Share on ThriftyFunThis guide contains the following solutions. Have something to add? Please share your solution!
I live in Tahiti and unfortunately there aren't a lot of pet stores here on the islands. In fact, there aren't any pet stores here on the island. If we want anything for your pets we have to buy them from the veterinary or the pharmacy. We pay an extremely high price for our pet care needs.
One night my boyfriend came home from work with a 6 week old puppy. He was adorable and so cute. However, he was infested with fleas. I had never seen so many fleas on an animal before.
I went to the pharmacy and purchased a lice comb. Here in Tahiti they don't sell a flea comb for dogs. A lice comb works great if you buy the plastic one like I purchased. Afterwards, I stopped at the grocery store and bought a bottle of white vinegar. When I arrived at home I poured the vinegar into a bowl. I then proceeded to comb the dog with the lice comb. This trapped the fleas on the dog. Afterwards, I rinsed the comb in the bowl of vinegar. This immediately killed the fleas on the comb.
After spending an hour combing the dog and removing the fleas I made a tub of warm water and poured 2 cups of vinegar into the water. I soaked the dog in the tub of warm water for 30 minutes.
This procedure took me around a week to get rid of all the fleas on the dog. Fortunately, I have never had a flea problem again. Once I killed all the fleas with vinegar my dog has been free of fleas.
After some of the sores healed on the dog I was able to take him to the lagoon and bath him in the salt water. Here on the islands the salt water is fantastic for controlling and getting rid of fleas. However, when a dog's skin has too many sores it is not a good idea to bath him in salt water.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
My puppies are only 10 weeks, but badly invested with fleas from their mum. Is there anything I can use on them to help them at this very young age?
By A.J.
No,
Dawn is dangerous for puppies, went to the vet over it. It takes all of the natural oils and things out of coat. Do Not Use Dawn
Please help. This is our first ever problem with fleas.
By Kendall from CO
My dog had issues with fleas for years, and was allergic to pretty much everything I tried, including oatmeal flea wash. Then I planted pennyroyal in our garden and placed clippings of pennyroyal under her mattress. No more fleas!! You can also put sprigs of pennyroyal in oil (like canola oil) and let it sit for a week or so, and then dab the oil on all the flea zones of the puppies (ears, neck, tail etc). Because they scratch, their skin gets irritated. Washing only irritates it more. Since I put pennyroyal clippings under my dog's mattress in her kennel, I have not seen her scratch once. Fleas hate the stuff!
My vet is really excited about Comfortis, since it doesn't go directly onto their skin and is apparently bacteria based. You can start using this when your puppies are 4 months old. Check it out and see what you think:
http://www.comf … com/default.aspx
No poisons please. Dry borax in the carpets. Build their immune system.
Make sure you are vacuuming the carpet every other day. This is so you are getting eggs and newly hatched fleas.
Take your puppies to the Vet. They have a flea treatment that is safe for puppies because their skin is so sensitive.
My puppies had fleas from their mother and one treatment is all they needed.
DO NOT use over the counter flea treatment or flea treatment for older dogs. This stuff will burn the puppy's skin.
