Heres something that might help explain why Dawn works, Houston SPCA uses Dawn on rescues coming in to kill the fleas fast:) It's kind of long but worth the read.

From Groomingsmarter.com
Shampoo Away Fleas FAST
with NO Pesticides!!!!!!

BELIEVE it or not!
Home
YES! I admit it! I use Dawn dish soap (the non-ultra kind) to kill fleas in my shop. ANY shampoo diluted with a little bit of water and applied to a DRY DOG will kill fleas! Dawn just works FASTER and BETTER because it is a strong degreaser. I started using this technique after a shampoo manufacturer that makes no flea shampoo told me that it would work. He didn't say use Dawn, he said use ANY SHAMPOO, but an older groomer friend of mine said it worked, so I tried it. I had been dipping and was getting concerned having seen poisoning by dips occur in cats and dogs. I wanted to prevent it from happening to ME. So this was the solution for me. I have not dipped or used a pesticide other than Di-Limonene in over 6 years. Now I do not even use Di-Limonene. I don't have to! AND I am NEVER Out of flea shampoo!
OK, hold on..... here is why it works.

Fleas have this ability to survive underwater. I have been told they emit a greasy barrier around their bodies forming a bubble to protect them from water and it holds oxygen in. By dissolving the grease bubble you allow water to get to the flea and they drown. Fleas are also very soft bodied. They DO have an exoskeleton that allows them protection, but soaps dissolve this and then they cannot breathe.

The way to use this product (or any other shampoo you choose) is SIMPLE! Take a bottle (I usually use an old dish soap bottle) and mix 50% water with 50% shampoo. Then, starting with the head of the animal, apply this mixture to the pet in a line that goes down the back of the pet. Then using your sprayer, add JUST enough water to get the shampoo to lather a little bit and spread around the pet. It does not take much shampoo to do this! Add more water and shampoo as needed to apply this solution thoroughly to the dog or cat. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, as many as 5 on heavily infested animals, and then rinse. I use my recirculating washer to rinse with as it also bathes the pet for me using the existing shampoo, which cuts down on water consumption, shampoo usage and time. I simply put fresh water in the tub while the pet is sitting and rinse it using the system after it has sat the required amount of time. This reduces the need for rinsing, washing and then rinsing again. I then rinse and using a soothing shampoo rebathe the dog to ensure that all the soap is removed and the skin is treated to prevent itching. Conditioner can be applied afterward if needed, but rarely if ever do I have to add this after I am finished.

DO NOT WET THE ANIMAL FIRST! If you do, the fleas will react by creating that grease bubble we talked about earlier and you will be fighting a harder to kill flea than if you never give them a chance to do that!

As this technique is highly effective, I never use pesticides in my shop. I do keep Capstar on hand and dogs that are HIGHLY infested get a Capstar when they arrive or as the go into the tub just to be sure all the fleas are dead upon the pets departure from my shop. I also always make sure I notify the owners of their pets condition and what we did to help them with the problem, as well as suggesting they do their part at home.



Advertising this non-pesticide approach to pest control can be of HUGE benefit to you in your salon. By showing that you care enough not to poison the animals and the environment and yet care enough to help eliminate the problem, you gain a market share of the client base that CARES how their pates are treated and wants a safe effective way to treat their animals. You don't have to share the secret of Dawn or the fact that all shampoos will kill fleas if applied to a dry pet, simply say, "We use NO DANGEROUS CHEMICALS to kill fleas." I tell people who want to know how it works, but most don't care as long as it does.


Then our vet told us about this product, it has worked really well for us:


Fleas can be a major problem for dogs and dog owners. Your pet may be exposed to these blood-sucking parasites anywhere: in your own backyard, when you are on walks or even in your own home.

Each female flea can produce 40 to 50 eggs a day, up to 2,000 in their lifetime[1]
Even a few fleas can turn into a major infestation in a matter of days
Comfortis™ is the first FDA-approved, chewable, beef-flavored tablet that kills fleas and prevents flea infestations on dogs for a full month.

