Pet Diabetes Support Group

Neem oil:

http://www.neemfoundation.org

http://www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/neem.html

Recommended ratio for making spray solution: mix 1 teaspoon pure neem oil in a quart of warm water and 1/4 tsp. liquid dishwashing soap (non-antibacterial, mild soap e.g. ivory). Shake it well to mix properly. Quantity of neem oil can be increased proportionately for making spray in larger quantities. Neem oil can be added to regular shampoo for controlling itchy scalp and dandruff.
For pets, neem oil can be added to pet shampoo to kill ticks and fleas or the area where the pets usually use can be treated with neem oil spray. Store neem oil in a cool dark place, away from sunlight. In case neem oil solidifies due to low temperatures, put the bottle in warm water (below 95 degree F) to liquefy. Putting the bottle in very hot water may reduce the effectiveness of oil.
Caution: Pure neem oil is for external use only. Test a small area before using neem oil.

Tea Tree Oil:

Tea Tree Oil is Effective Against
Gram Positive bacteria: Staphyloccus aureus, Staphyloccus epidermidis, Staphyloccus pneumoniae, Staphyloccus faecalis, Staphyloccus pyrogenes, Staphyloccus agalactiae, Propioni-bacterium acnes, Betahaemolytic streptococcus. Gram Negative bacteria: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniac, Citrobactor ssp, Shigella sonnei, Proteus mirabilis, Legionella ssp, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa. Fungi: Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Aspergillus niger,,
Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Thermoactinomycetes vulgaris.

http://www.medicinenet.com/tea_tree_oil-topical/article.htm

Neem (again)

The neem capsules are comprised of finely ground neem leaf and are best for internal use. Bulk neem powder is exactly the same as the contents of the neem caps. Most dogs don't seem to have a problem eating it and we have found it to be a very convenient way of administering the dosage. Neem caps are 500mg. A good rule of thumb is to give one cap or 500mg. per 10 lbs. of body weight per day. Up to eight (8) caps a day is sufficient for large breeds weighing 80 to 100 lbs.

The only time I have ever heard of anyone giving their dog yeast was to help control fleas. I have never tried it.

Frontline

Whiskers had them a few months ago, too. Frontline is a great medicine, it worked great for Whiskers, one application lasts 4-6 weeks (we only used 2 applications, so about 2 months and fleas were gone), and he could get wet without it coming off (as a cat I don't think he, nor I, were interested in that option). You have to get Frontline from the vet, and it is best to use it for at least 2 applications and in both households. Compared to the stuff you can buy at the store that doesn't really work, it is pretty cheap. ($15 per application) They have a website with info on it, and I think you'd have to treat the cats as well.

The way it works is that it goes in the animals skin, and whenever an adult flea or larvae touch the skin it will die within 48 hours. It doesn't kill the eggs, but this way it still really works to get rid of the fleas. Vacuuming a lot and frequently, combing and bathing aid in the process...which will take a little time. Get rid of the vacuum bag right away, since the vibrations can aid in "hatching" the eggs, and you want them suckers gone. The eggs are white and visible. Within the first week, however, you should see most of the fleas going away.

One of the great things about fleas, as far as eradicating from a home/pet goes, is that they are attracted to the animal...who is medicated with flea-killer, so they won't just linger around the house and they won't stay on people. The reason is mostly because humans don't have as much blood at the surface of their skin, and our pets provide better meals than humans. Sorry that's kinda crass, but I found it very interesting when I learned it.

Supposedly dawn dish washing detergent work in the dogs shampoo also. this i just found out and will definitely try it next time we get them. Dawn was originally made for animals. It was made when the Exxon valdise had that huge oil spill. That is what they washed all the birds in. It is worth a try and use that to wash your baseboards too,

Now I use about 1/4 Dawn Dish Liquid to 3/4 water mixed up in a squirt bottle and use it like shampoo followed by a good dog shampoo. When you use Dawn, as with any shampoo, always remember to rinse well to remove all of it. It REALLY does kill any fleas they may have on them!

That and constant vacumming has made the biggest difference...I have one of those bagless vacuums and so just vacuum and discard the contents in the drum.

