Flea control for dogs

[sumi]

Frontline is a good idea For everything else, carbaryl (sevin dust) is great. It can be sprinkled onto things as well as mixed with water and sprayed onto things and I've even added it to the washing powder and running it through the washing machine to get lice out of blankets (thank you, cats). Worked brilliantly.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I don't know, first off if we can necessarily blame a dog or cat for our entire yard, house and animals suddenly getting a flea problem. Its possible, but it could just be a coincidence. I like to give the benefit of a doubt.
Fact is both homes now have a problem to deal with. In my case, I like to get Frontline, Heartguard or Trifexis so I can treat the dogs and then the dogs walk around and treat the yard. I can't very well poison my yard......I will be poisoning the food my animals eat and will infect my garden with poison, which will eventually land in my plate. Don't think so.
I know I won't eat my dogs, so they have the burden of ingesting the poison, which will rid my yard and their lives of fleas and heart worms.
I also think its a problem that will continue coming back, so from time to time, just re-treat.
I'm not sure guineas would be able to keep fleas under control, but they come to mind. I know they do their share in controlling bugs.....certainly can't hurt, but they sure are stupid.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am trying to find a better cheaper way of keeping fleas off of my 5 dogs. Last year I ended up going with K9Advantix11 because Frontline plus wasn't working any longer but they are all so expensive and having 5 dogs makes it really expensive. Any one find something that is cost effective and actually works? I hate using chemicals on my dogs.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

UGH!! FLEAS!
New house, and my son got a new (previously outdoor) kitten, and I've been fighting fleas ever since! Every time I think I've got a handle on the nasty little buggers, I see another one on the kitten. And we don't even have carpets. I don't know if we're bringing them in when we come in from outside or if I'm missing something big, but I'm sooo tired of getting all chewed up! Thanks for the posts. I have a few new things to try.

 

[Jojo]

A 3.00 box of borax washing powder from Wal-Mart sprinkled in your yard a couple of times a year and you won't have fleas or ticks. I had an old man tell me about this years ago and it has worked like a charm for us. I sprinkle the entire box in the back yard.in their dog own and house too...it looks like it snowed but it disappears within a day or two. It really works great! I have no idea if it will harm chickens but mine don't free range where the dogs are.

 

[Beekissed]

Sweet lime works great too...also costs about $4 but it's 40lbs of the stuff, so it goes further for bigger spaces. I do it in early spring when I get a string of days when it won't rain and again, during a dry spell in the fall. This keeps it dry while it desiccates the flea eggs and the fleas, for that matter.

And that will last for a good long time, years even, until you are visited by a flea ridden mongrel of one type or another, which will start the whole flea population up again.

I had forgotten about the lime for some time and was fighting fleas on the dogs and cats this past year until I remembered....put down the lime and none of the animals have had to have any flea treatments ever since.

I'll repeat it here in October...the rainy seasons tend to help flea eggs hatch, for some reason, but if I can put down lime where the animals live most, it takes care of it well.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's actually called sweet lime? not sure I have seen it.

 

[Beekissed]

Also called garden lime and you can get it at Lowe's. Sweet lime just indicates the type of lime to use...there's sweet lime and caustic lime. One is safe to use on most anything, wet or dry, but caustic or quick lime is usually used for things like making cement, construction, plaster, etc. and can cause burns to the grass, skin, eyes, etc. when wet.

You'll find the sweet lime or garden lime where you find the fertilizer and other lawn treatments in most garden centers.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I was thinking that maybe it, thanks for clarifying