Fleas are small blood-sucking parasites that cause a lot of trouble and inconvenience to both the animals themselves and their owners. The dog constantly itches and scratches itself until it bleeds; fleas can jump from animal fur onto the floor, climb on the floor, and walls. It is important to remember that dog fleas are not contagious to humans.
You can get rid of these annoying insects using pharmaceutical drugs or folk recipes. But will folk remedies be effective?
How to remove it using home methods?
These are time-tested techniques that will help clean your dog's fur. To make the procedure more effective, it is important to adhere to a number of rules.
- Before processing, it is necessary to comb out the animal's fur.
- Treat not only wool, but also bedding, carpets, and floor cracks. This will kill flea eggs and larvae.
- Place pine sawdust, lavender or wormwood on your dog's clean bedding. This will be an excellent prevention of re-infection.
- If there are other pets in the house, fleas should be treated for everyone at the same time.
There are many different recipes for preparing effective flea remedies. The simplest and safest thing is to use plants with a pungent odor:
- peppermint leaves;
- oregano;
- wormwood;
- tansy.
To prepare the product, 2-3 tbsp. of any raw material, pour 100-200 ml of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. The herb wormwood or tansy can be additionally boiled over low heat for up to 10 minutes. Next, filter the solution, soak a cotton pad in it and wipe the animal’s fur. They leave it for 2-3 hours, then the animal needs to be bathed.
The next variation is the use of essential oils. Lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, and cedar oil will be effective. The fighting mechanism is identical - the pungent smell repels parasites. You can mix the oils or use one: add 5-7 drops to shampoo or liquid soap, mix thoroughly and buy the dog.
Fleas? Very bad…
The flea is a person’s most faithful and constant companion in life. We have been unable to get rid of this little creature for many millennia. Hordes of her ruthless accomplices occupy our homes to this day, causing a lot of problems and by no means minor troubles for both people and their pets - dogs and cats.
Is it really impossible to get rid of fleas once and for all?
How to protect your pets from fleas?
It turns out that it's not that simple. Ectoparasite insects, which include fleas, are incredibly resilient and adaptable. One destroyed one is replaced by thousands of new blood-sucking creatures. Up to two thousand species of fleas are known, about sixty of which live in our latitudes. They live not only on domestic animals, but also in human homes: in cracks in the floor and walls, carpets, upholstered furniture, clothes, annoying both people and their pets with bites. Such a neighborhood causes a lot of trouble, and in advanced cases, it is possible to evict uninvited tenants only with the help of a complete sanitary treatment of the house.
The first symptom of a flea infestation is that the animal begins to become restless, chewing and scratching furiously in areas where it feels itchy from flea bites. Examine your pet's fur and skin - you will definitely notice, if not the parasites themselves, then traces of their presence: eggs or excrement. In advanced cases, the animal develops dermatitis, weeping eczema that is difficult to treat, and alopecia. Small puppies and kittens are especially affected by fleas.
Pets cannot get rid of fleas on their own
Considering that fleas carry pathogens of up to three dozen diseases dangerous to humans, the question of how to get rid of parasites is very important. Serious infections and parasitic problems are transmitted through the bites of these blood-sucking insects:
- plague;
- encephalitis;
- anthrax;
- listeriosis;
- salmonellosis;
- fungal infections;
- tapeworms.
Even if there is no infection, flea bites are very unpleasant for humans in themselves: they cause itching, redness, and severe allergic reactions.
It's good that they are small...
When magnified many times, the baby flea looks like a monster from a science fiction horror movie.
Imagine for a moment that the flea has grown to at least the size of a cat - it’s better not to think about the scale of a tiger. And if you also take into account the flea’s ability to jump to a height almost three hundred times greater than its own size...
Meet the flea - a scary monster and world record holder in high jumping
The flea does not live long, but it is fruitful: in two years, the female manages to give birth to up to five hundred similar individuals, each of which, within a month after birth, also begins to actively reproduce and reproduce.
The flea's body is ideally designed to hide in animal fur.
The nimble blood-sucking insect has perfectly adapted to a parasitic lifestyle. A flea maneuvers through animal fur like a snake in the jungle. It is very difficult to catch it, and once caught, crush it: the flattened body of the small parasite is reliably protected by a hard chitinous shell. Neither a dog nor a cat is able to cope with the invasion of bloodsuckers. How to help your pet?
