Using Vinegar for Fleas

Vinegar for Fleas?

My chihuahua has fleas so bad that she is pulling her hair off and she is even turning a darker color around he butt end she is white so it is easy to see her skin. I am wondering if it is alright to spray vinegar right on her. Wouldn't that sting? Rachel
Answers:
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	08/12/2004
Why would you want to use vinegar? Don't think it would take care of your problem. Go to your vet or groomer and get a pill called Capstar. It will kill all fleas within an hour (only good for 24 hours). Then get Frontline Plus to apply to the back of the neck. This last for 1 to 3 months. That should take care of your problem and your doggy will certainly feel better too.
By Sue (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	08/12/2004
Use dishwashing liquid to bathe dear wee poochie. A few drops in the warm water should do fine . Start sudsing at her head & the fleas will run down to the water in the dishpan & drown. Rinse the darling in nice warm water and get her dry fast, use a blowdryer on low and hold it from a safe distance if she'll tolerate it. You don't want her taking a chill. Dawn is especially gentle, it's used to clean marine animals and birds from Oil spills. It's gentle on their skins but kills insects with Very Satisfactory efficiency. You can mop floors with it too. I keep some diluted in a spray bottle, it makes a good all purpose cleaner as well.
By Linne Dodds (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	08/16/2004
I'm all about non-commercialized products if possible too. I know that Frontline would probably take care of the flea problem, but if those meds have the capacity to kill fleas within an HOUR, how toxic are they to the dog?! I heard EUCALYPTUS works well!
By sjk
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/10/2004
I read a tip the other day that I thought was pretty good. Keep your lawn mowed short - the fleas do not live in sunlight places and prefer dark places and by keeping your lawn mowed you might eliminate many of these pests.
By Diana Dwyer (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/10/2004
Mix 2 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 cup vinegar Add 1 tsp dish soap In custard cup, don't slosh (so it doesn't make suds). This has worked very well for me.
By Jayne (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/11/2004
Your lawn needs to be 3 inches long to be healthy. If you cut it shorter, it starts to die, then recovers, just in time for the next mower attack. My grass is green unless a dog gets it while my neighbors are constantly trying to revive a yellow brown patch.
By Jill (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/12/2004
Frontline Plus... AMEN!
By teresatrey
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/29/2004
The best flea stuff I have come across is called biospot. its smells like oranges. when the smell is gone, it is safe to pet the animal, works wonders, still flealess.
By corinne (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	11/20/2004
Just a note.. I used Biospot on my dog and it almost killed her. I had to rush her to the vet with rectal bleeding. He told me it was from the Biospot, and he has seen several cases with this product.
By mindy (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	02/18/2005
I moved into a place that is infested with fleas, and my poor dog is suffering. Before now, I had used Frontline and it worked, but I applied it at the beginning of the month, and it is NOT working. I once worked at a Vet clinic and I think it numbed me to what should be considered acceptable treatment for pets. We introduce so many chemicals into our households thinking they're safe because companies are pushing them on us. We put chemicals on our pets and ask why someone would use vinegar. It's all quite ridiculous that people still think these insecticides are safe. I am open to any suggestions for NATURAL remedies for this flea problem. Thanks!
By judy (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	07/08/2005
We have a dog and we used vinegar on ours and it made all of hers fleas go away. Frontline works but it is egspensivek
By tara elanora (Guest Post)
RE: Vinegar for Fleas?	09/22/2005
Frontline does work - and very well, I might add. Nevertheless, it is still worthwhile to use other methods. Fleas HATE eucalyptus (and many other insects do, as well). It is an old homeless trick-- if you must sleep outdoors, find a eucalytus grove and sleep there. There won't be any fleas. With this knowledge, you can use eucalyptus oil (carefully-- it is potentially very irritating) in key areas to discourage fleas. There are other herbs they dislike as well. I know about the effectiveness of eucalyptus because I am from California. Try putting the oil on something you can sprinkle on your lawn around the house or in your basement. If you can, put it on your pet's bedding (just make sure they don't come in direct contact with it). It will help. If your pet is seriously infested, though, go to the vet and pay for the frontline (get it through the vet - the retail version doesn't work) until the problem is under control. Not only does a severe infestation make the animal miserable, it could potentially cause other problems. Once the fleas are under control, then use other methods to keep them that way. Denise
By Denise2003

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Using Vinegar for Fleas

Can I get rid of fleas on my pets with vinegar?