Only Comfortis™ offers you all of these benefits in a single product:

Fast, month-long flea protection
Starts killing fleas within 30 minutes
Lasts a full month
Kills fleas before they can lay eggs
The convenience of a chewable, beef-flavored tablet
Spinosad, the active ingredient in Comfortis, is environmentally friendly
The most common adverse reaction recorded during clinical trials was vomiting. Other adverse reactions were decreased appetite, lethargy, redness of the skin, hyperactivity and excessive salivation. Click here for important safety information and full product label (PDF).

[1] M.W. Dryden, Integrated Flea Control: Flea Control for the 21st Century; presented at the North American Veterinary Conference, January 2001

Fleas are horrible! We had bought our first house when our cats were 6 mos old and the people who lived there had 3 cats. They did not tell us that they had fleas! My poor babies had to be dipped 3 times before I was able to get rid of the fleas. I bombed the house 3 times also. The eggs are are not killed off right away and the cycle can start all over. If you need to fog, you should do it again 7-10 days later. As a precaution, I did it a 3rd time. My poor little babies were so infested it was horrible. I got so bit up it was ridiculous...I had 50 bites on my legs up to my knees--that is no exaggeration! Good luck and I am glad you figured out why your babies were itching.

Thanks for starting this thread Vee; and Iway thanks for the info.

I have been having trouble with my little Skeeter. He brought fleas with him from the breeder and Cassie picked one up from him. I have flea bathed both of them twice and they are both still scratching. Cassie is itchy on her back and Skeeter on his shoulders. Both are on Revolution. While I don't THINK they still have fleas it isn't going to hurt to try the Dawn! If I find even one all four of my critters are going to meet Ms Dawn.
Thanks again!

you are right dawn works!! it kills them but you need to go through and pick them off afterwards. they shouldnt run. You may find a few still alive because they prob came from the head. this is what i read to do. first make a huge soapy barrier around the neck(lather around the neck even underneath so much that the fleas dont have a chance to escape to the head. you need to do this first because as soon as the water comes then they run. then start to lather the rest of the body.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I use Tropiclean and it says "soap free won't wash off frontline, advantix, etc" on the bottle. I'm not sure about CC or Plush Puppy but it shouldn't be difficult to find out. I think most of the "better" dog shampoos are soap free because it's the soap that dries out their skin.

Geez, this message board is so great! You get all kinds of great ideas and tips!:thumbup:

Is your yorkie ITCHING ? Read this Grrrrrrr...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well - it's my turn to fight that nasty creature problem.

I posted a week ago how I THOUGHT the water at my new apt was making my girls itch...I checked them OVER AND OVER fleas... was told by someone who's lived here 4 years she's never had a flea problem here & has never had to use a flea product and I pretty much did all I could to stop the itchies. A good friend even sent me some medicated shampoo (THANK YOU !!) but they were still itching....

So - I DID THE DAWN DISH DETERGENT bath and GUESS WHAT ?

oh yes - A tiny spec was in the water..... I GRABBED it and threw it into my sink and when I finished the baths looked very close and I'll be d*mned if it wasn't moving (but slowly) IT WAS A FLEA FOR SURE.

Dawn Dish Detergent works. If we see ONE flea there's more.

I went straight to the vet for Frontline Plus and ordered a big pack off Pet Meds and am working on this but wanted to post this for everyone - EVEN IF YOU SEE NO FLEAS but your puppy is scratching - chances are they are THERE. IT SUCKS ! I can't tell you how much I looked and looked and saw nothing....no flea 'dirt' ...no bugs nothing...it took that BATH to know the girls have them - I'm SO upset with myself that I didn't think of the Dawn soap sooner.

oh and ps - IF ANYONE DOES A BATH WITH Dawn (or any other shampoo) - DO NOT GET IT NEAR THEIR EYES - we all know how much soap stings.
__________________


:thumbup:

i have always recommended Dawn original. it won't keep the fleas off but it will kill what's there. You can actually see them crawling to the part the soap hasn't hit yet.

I have very greasie hair. I wash my hair with dawn about once a month. LOL It also strips the shampoo build up.

Regarding the carpets -- Villette, have you considered renting a Rug Doctor from your local grocery store? I just went through our house using boiling hot water a week or so ago with one from Pathmark in preparation for summer. We had a small flea problem last summer & I read somewhere that the eggs can actually hibernate for a YEAR in carpeting!!! The Rug Doctor was 18 bucks on sale and totally worth every dollar. You can use boiling water from the stove. Totally worth it.