What to do with them?
Declare a merciless war on them! There are no and cannot be compromises in the fight against parasites. Or will you continue to provide housing and food for these disgusting little monsters? And in response they will begin to torture you, your children and animals - literally drinking blood, biting painfully and infecting you with all sorts of illnesses...
Patience and steadfastness are your main weapons
Wash, vacuum, freeze. Frequent cleaning of the room with washing and vacuuming is, of course, a preventive measure. But by creating unfavorable conditions for the existence of fleas, it will prevent parasites from feeling at ease on your territory.
And the fact that the territory itself will become much cleaner and more comfortable - well, take this as a pleasant bonus of your war. After all, in everything bad there must be at least something good...
The most important thing is cleaning the house
Ventilate the room more often, especially in winter - these small creatures love not only comfort, but also warmth, and cannot stand the cold at all!
Cold kills fleas
Brush your animals every day. Daily brushing of your pet's fur with a fine comb helps mechanically remove fleas. Of course, this should be done on a walk, not at home. The procedure will not get rid of parasites completely, but in combination with other means, the unpleasant problem will be solved.
And the fur of your dog or cat will look better, more well-groomed, and the house will be cleaner.
It is advisable to comb fleas out of fur daily.
It is better that the comb is metal, and its teeth are hard and as frequent as possible. But even daily combing will not remove all adult parasites and their eggs from the fur, and the procedure will definitely not stop new fleas.
What else should I treat to get rid of it?
| Name | Terms of use |
| Table or sea salt | The benefit of salt is that this substance destroys the chitinous membrane of insects The method of control is to bathe the dog in salt water.
|
| Camphor, table vinegar and cologne | This is a destructive mixture for any parasites. Combine the components in equal proportions. For better use, pour the resulting liquid into a spray bottle. Spray onto the animal's fur. Wait 10-15 minutes, do not let the animal lick itself. Then rinse well. |
| Boric acid | The fighting mechanism is that the substance disrupts the integrity of chitin, fleas die without their shell. The powder can be scattered around the house or diluted in water and sprayed onto the dog's fur. The product is completely safe for the animal. |
DIY anti-flea shampoo
This is a fairly effective remedy for removing fleas and ticks from animals. The shampoo is prepared as follows:
- a quarter of a piece of baby soap is grated and filled with 350 ml of warm water;
- the mixture is brought to a jelly-like state over heat;
- After the jelly has cooled, add chopped onion, egg yolk, and a few drops of nettle infusion.
The resulting infusion should be lathered on the pet and left for twenty minutes. After this, rinse the solution thoroughly, dry and comb the animal.
Is it safe to treat with these methods?
The main advantage of traditional methods over pharmaceutical drugs is safety. They can be used for puppies, pregnant and lactating bitches, and sick individuals.
But, in comparison with chemical means, folk remedies are less effective. To achieve the result, several treatments will be needed. In the presence of severe infection, folk recipes will be ineffective.
Generalized advantages of folk remedies for fleas:
- variety of recipes and uses;
- availability;
- low price;
- admissibility of carrying out at home without visiting a veterinarian.
Among the disadvantages are painstakingness, duration and regularity of treatments (there is no guarantee for a certain period, like with drops or collars), a sharp unpleasant odor that eats into the wool. Also, in some cases, there is a risk of developing an allergic reaction to the plant or product.
Precautionary measures
Wormwood against fleas does not cause negative effects in dogs. The only exception may be individual intolerance to the plant. The use of the plant is contraindicated if there are people with allergies and asthmatics in the home. You should not bring wormwood into the apartment if, after it is in the room, sinusitis, rhinitis, otitis, or bronchitis begin in your household.
Caution should also be observed when treating a children's room; children may complain of dizziness and headaches. In this case, disinfection should be carried out in their absence.
How to eradicate puppies?
Puppies under 2 months of age are prohibited from using any chemical preparations for fleas, since their body cannot yet withstand the strong influence of poisons and insecticides (risks poisoning and even death). Therefore, before the age of 2 months, the fight against fleas consists of bathing and regular combing.
Also during this period, the use of some folk remedies is allowed.
Reference! One option for eliminating fleas in puppies is to use citrus peels.
