Here are some guidelines to help combat a flea problem:
1. Launder your pet's bedding in hot, soapy water at least once a week
2. Bathe the animal with a NATURAL flea-control shampoo
3. Use a flea comb to trap and kill fleas that are on your pet
4. Mow and water your lawn regularly
5. Encourage ants
6. Apply agricultural lime on grassy or moist areas
7. Use an herbal flea powder
8. Try a natural skin tonic
9. Add ample nutritional or brewer's yeast and garlic to the diet
10. Get your carpets treated with a special anit-flea mineral salt
11. Once or twice a year, sprinkle natural, unrefined diatomaceous earth along walls, under furniture, and in cracks and crevices that you cannot access with a vacuum
A NATURAL SKIN TONIC
Thinly slice a whole lemon, including the peel. Add it to 1 pint of near-boiling water and let it steep overnight. The next day, sponge the solution onto the animal's skin and let it dry. You can use this daily for severe skin problems involving fleas. It is a source of natural flea-killing substances such as d-limonene and other healing ingredients found in the whole lemon.
ROSEMARY CONDITIONER
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 pint boiling water
Combine and steep for 10 minutes, covered. Strain and cool to body temperature. Pour it over your pet after the final rinse. Rub in and towel dry without further rinsing.
For pets that just won't put up with water baths, try this simple dry shampoo.
Place 1/2 to 1-cup bran, oatmeal, or cornmeal on a cookie sheet. Put the oven on low for 5 minutes to warm the grain. Removing a little at a time, so that the rest stays warm but not too hot, rub the grain into the fur with a towel. Concentrate on the greasy, dirty areas. Then brush these areas thoroughly to get the grain out.
Finally, here's a spot remover that will help you get rid of grease spots in your pet's fur between baths, especially those spots that cats get on their heads from prowling under cars. Rub a few drops of Murphy Oil Soap and a small amount of warm water onto the greasy spots. Then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Now, getting back to fleas...............
Try adding 20 drops of either eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, lavender or tea tree oil to 16 oz. of shampoo or conditioner. Fleas do not like certain odors.
Fleas love dogs that have a compromised imune system, so be very careful with your baby with it's sick, or even recovering from a teeth cleaning or operation.
You can get a wealth of information on how to hollistically care for your baby/s thru Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS I just can't say enough about it!!!! (as I'm sure you will see on other posts).