One "home remedy" I did try which sounded logical to me, but didn't work out at all was to put a dish or bowl of soapy water on the floor with a spotlight on it...the fleas were supposed to be attracted to the light and jump in the water and die...lol...I want my money back for the electricity I
spent running that spotlight all night for several nights...it didn't fool a single flea!
http://www.forrentnow.ca/articles/condo-calgary.htm

While looking for something else, I found information on flea prevention on a rental site! there was some discussion of this a while ago so thought I'd post the information from:

We are one of those in flea battles this season...I've found home remedies to be as much or more helpful than pesticides...vacuum often and throw out the bags, and bathe Poke with Dawn dish soap.
One thing that did work good is salt...it's said you should sprinkle salt on your carpet, leave it for a few hours and then vacuum....it dries out the fleas and eggs, and also put small piles of salt in the corners of your room, or around baseboards...you will find dead fleas. This I was careful about as I didn't want Poke to go eating the salt, so only put it where she couldn't reach.

Just as an aside to this conversation, I should add that I bought a flea comb for Poke several months back. I've stopped using chemicals on her to control fleas as the last time I did the chemical caused her to have some spots where she lost her hair, etc. I guess as she is getting old, her skin can't tolerate the chemicals.

This comb is miraculous....it serves as a "check" if you are just seeing if there are fleas or flea eggs on your animal, but also removes them, live fleas and all, and when I use it to comb Poke I have a small bowl with some bleach water in it and the comb has such small tines that it has captured
everything, live adult fleas, baby fleas and eggs...I just clean the comb into the bleach water and the fleas and eggs that are on Poke are gone.

Still, I have to vacuum often and sometimes use a flea spray on the carpets, but that comb is a wonder to me. There is a big difference between just looking at your animal's coat and using a flea comb to determine if there are fleas present, and to help get rid of them if there are.

I had seen that vets will use the combs to determine flea infestation, and found one for sale in my local drug store.

A while back, Susan Flewelling sent a website of home remedies for fleas...one that I found did work was to use salt. It is supposed to dry out (kill) both live fleas and eggs. You can sprinkle it on your carpet, are supposed to leave it for a few hours and then vacuum. I didn't do that, but did try the other suggestion....to put it along baseboards and in corners of a room....I was afraid Poke would try to eat it, so only put it in places she couldn't reach, and left it for a few days...when I went to vacuum it up there were many dead fleas there.

Later, I talked to a man who is an exterminator, and he said that salt would kill insects because it does dehydrate them just by it being in their environment. Worth a try as an experiment in your own home, and salt is cheap. :)

As Barbara says, they do recommend that you vacuum OFTEN and throw out the bag each time...I have one of those bagless vacuums, so that is a bit cheaper and easier to do. Also, bathing with DAWN dishsoap kills fleas, and washing bedding frequently....I kind of use a multi-front approach and am able to keep the fleas at bay without any heavy use of chemicals....I do close off back rooms, bathrooms and flea spray them from time to time, but
keep Poke out of those areas for a while.

Peppermint (dos & dont's)

I didn't know you couldn't give Peppermint to a child, but I do know you can't use on dogs while giving any homeopathic remedies as it counteracts it. I use oil of peppermint soap diluted with water to spray the carpets, bathe Laddie sometimes, etc. as it kills fleas. I know that for a fact because I had some in a bowl as I combed one of the cats outside & when put in the bowl it killed them instantly. I even spray the furniture sometimes. It doesn't hurt anything & smells good.

I do spray him with a Rosemary spray I make. It's 2 tsp. of rosemary ( have fresh growing in yard) to 2 c boiling water. Just let it seep overnight in refrigerator. I keep a spray bottle on hand now.

I don't know if anyone has tried it, but I use Pyrethrin for insect control (fleas too). I grew the painted daisy plants that contain Pyrethrin and dried stems, leaves and flowers for a week or so. Then infused into boiled water for a couple days. I used cheese cloth to strain the liquid and used the liquid in a large spray bottle to apply.

I just ordered some stuff from Natualpets.com called Critter Oil & I also got a Homeopathic remedy called, Flea & Bug Bites. I also got this lotion called Crocodile that's a insect repellent. You rub that on bites, etc. Just got all this 3 days ago so will let you know how it seems to work. I have used all of them on Laddie. You can use all of these on cats as well.

I sprinkle borax soap powder on the carpets. Take a broom & kinda sweep it in & let it stay for a day or two & then you can vaccuum as usual. It's like th salt you were talking about or you can mix them together. They have something called critter oil carpet powder that contains both these products plus something else that I'll have to find my literature they sent me.