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[Selkie]

I know there must be ways out there of getting rid of fleas without throwing a bunch of awful chemicals on my pets, so I was wondering if anyone had heard any? My poor little dog is just covered...I think maybe I've been taking him adventuring with Fen and I too much. And I'm getting a new kitten today that also has fleas.

I don't want to use a collar, chemical, or one of those stupid fleas bombs. Any advice?

[BlueHeron]

What's your verdict on boric acid?  It's not exactly found in powder form in nature... but it's effective and (IMO) safe.  My cat had fleas and it got rid of them permanently.  I wore rubber gloves when I was applying it to my carpet, mattress, etc, but I also read that the most harm it can do is dry out your skin, and that all depends on how concentrated it is.  My cat just ignored it, didn't try to eat it or anything.

If you want more info on how I killed fleas with boric acid powder I'd be happy to share it, let me know.

[Selkie]

Yeah, I'd love to hear more on that. Where to buy it, how to apply it to the animals, etc. My mom was telling me about Diatomaceous Earth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Pest_control), which can be used, but smells really bad I guess and is kinda icky.I might give it a try though.

[BlueHeron]

OK...

I bought a box of 20 Mule Team borax, which is marketed as a laundry additive.  I don't know if it's the cheapest powdered boric acid out there, but it's easy to find and I was willing to pay the $15/20 for it if it meant no more fleas!

I should clarify:  I didn't put it ON my cat.  I sprinkled it over my carpeting and everywhere she likes to rest, including my mattress (in the meantime, I slept on the couch).  I rubbed it in using my hands and a stiff brush.  I used it more heavily in the areas where she hangs out.  I kept her indoors so she wouldn't contract more fleas.  It took about two weeks (a flea's life cycle) before I could be sure they were all gone.

There are some online guides to using borax as a flea killer that will give you tips on where fleas like to lay their eggs and which surfaces in the home are key to treat for fleas.

The idea is to kill the eggs (it dries them out), although I think it also messes with the fleas at other stages of development.  The fleas don't actually lay eggs on the animal, but if you kill all the eggs, then the adult fleas will eventually die and there will be no more of them.

One warning: be very careful when vacuuming the borax because too much will cause a paper vacuum bag to explode!  I think it has to do with the fibers  in the paper drying out.  It's not fun to find yourself immersed in a cloud of borax powder.

Unfortunately, I have no advice for how to prevent your pets from getting fleas again if they're outside a lot.

Good luck!

[Sandwalker]

I'm not sure how relevant this is to fleas, but I remember reading "Lost in the Taiga" by Vasily Peskov about these Russian old-believers in Siberia who lived a traditional life (Great book btw!) and they used hemp stalks/leaves on the floor of their cabins as a carpet to prevent all types of arachnids and other insects including spiders and ticks and bedbugs. Apparently, prior to about 1950 or so this was a common remedy for lots of rural folk in places where hemp could be grown.

[thunder thighs]

From Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats:

 "Combine one part of as many of each of these powdered herbs as you can find: eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel, yellow dock, wormwood and rue. Put these herbs in a shaker top jar, such as a jar used for parsley flakes.
 Apply the flea powder sparingly to your pet's coat by brushing backward with your hand or the comb and sprinkling it into the base of the hairs, especially on the neck, back and belly. To combat severe infestations, use several times a week. Afterward, put your pet outside for a while so the fleas vacate in the yard and not in your house. "

 I'm pretty sure most health food stores sell herbal flea powders too if you don't want to make your own.

Or try making a skin tonic:
 
 "Thinly slice a 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 sever problems involving fleas. "

 You can also  get flea collars with natural oils in them. some are made so that you can  "reload" them when the oil gets used up. I've never used one of those on my dog so I can't really tell you if it works or not.


I hope that helps. fleas are a pain.

[thunder thighs]

 You can also  get flea collars with natural oils in them. some are made so that you can  "reload" them when the oil gets used up. I've never used one of those on my dog so I can't really tell you if it works or not.

 I just did a little more reading on the collars and it goes on to say "Some cats hang themselves or get the collars caught between their jaws, causing serious damage. Others get permanent hair loss around the neck from allergic reactions.."

so on second thought, collars probably aren't such a good idea.

[yarrow dreamer]

I grew up with Siberian Huskies, who I don't recall ever having a flea problem. I know that, at least for a while, my mom added brewer's yeast/aka nutritional yeast, to their food, which has loads of B vitamins in it.

I've heard that when people take massive doses of B (like I do right now), it repels bugs. I can vouch for disinterested mosquitoes, sleeping in my backyard all summer, but I may have paleo superpowers to thank for that! 

[jhereg]

Seems like I read something about walnut husks somewhere. Or was it hulls? Not sure, sorry. Hopefully that'll jog someone elses memory....

[sacha]

eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel, yellow dock, wormwood and rue

These are all natural insect repellents (actually, I didn't know about repellent properties of Yellow Dock before, though it is a good liver cleanse).  But there are others (work with mosquitoes too).  Tansy (which grows wild in abundance lots of places -- not to be confused with Tansy Ragwort) and Pennyroyal are especially to be noted.  American Pennyroyal (a different but related species to European Pennyroyal, which also works) was traditionally spread on the floor of tipis to repel the fleas living in the grass where the tipi was pitched.

walnut husks somewhere. Or was it hulls?

The green covering over the nuts (which turns black on maturity) is what they were talking about.  You need access to a walnut tree to get it.

If you  have carpeting, fleas are likely laying eggs in it.  One natural way to kill them is to heavily sprinkle salt in the carpet, for anything a few hours to a week depending on how bad the infestation is, then vacuum it up (or sweep it up, if you don't have a vacuum, which doesn't get all the salt out and thus helps protect against future generation of eggs).