I have 5 dogs and two cats. This is nothing new for my family, we have always had at least 3 pets at a time. So fleas, ticks, worms..... etc. is not new to me. I also know how important it is to keep your pet free of these pesty, little things. In all the years that I have had pets inside and outside our home, we have been where we are now for well over 10 years, I have never had such a struggle! I take our pets to the vets (NOT CHEAP, thats why I work so hard to NOT let my pets get these things!) and not even their meds are working. Someone said something about COMFORTIS, it did not work for us. We dose all animals at the same time and do the house as well. Until now, I have never had them infested in my home or jump on one of us from the furniture or seen my poor animals so miserable. They have given us 3 types of flea and tick meds, pills and drops. I have resorted to stinky collars, not working. I have vacumed carpets, furniture, curtains. Ive mopped, shampooed and did the same to the pets. The wont go near ANY running water. They wont even let me pet them, they are probably sore from the flea comb and flea picking! I have discovered that Dawn dish liquid is like liquid, blue, duct tape! I read that about the Dawn soap bath on here, I also read about the vasoline trick on here, it worked great. I havent tried spreading salt everywhere just yet, it might kill some fleas but not before my dogs go crazy trying to lick in out of the floor and such. Im also going to try the Pennyroyal plants and products. Im currently trying to find where I might find the plants, Im sure they carry the other Pennyroyal products in pet stores (did not find it at Walmart.com) or on line. Im hoping to be able to plant them in my yard, that has got to be where they are coming from. My lawn guy told me he could spay some chemical all over the lawn that would kill them for a bit but Im out in the country, we walk and hike and play in a nearby creek, I cant spray it everywhere, especially near a water source, it feeds into a river. There is also a small stream right next to my house that I would be worried about. I would worry about spraying a chemical anyway and be a pretty niave pet owner to think that would resolve the problem. My vet called the fleas "superfleas" and said they are really bad this year and extremely hard to get rid of. So far so good on the Dawn dish soap, love that stuff! I did the entire house, all furniture, blankets, pet beds... etc. I must have wore them out or they are finally flea free, because evey one of my dogs are sound a sleep. I could have a houseful of squirrels and Im certain they would not even blink!
I use baking soda on all my floors and furniture. I spread it into corners, the edges of floor and walls. I leave it for several hours then sweep up the powder in the middle of the rooms. I leave the test for 2 days then vacuum. Keep cleaning the vacuum filter so it doesn't clog. The dust settles into the crevices where fleas hide and breed. I also powder my animals with it after they are dry from their baths. This stuff is not toxic. It kills fleas by suffocating them.
What can I do to rid a puppy three weeks old and under 2 lbs. of fleas?
Bathe in a solution of water and Blue Dawn.
it is essential to the puppy's heath to try to get rid of their fleas and any fleas in the house or on the mother.
If you decide to give the puppy a bath in the sink, I would recommend that you have everything/all supplies ready before you begin and make sure you will have enough time to finish the bath and after bath tasks without interruption as puppy's can get cold very quickly. i would also say to place either a rubber mat or thick towel in the bottom of the sink so the puppy will not slip and get frightened. (The towel will have dead/live fleas attached so you will need to have a bucket ready so you can take the towel to the washing machine.)
If you decide to try to remove fleas with a comb (no bath) it is generally best to have an old sheet or something to put over your lap to hold the puppy and also not harm yourself with their claws. Always use a bowl of warm water with a teaspoon of Dawn to dip the fleas or you can use a touch of Vaseline to stop the fleas from running.
Here are some very good sites that explain the best ways to control fleas on puppies and their moms.
https://www.cut … week-old-puppies
dawn is about the only thing you can use. at that age, vets are against using any commercial products.
Definitely the Dawn way. It's effective and very safe.
By H.Kiser
I would be careful not to use the Dawn soap very often. It really dries the skin which can cause more itching than fleas. Try some hydrocortisone cream from the store for the itchy spots.
The answer to your question is called a Veterinarian.
The Dawn liquid is supposed to kill fleas, but it really dries out the skin. Kill the fleas then use baby oil or Skin So Soft on her ears. The dryness is making them worse.
I was advised to make a paste with baking soda and water and it cleared up the inflammation on the skin.
I have a puppy, 5 weeks old, that gets fleas really bad. How can I keep them off? I bathe her almost every day.
By Angela from Rock Hill, SC
Try baby shampoo.
Add some garlic powder to her food. Garlic is a natural flea repellent. There are several of the organic flea shampoos that may help, but you'd need to check with a professional to see if it's OK to use on such a young puppy.
Dawn dish soap will help if you are with a 2 month old pup.
I have a miniature Pinscher, he is 10 weeks old and very tiny. I am looking for a safe affordable solution to get rid of his fleas. He only weighs about 1.5 lbs
By C. Wallace
My 6 week old puppy has fleas. Can I give him a bath at this age?
By Karen from Nova Scotia, Canada
For safe removal of fleas for a puppy that young, you can buy a flea zapper comb that kills fleas the minute the comb comes in contact. I've used it on my own dogs and it really works. You can buy them at any pet store or on the internet. The dog doesn't feel the tiny charge on the flea either. It works best with short haired dogs.
By Elizabeth
