Is your yorkie ITCHING ? Read this Grrrrrrr...

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by stovesj

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.

I dusted my entire yard with Borax over a week ago. Never tried this before - hope it is one more step to keeping fleas out of the house

[Little Bit]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

I dusted my entire yard with Borax over a week ago. Never tried this before - hope it is one more step to keeping fleas out of the house

Did you use straight borax of the borax detergent?

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by Judy in Waco

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!

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. 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.)

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!!!

man that is SO NOT RIGHT he had fleas that bad - poor baby - they give me the willies.....I only saw ONE Flea but man my girls were scratching so I can't imagine an infestation.....

We just had our Annual and they tested A-OK for everything and I have a supply of Frontline Plus now and as of the last bath - no bugs. I think I nipped the problem before it became a problem.

We just switched from Heartgard to Interceptor and that also has an ingredient for parasites - so hopefully, we're fully armed for apartment life. We better be ....with the money I just spent at that new vet (that I will NEVER go back to)....let's just say they were VERY proud of their 'services'

[Judy in Waco]

Oh good about your girls being set! Ouch for the former vet.

Originally Posted by red98vett

man that is SO NOT RIGHT he had fleas that bad - poor baby - they give me the willies.....I only saw ONE Flea but man my girls were scratching so I can't imagine an infestation.....

We just had our Annual and they tested A-OK for everything and I have a supply of Frontline Plus now and as of the last bath - no bugs. I think I nipped the problem before it became a problem.

We just switched from Heartgard to Interceptor and that also has an ingredient for parasites - so hopefully, we're fully armed for apartment life. We better be ....with the money I just spent at that new vet (that I will NEVER go back to)....let's just say they were VERY proud of their 'services'

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by Judy in Waco

Oh good about your girls being set! Ouch for the former vet.

Judy - you have no idea....I've always brought in 2 together for about 210-220 $ - this bill was almost FOUR HUNDRED bucks ..... for an annual & 6 months of heartguard preventative ??

MY Fault for not checking every little charge - and believe me - they charged ....it's nuts how prices are so different at different vets but at least they're on record close to home now....but still....my jaw dropped

shoot - we didn't even get a nail trim or free treat for that price. I wasn't too happy with the vet but didn't say anything - I just won't go back.

[Judy in Waco]

I would be like...$400!! Did you at least do a dental cleaning??!!!

Holy cow!!

[Judy in Waco]

I can't get over this....$400??? Gizmo's neuter, extra blood work and baby teeth removal didn't even come to $250! That's it....you're moving to Waco!

[neceedee]

Great, I am glad you found them, You know I forgot all about the Dawn detergent, thanks for the info. I had just bought 2 bottles from the dollar store that was on sale for 89 cents last week.

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by Little Bit

Did you use straight borax of the borax detergent?

I used 20 Mule Team Borax. I poured it into a great big Dannon yogurt container - I had punched holes in the lid of the container and just walked the entire yard sprinkling it on. There is a bunch of info on the internet - just google Borax fleas

a lot of people use it indoors - I haven't had any fleas, so I haven't used it indoors - but I read you can even use it on hard wood floors and sweep it into the cracks to kill any fleas and eggs

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by Judy in Waco

I can't get over this....$400??? Gizmo's neuter, extra blood work and baby teeth removal didn't even come to $250! That's it....you're moving to Waco!

LOL Send me directions !!!

[Lou]

Be careful using the Borax ladies. It kills plants very easily. In fact I have a recipe for a mixture using it to kill of chickweed in your lawn.

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by Lou

Be careful using the Borax ladies. It kills plants very easily. In fact I have a recipe for a mixture using it to kill of chickweed in your lawn.

well from what I read online the Borax detergent wouldn't kill the lawn itself - what are you mixing with it? Perhaps a mixture activates something. I didn't put it on any plants/flowers just the grass

Plus when I was reading online - there were folks who said they have used it for years - treating the yard more than once in the flea season without any harm to their yards - I was concerned about that

[Lou]

My apologies, it isn't chicken weed it is creeping charlie that Borax kills off. I don't have the recipe with me here at work but I found this on the Internet:

Creeping Charlie Control - Borax


You may have heard about using Borax to control creeping charlie. You have to use Borax very carefully. Boron, the active ingredient in Borax, is an essential nutrient, needed in minute quantities for healthy plant growth. Amounts even slightly over what is needed are toxic to plants. Borax can be used against creeping charlie because the weed is more sensitive to boron than grass is. Small amounts can kill creeping charlie without permanently harming the lawn. (Grass may brown a bit, but it will grow out of it.)
The problem is, boron does not dissipate or break down like standard weed-killers. If it's applied repeatedly or at too strong a rate, you will end up with an area where you can't grow anything until the boron leaches out. That may take years.
The most you should treat your lawn with borax is once each spring for two years. Here's the formula: [LIST][*]Dissolve ten ounces of Twenty Mule Team Borax into four ounces of warm water, then dilute it in 2 1/2 gallons of water. This should be sprayed evenly over 1,000 square feet of lawn, no more, no less.[/LIST]
Title:Creeping Charlie Control - BoraxNumber:522Script writer:Deborah BrownSource:U of MN Extension Service, Yard & Garden Line.Date:1998, 2006, 2007Reviewer:Carl Rosen

[Pettysmith]

Originally Posted by Sadie's Mom

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

Frontline rep replied and said Buddy Wash should be just fine. She said the only thing she worried about was the tea tree oil but it only has a small amount and won't wash off the Frontline. She said the shampoos they test with are very, very strong and a little bit of tea tree oil won't hurt. Frontline is expensive but after 11 years in the vet business it is one of the best. It does leave an oily residue in the hair for a couple days and that would be my only complaint.

[Pettysmith]

Originally Posted by Judy in Waco

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.

Gee Judy, I have no idea why your vet is trying to steer you away from Frontline. It amazes me how many clients we have that will not use anything else even tho it is more expensive. We have tried carrying several different things and Frontline is our best seller. I will tell you that it is very hard for veterinarians to mark it up very much because of all the on-line pharmacies selling it. It might be that he is trying to get you to buy something he can make more money on. There was some rumors going around that it was beginning to lose its efficacy because people had been using it for so long. No truth to that.