Natural Flea and Tick Control

What are your options for flea and tick control if you do not wish to use sprays, pills, or injections? Several healthy alternatives exist.

• Apply herbal flea powder “sparingly” to your pet’s coat.

• Use herbal flea collars.

• Apply natural skin tonic as a general skin toner, parasite repellent, and mange treatment.

• Add nutritional or brewer’s yeast and garlic to the animal’s diet.

• Treat your carpets with a special antiflea mineral salt.

• Occasionally (once or twice a year) sprinkle natural, unrefined diatomaceous earth (which kills insects) along your walls, under your furniture, and in cracks where you cannot vacuum, but not directly on your animals.

• Use sprays or powders containing pyrethrins or natural pyrethrums, which are the least toxic of all insecticides used on pets.

• Another gentle weapon against fleas is a good flea comb with tightly spaced teeth. Your pet should be combed frequently during flea season, probably every day. When you find fleas, drop them into a bucket of soap suds to kill them and stop their spread.

• Try all-natural, preservative-free foods that are good remedies for or preventors of fleas: along with brewer’s yeast, try raw garlic, zinc, and barley grass concentrates. Check with your veterinarian regarding the proper dosages depending on weight.

• Natural repellents do exist. Essential oils such as citronella, tea tree, wintergreen, and eucalyptus have been shown to work.

• Vacuum all surfaces where fleas and their eggs may live, and wash blankets and sheets in hot water.

Adapted from The Healthy Pet Manual: A Guide to the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer by Deborah Straw (Healing Arts Press, 2005).

Read more: Pests, Pets, cats, dogs, fleas, ticks

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Krista T.

6:56AM PST on Feb 7, 2012

PLEASE BE AWARE : EUCALYPTUS OIL IS TOXIC TO CATS ! AS ARE SEVERAL OTHERS . BEFORE USING ANY OILS ON YOUR PETS , PLEASE LOOK THEM UP TO MAKE SURE THEY SRE SAFE !

send a green star

Mel M.

5:56AM PST on Jan 22, 2012

thank you

Ans W.

7:22AM PST on Jan 20, 2012

thank you, gonna try this

Kristina C.

11:57AM PST on Jan 19, 2012

Thank you for the great post. I took note of:
"Natural repellents do exist. Essential oils such as citronella, tea tree, wintergreen, and eucalyptus have been shown to work." I will try to have eucalyptus in containers around the dogdoor - it does not hurt to try!

Please sign my petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/give-a-pitbull-a-chance/

grace c.

11:06PM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

Another thing, all these natural cures, if they do work, take forever and a day and while you're waiting for the fleas to die off, your animals are suffering. Just because its called "natural" does not mean its good for your pets or for yourself for that matter. I use natural products whenever its feasible but not to the pain and aggravation of my guys. If it annoys my cats, I want it stopped ASAP!

11:01PM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

I hate to say this but I used the original Advantage when it first came out. Believe me, when I saw what fleas can do to cats, I would use frontline now with no problem. Someone said they are going to remove the food and water dishes out of the room to put this product on the cats necks. Unless you're applying it from 20 yards away, its not going in the food dishes. Just put a drop on the back of their necks, what's the problem. My cats, once I got rid of the initial infestation, have never seen a flea again. I used the products exactly twice. My cats survived quite well and all have or are living into their twenties. I would much prefer to give the one dose of frontline to my cats rather than see them and the agony they go through with fleas. My cats are all indoor cats but years ago I brought in two kittens who were loaded with them. I hadn't experienced fleas before and never again will. The Advantage, the forerunner to frontline has left my guys with no adverse effects and are surviving nicely with out the stress of fleas ever again. By the way, a friend suggested diatomaceous earth those many years ago, did absolutely nothing to get rid of bugs, in fact, the bugs I see now, many generations later have white powder on their underbellies. This is telling me they've gotten use to this and now I'm stuck with them. AND as for the fleas from way back then, they were killed off by the original Advantage. It killed the fleas and then within a day the larva was gone also.

Jennifer M.

10:25PM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

I just went to the vet today and found that my pets have fleas. She recommended Frontline. I dont like this, but the last time my cats had fleas, an emergency blood transfusion was needed. I didnt want that, so I put just a drop of frontline on one of my cats. Havent gotten to the other yet. I want to clear any food/water from the room first. My vet also recommended brewers yeast, but said no garlic for anyone - it has proven toxic. I am also going to try sprinkling plain table salt on my carpet. I tried this b4, and it worked. What does anyone think of spraying the carpet with hydrogen peroxide and vacuuming the next day? or maybe a baking soda/water spray? Or vinegar spray?

Cindy M.

9:28PM PDT on Jul 25, 2011

It's not that garlic is bad for dogs, it's that they could be. Too much or/and for too long of periods at a time, can build up to liver damage. It's the same for cats too. But it's a great antibiotic, if needed, and I still use it on both dogs & cats. You don't want to give huge amounts, like cut a clove up, and keep a good watch on them. If they seem fine, you can continue to give it for a few days. But DO be leery, because it can be fatal. You are taking a bit of a risk, esp. if you've never given that pet any before.Also, the bigger the animal, the more apt they are to more likely have more tolerance to it. But for keeping off fleas & ticks, garlic oil on their fur, &/or in their bedding etc., is a safer approach with it.

Cindi N.

10:55AM PDT on Jul 19, 2011

Ticks have been extremely bad in TN this year not much of anything is working.

christy s.

12:05PM PDT on May 11, 2011

Garlic is deadly for dogs. One should NEVER feed garlic to their dogs. Bad advice.