They can be placed around the house (their smell repels fleas) or rubbed into the animal's fur and then rinsed off. You can treat a small pet’s fur with a weak infusion of mint or lavender, or bathe it with a special shampoo with the addition of essential oils. At the same time, carefully monitor that the puppy does not have an allergic reaction.
general description
There are about 2 thousand species of these small blood-sucking creatures. Regarding those species that attack dogs specifically, these include canine, feline, human pastel, suction and penetrating. They live for about a year and a half, reproduce very quickly, the breeding cycle is no more than 25 days.
The diet of canine parasites consists of animal blood. They pose a great danger to animals, since parasites carry dangerous diseases and helminths. In addition, due to severe itching, animals scratch their skin and damage it; the wounds often get infected, which leads to inflammation, rotting and the development of diseases.
When treatment for fleas is carried out, attention should be paid not only to treating the pet, but also to its bedding, places where it spends a lot of time, and toys. Since not only adult individuals can be found there, but also their larvae. These blood-sucking creatures do not constantly parasitize the body of the victim, they drink blood and leave the body, so they lay their offspring throughout the apartment.
For this reason, in case of severe infestation, it is necessary to treat the room to prevent re-infestations. When several animals live in an apartment, it is necessary to treat all of them at once. Folk remedies can be used for both dogs and cats. In addition, traditional methods can be combined with specialized medications.
How to remove it from pregnant and lactating women?
Pregnant and lactating bitches are allowed to use almost all folk remedies. But you need to use caution (or better yet abstain for a while) from recipes containing aggressive ingredients.
- Compositions based on hydrogen peroxide. There is a risk of burns to the mucous membranes, and the substance also has a bad effect on the coat, it becomes lighter and duller.
- Hellebore water, since it is based on the poisonous herb hellebore and alcohol (dangerous, since the liquid can be absorbed into the skin).
- Ammonia and kerosene.
- Any compositions based on table vinegar.
Review Reviews
Most dog owners note the safety and availability of traditional recipes. Below are the main extracts from real reviews on special sites for dog breeders.
- Veronica from Moscow says that regularly treating an animal's fur with a rich infusion of wormwood helped get rid of large colonies of fleas. The procedure had to be repeated 3 times with an interval of 4 days, but the result was the same as from pharmaceutical poisons, but there was less harm to the animal’s body.
- Victor from Rostov notes that folk products are suitable for small or medium-sized dogs. He is the owner of a German Shepherd, and using homemade recipes is labor-intensive and ineffective.
- Victoria from Orel highlights the benefits of essential oils. Every time you bathe your dog (Labrador), she applies a few drops of various fragrant oils to the pet’s fur. This serves as an excellent flea prevention: the oil kills eggs and larvae.
Answers to popular questions
Probably, almost every dog owner, when parasites appear in an animal, is interested in the following questions: how quickly fleas reproduce, what types of fleas can be found in dogs. As mentioned above, insects are not particularly picky in their diet; therefore, a dog can be attacked directly by dog fleas, rat fleas, human fleas, and many others. However, regardless of the species of insects, it is recommended to use similar preparations to remove them.
How does a pet become infected?
To somewhat protect your pet from parasite infection, it is important to know where fleas come from in dogs. More often, infection occurs through close contact between animals, for example, during play or fighting. However, there are many other ways. So, danger can lie in wait for a dog on the grass, earth, sand. Insects, falling from an infected animal into the external environment, can remain viable for a very long time.
Even if the animal practically does not go out for street walks (more often, keeping it exclusively in an apartment is necessary for puppies that do not have all the necessary vaccinations, as well as small breed dogs), there is a risk of infection.
This can happen upon contact with the owner's street shoes or the wheels of a baby stroller. That is, there are an incredible variety of ways to infect a dog with fleas.
Are fleas dangerous for humans?
Dog fleas may well pose some danger to humans. These parasites are not selective in their nutrition, that is, in the absence of an animal, they may well be considered a source of human nutrition.
Since fleas are carriers of serious diseases of infectious etiology, a parasite bite can cause the development of such dangerous ailments as typhoid, salmonellosis, and various types of helminthiasis. In order to avoid infection, you should begin removing parasites from an animal immediately after detecting signs of infection.