Karen Burley From Norwood, GA

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RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

A non-toxic, inexpensive way to kill fleas is to bathe your baby in a mixture of half baby shampoo and half hydrogen peroxide. When dry, spray with Adams flea spray as directed. I have cats and dogs and this has saved us tons of money! (05/22/2006)

By gazookeeper

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Dawn dish detergent is fantastic. I have a 4 month old toy Poodle, I put Dawn from his neck down. I rub it in his hair very well and leave it on 3-4 minutes, then I rinse him thoroughly. You will see the dead fleas on animal and in bath water. I then shampoo my doggie in his good smelling shampoo. Try it and let me know what you think. Have a good day. (05/23/2006)

By Deanna

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I would say try the vinegar. Although I have never used it on my dog I do know it will help take care of lice on children. I can't imagine that it would hurt the dog as long as you keep it out of their eyes. Vinegar is actually healthy for human hair. (05/23/2006)

By dpcw

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I don't know about using vinegar for fleas, but our dog is prone to yeast infections on his skin, and our vet prescribed that for him. We mix 1/4 gallon vinegar with 3/4 gallon water and rub that in after his bath. We did that weekly and his skin cleared right up. He also had no fleas and no more flies around him. Good luck! (05/24/2006)

By Amy.

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

We have used approx. 1 tsp. vinegar to one quart of water for the past 3-4 years. This is drinking water. It seems to work from the inside out and my dogs don't mind it at all. They haven't had any fleas since shortly after we started using it. We were getting totally flea infested. Nothing worked (even flea bombs). I got this hint originally from someone on one of my internet groups. I really wish I had saved her name, so I could credit her. Maybe, someday she will post again. Incidentally, my cats don't like it. Laine (05/25/2006)

By Laine

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

We are working on getting rid of some fleas right now. I am looking for solutions myself but my daughter told me that we should put a flea collar inside the vacuum bag. (She has worked for a vet for many years, has lots of animals and does this herself). She said that fleas can live in a carpet for a long period of time and hatch eggs all the time. When you vacuum they also hatch the eggs inside the bags and will come back out. The flea collar inside the bag kills the fleas and eggs that you vacuum up. Mem (06/24/2006)

By herblady

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

(b)Editor's Note: (/b) Usually white vinegar is safe for any cleaning but for use on animals or for consumption, I'd use apple cider vinegar however rice vinegar might work fine, it just costs more. (06/25/2006)

By BlissMama

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Last summer we ran into a huge flea problem, thanks to a raccoon who had made our back porch it's home. I bathed my dog with a mixture of white vinegar and Dawn dish soap. The fleas immediately die, right there in the tub. It works wonders. I then fill a spray bottle with half vinegar, half water and spray him down every couple days. I put salt on my carpets which kills the fleas. Then I mix a couple of tablespoons of vinegar with his drinking water. Try all this, see what works for you! (08/26/2006)

By Rissa

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

My vet suggested that we give our dogs Flea Free. It is added to the food or water. Vinegar is part of the Flea Free ingredients. We also sprinkled nematodes to the area of the yard that the dogs frequent. He also suggested that we put Neem Oil on the neck and base of the tail once a week and pat the dogs down with food grade Diatomatious Earth weekly. The Neem is an natural insect repellent and the Diatomatious Earth is scratchy and uncomfortable to the fleas so they prefer to not be around it. You can also put the Diatomatious Earth in the pet's bedding and around base boards. It has not completely eliminated the fleas, but it has improved the problem greatly. That is a lot to say in Florida where we don't get a freeze to knock the flea population down. (06/24/2007)

By Dr. B

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Hi, I'd just like to let you now that I put a bowl of white vinegar down every night when I had a flea problem in the house. Every morning I would come down to the living room to find the bowl full of dead fleas. It's the best and cheapest way I found which would actually work! Hope it helps! (09/18/2007)