Thank you and yes - I'll be doing that since I have carpet now ...I read that too and thought it REALLY SUCKS they can lurk that long - :mad:

I haven't seen any signs of fleas now since I washed everything & treated them - but I'm going to be on guard now -

I never really did see any fleas on the girls but for that ONE after the Dawn bath.

You can buy an all natural herbal flea powder that keeps the fleas off or there are other home remedy's that are much safer than those harsh chemicles that actually go into their blood stream and causes cancer and other major health problems. Has anyone really looked at ALL the ingredients in Frontline and the like? Mind boggling. Please, play it safe for your babies.

Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia - Ticks, fleas, bees, flies, snakes and other gremlins! And how to deal with them!

I printed out the natural products when it was posted - but in all honesty - I didn't have time to run around and find all the stuff they say to use ...then you have to mix it up - use it correctly etc - so I caved and bought Frontline Plus -

I did read up on all the products available now ....and much as I hate using this stuff - it worked and the girls aren't scratching.

man.... I can remember back in the day all we had was toxic HARTZ Products for our pets -

Since the thing with Mandy we have not used any chemicals on them. I just buy the holisic spray and never have to mix up anything. I have one that is an oatmeal spray and I forget the name of the other spray, but they both work great. We buy them at Cannine Commissary. Also, I was just remembering back a few years ago when Exxon had that huge oil spill problem. Remember they used liquid Dawn on those poor birds that almost died from the oil. Since it is a degreaser makes since it would kill fleas. I also rub their little tummys with Avon's Skin So Soft. Its suppose to repel fleas????? Anyone know for sure?

I've only found one so far this year. I was carrying Sadie & looked down & it was on ME! Guess it jumped off of her onto me (but I guess that was better because it is easier to get off of me than her). Unfortunately, it's an ongoing problem with apartments. They're just not going to treat the lawn for it - PERIOD. I think if you live in a house & can treat your lawn you've got more of a fighting chance of staying flea free. I fought them hard last year. Neither the Frontline or Dawn worked for me. I'm not saying they don't work, but i had such a bad problem with them, they didn't work for me. I'm hoping htey're not as bad this year, but I'm not holding my breath.

You are SO RIGHT ! I treated my lawn all the time when in the house - we never ever needed preventatives and never had one flea ever.

here at the apartment I feel it's going to be an ongoing thing. I'm going to ask them to do something for the grass but don't see it happening. I still can't believe my neighbor who's been her 4 years said her chi has never had fleas and she uses nothing - he walks in the same grass as my girls do only I walk further around the complex - she just steps outside her door with her dog - We do real Walks - so maybe it isn't my part of the apartments ?

I kind of have the same problem. The girl across the hall from me has two dogs that she says don't get fleas. But she just walks them right outside. We do real walks, too. It's such a pain...especially with the long hair! And Sadie's little wiggle-butt doesn't like me to get them. She did get pretty patient with it last year, but still.

But we also have a lot of critters around here (beavers, nutrias, bunnies, squirrels, etc) so I'm thinking that's part of the problem, too. I'm sure that doesn't help AT ALL. I asked my apts to treat last year & they said they would, but how would I know if they did or not? I'm sure they were just telling me that. Luckily, this year, one of the women who works in the office lives here & she has two dogs, so hopefully if hers start getting fleas she will have them do something about it.

As far as carpeting goes, a cheap and easy way to kill the fleas is to use Borax. I read in the paper one day that this is the active ingredient in the formula that those Fleabuster carpet cleaners use. You simply sprinkle it on the carpeting, brush into carpet with a broom. Leave it for 30 minutes (I left it over night to be sure). Then vacuum it up. Since I have done this we have never had fleas. We also treat our backyard. I have never had it damage or discolor my carpet but you want to to test it first. Borax is very inexpensive and can be found in the laundry detergent section of your local grocery store.

