

 

When my daughter was about 4, we lived in Louisiana and the fleas were BAD. My DAUGHTER ended up with fleas and I was UPSET. I should probably have called a doctor and wouldn't just do this now, but at the time I didn't think. I used flea spray on her head then washed her thoroughly and swore we'd never have another animal if my KID got fleas again.

 

At that time, we scrubbed down the animals, boraxed and salted the house, etc. Since then, I've never seen more than one or two fleas and do the same.

 

When I got my puppy, she had fleas. I used lemon on her and then bathed her before we let her in the house. We checked her like mad for a week to be sure we didn't have any issue.

[Firefly]

We too have found the biggest help has been our free-ranging hens! They have kept the tick population very low, and we are at ground zero for Lyme disease.

 

That said, I do treat our dog with Biospot in the summer. Tess is an indoor and outdoor dog and I don't want to take the chance one will sneak in on her. We tried Frontline for a while but I would find dead ticks on her-- and she must have been sensitive to tick bites because she'd get an awful welt where the tick had bitten her. The Biospot seems to keep them from even biting. I just never find ticks on her anymore, period. (No fleas, either). Tess is very furry Aussie (they are double-coated) and I have to dig way down through her fur to apply the Biospot to her skin. Still, I don't allow the kids to pet her for at least 24hrs after we apply it, just as a precaution.

 

I've tried many natural alternatives and so far I haven't found one that worked the way I wanted to. The only thing that helped even a little was putting a few drops of essential oils (rose geranium and lavender) on a bandana and having her wear it.

[Murphy101]

...for those who use Frontline...are your dogs indoor, sleep-with-the-kids dogs? That's one reason I'm hesitant to use topicals/collars.

 

 

 

well for the first time ever I paid a pro to come in and spray the house inside and out. our ticks and fleas were difficult last year, but just impossible this year. I couldn't type at my computer without seeing ticks crawling across the floor and we had horrible fleas on the dog even in the dead of winter. So I had enough and called a pro. we've used natural mean in the past to a "good enough" effect, but for some reason the last 18 months have just been worse than I remember?

 

we use advantage for the dog (because it is supposed to have a repelling agent in it too and frontline just didn't seem to work as well) and frontline for the cat (which oddly enough has never had a flea or tick on her, but we're being proactive). both are pets are indoor, sleep with kids pets.

 

We treat them at night and contain them until the next night, so there's nothing coming off onto little hands. And it's placed right under the collar area anyways, so not where the hand normally comes into contact.

 

I used all of the methods mentioned plus some other things on a daily/weekly basis. a power that is supposed to get under the ticks/fleas skeleton and grind them up internally, borax and vacuuming daily, the garlic, and vinegar and a few other suggestions that skip my memory at the moment.

 

None of it treated it effectively in my opinion. and it reached the point where any negative of the frontline/advantage was coming up even or less than having an infestation of fleas and ticks. and I wanted it all treated before the baby was born. So we started with the pets, then the house, then the yard. and now have a much better situation.

 

I'd still start natural because I think it's fine if the problem isn't too difficult and b/c I think over use of chemicals leads to the needs for stronger chemicals (same as with antibiotics) and b/c I don't want my kids exposed more than truely neccessary to such things, esp in our home.

 

Dh says he'll not spend that kind of money again though - he'll go straight to saving some money and sweat and to just get it done and over with in 1 effort that we now call a "nuclear strike" (lol our term for calling in the pros to deal with it and using all the chem stuff on the pets)