By

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I use 1/2 vinegar 1/2 warm water with dish soap on my cat and dog. This kills fleas instantly! I would HIGHLY recommend this to EVERYONE! You can also take a Q TIP and dip it in vinegar or rubbing alcohol and then put it on fleas when you see them on your animal. This stuns them. Next you can pick the flea off and put it in a bowl of vinegar to kill it. Good luck! (10/07/2007)

By Kelsey

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Vinegar does work very well. Before I bathed my cat in a half, half, and Dawn. I took a bowl of vinegar, bowl of water, and her flea comb and started to kill fleas right away. I would dip the comb in the vinegar after running the comb though her fur. Then I would rinse the comb with the water. Worked great. It took about 2 min. to kill the fleas in the bowl so i left her in the tub for about 5 min. P.S. half & half water, vinegar to spray everything. Thanks (10/27/2007)

By Djohnson

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Thank you for the tip about dabbing the flea with a Qtip soaked in alcohol. This has made an amazing difference in catching the "stunned" flea! Also going to try the white vinegar at night in a bowl --- I had forgotten about the method -- and the apple cider vinegar in the drinking water (I'd used a quality ACV like Bragg's). I have also applied Lavender Essential Oil to the coat - that has also worked in repelling fleas in the past. (04/14/2008)

By Lin

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Vinegar DOES work. My dog hates being sprayed with the vinegar/water mixture so I figure next time to just put it on a cloth and wipe her down and see how that works. Salt in the carpet also works. I discovered that years ago. My Dachshund sleeps with me and I HATE fleas in my bed! The Frontline and Biospot do NOT always work. Plus they are very expensive, especially with more than one dog. Also, the bigger the dog, the more expensive these chemicals are. Another way to get your money. I hate the thought of getting the chemicals on my skin. Just think...they absorb into your dog. What about on you? These chemicals are VERY toxic. Yes, a lot of dogs have had very serious reactions, sometimes even death, from these chemicals. Why chance it? Vinegar is easy to use and cheap. $3 or so for a gallon. (05/19/2008)

By Linda

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

Diatomaceous Earth for your home and pet bedding. Put a paper mask on and use a puff bottle. Put it everywhere you suspect fleas might be. You can even dust it on your dogs and cats. Do not get it in your lungs or theirs. It doesn't hurt if they walk in it. It dries the fleas up and ruins their skeletal system. It works and it is organic. I actually sprinkle it in their beds and I burn the bedding. Even more effective. If you can't burn, use some sort of garden tool and scoop it into plastic trash bags and dispose of them immediately. THIS WORKS and is very, very cheap. You will rid your living space of fleas, eggs and larvae. (06/20/2008)

By Patmowdy

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I do rescue and average about 8 dogs at my house at any given time. I do use Capstar which I buy online from a supplier. I also use Dawn dish soap as a shampoo. It works well and is much cheaper than your average doggie product. In between baths, I brush the dogs and spray a mixture of vinegar and water (not in their faces) This kills fleas, shines their coats, and helps with the doggie smell. Occasionally I do need to use some Frontline or Advantage. But that's only occasionally and only in the hot Georgia summer. (07/21/2008)

By Linda

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Using Vinegar for Fleas

Can I get rid of fleas on my pets with vinegar?

Karen From Norwood, GA

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RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I just did an experiment because I'm having flea troubles. I made a half mixture of vinegar and water in a large spray bottle. I put a flea in a bowl and sprayed it and nothing happened. I then added a few drops of Dawn to the mixture, I sprayed the flea, and a few seconds later it died. (11/16/2008)

By Amgar

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I put a little eucalyptus on cotton balls and spread them out on my carpet before I vacuum. I wait about 15-20 minutes and then vacuum. My cats Zoe and Zada (a Himalyan, yes lots of hair) are flea-free and we live in Charleston, SC. I order the Eucalyptus Oil from any pharmacy. Four ounces cost about $8.00. (12/12/2008)

By Rhonda

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Using Vinegar for Fleas

How do you apply vinegar to kill fleas on pets?

By Catherine from Middleburg, FL

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RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I heard to put a bit of vinegar in the water bowl and you can also give them a rinse in vinegar water after you bath them. Hope this helps. (11/13/2009)

By mkm1enonly

RE: Using Vinegar for Fleas

I will not give my dogs vinegar water, that seems a bit harsh. I give them garlic pills everyday among other things. (12/02/2009)

By yessy1019