Oh V! I feel your pain. I also HATE fleas! When we picked up Gizmo from the breeder and brought him home, he had fleas horribly bad. For puppies, I was told to be careful with dawn since they are so squirmy. You don't want to get it in their eyes since you are trying to get them to like baths. The test we were told to use (by our vet) was a lemon juice rinse and you should have seen the fleas coming out of his fur! :eek:

I hate to bring this up, but I haven't heard anyone mention this in this thread. You also have to watch for the dreaded tapeworms now. :mad: They can be a direct result of a flea problem. I've forgotten exactly how that works, but it's tied to the fleas. Look for little rice looking "segments" in their pooh. (Like we aren't already obsessed with checking pooh here on YT.):rolleyes:

Also remember to keep up the heartworm meds. In areas where fleas are bad, so are heartworms usually.

Kathy - our vet keeps pushing us to change from Frontline also. I haven't been able to get a straight answer as to why though. It's really worked for us, so I hate the idea of switching. IDK what we're going to switch to next.

UGGGHHH! I hate fleas!!! :mad::thumbdown

Ok well you all have me paraniod now lol. Daisy has been itching like a mad woman for a while now it's getting to the point where i think she is breaking her hair off itching. Here in Utah we don't have a flea problem at all so it's rare for them to have flea's or so my vet tells me. I am going to do dawn tonight just to check. But how will i know should i let the tub fill up as i am rinsing her? The only dawn ihave right now is Dawn direct foam but if you have to mix half and half (water) then i could prob just use it straight since it's the foam kind right? Howdo u know what the flea dust looks like? Daisy gets these freackle looking things on her belly sometimes.Ugghhh i am freaking out now lol.

I really think it's dry skin causing the iching buti will try this we also are going to the vets tomarrow for shots:( so i'll ask him to.

They are dark. If you put them on a drop of water they will turn red. That means fleas.

She mainl;y itches on her sides of her belly and her feet is this normal to fleas?

:yeahthat:

And the red? That's your furbaby's blood! :eek: (bloodsucking good for nothing flea b(*&*(!!!!!!!!!)

Just a word of caution about using Dawn. If you are using topical flea control, Frontline or Advantage, and you bathe in Dawn you are washing the flea control off and defeating the purpose. You must bathe in a mild aloe/oatmeal pet shampoo, no Dawn, no human shampoo, not even baby shampoo. I have worked in a vets office for 11 years and this is what the Merial reps have trained us to tell our clients. It used to tell you on the insert to use an aloe/oatmeal shampoo but I just read the one I have for Frontline Plus and it says nothing about it. I am going to e-mail our rep tomorrow and ask her again to be sure. I do know that the product sits in the sweat glands and oil on the skin. It attaches to the hair follicles and released from there to kill the fleas. It affect the flea's nervous system so it cannot bite your dog. That is why it is such a great product for those of us who have furbutts that have flea allergies. If you use a dish detergent like Dawn that is made to wash your greasy dishes, it is going to wash the oil off the hair, plus is can be very drying to the skin which will only make them more itchy. The best way to kill fleas is by drowning them if you keep the dog wet long enough, so is it really the Dawn that is killing them or the water drowning them. Someone earlier mentioned Capstar. Very, very good way to get ahead of a flea infestation. Give for 3-4 days, apply Frontline on the first day - Fleas gone!!!!:bravo: I live in East Tennessee, in the woods and have been using Frontline for 11 years. We have yet to have a tick or a flea. :bravo:

Belinda, Gizmo, & Barkley

What is the name of the shampoo that is recommended?

The one we carry at the clinic is made by Vet Solutions and is called Aloe and Oatmeal Shampoo. We also recommend Hylyte or Hydra Pearls. I bathed my dogs today in Buddy Wash which I have heard a lot of the owners on this forum recommend and I must say I love the way it made their coat look in just one washing. I am going to e-mail our Merial rep tomorrow, send her the Buddy Wash link, and see if it is ok. I sure don't want to wash off the Frontline, it is too expensive.

Post on here tomorrow when you find out, ok? I've definitely got to try something different this year.

By the way, do you know why some vets are trying to steer us away from Frontline now? Mine has recommended that we switch, but doesn't give a reason.

Ugh! This thread is making ME itch now! Tucker is on frontline plus. I thought we'd for sure be flea free on that stuff, but I guess I'd better start checking cause I've seen him itching......