flea advice

just noticed rosa has fleas went to pet store and got bob martins spot on doea anyone know iff this is effective, wanted a shampoo but couldnt get any.
I also got a powder for my carpets and a spray for her bed any other advice would be greatly appreciated or do you think this treatment i have got will be all i need to get rid of them. :(

 

frontline is very effective. It's quit expensive at �£22 for 3 treatments. Each one last 6 weeks, though if you apply now that should be enough for the whole winter because they're dormant then.

If you treat the fleas on the animanl (cat?) they will dissapear from carpets etc, as they can only live on the animal.

 

For those holistic followers the following recipes can be wonderful remedies. Since they are all natural, they will only help repel fleas, ticks and flies etc. and must be applied more frequently as well.

Herbal Critter Repellent Mix: Dried peppermint, eucalyptus, bay leaf herbs, marjoram, eucalyptus, rosemary, sage, clove buds.

Crush your botanicals well and fill a muslin bag or use it in the cedar chip mixture of your dogs bed. The muslin bags can be placed near your dogs bedding area.

Tick Spritzer Blend:
2 drops of Lavender, Basil, Lemon, Opoponax, Eucalyptus
1 tea spoon apple cider vinegar
1 tea spoon vodka
1 cup of dried marjoram, eucalyptus, rosemary
2 cups of water

Flea Spritzer Blend:
2 drops of cedarwood, lemongrass, rose geranium
1 tea spoon apple cider vinegar
1 tea spoon vodka
1 cup of dried peppermint, eucalyptus, bay leaf herbs
1- 2 cups of water

Add the essential oils and vodka in a bottle, tighten the lid and shake well. Once the mixture blended (should turn white), add apple cider vinegar. If you have some herbs mentioned above you can make an herbal tea to use in your spritzer.

Boil 2-4 cups of water and remove from heat. Add your dried herbs in the water and let is simmer for 30 minutes. Once cool, drain and use instead of plain water in your spritzer. If you are using an herbal tea, this mixture must be kept in the refrigerator as the herbal teas have the tendency to go bad faster.

Once you have your spritzer you can use this by gently spraying it in to your dogs coat, legs, tummy and back. Rub it in well and apply it as necessary. Do not use any of the essential oils on your dogs face or around nose, ears and eyes. Respect the sensitive nose he/she has and go easy when using aromatic substances such as essential oils.

Check your dog often for fleas and ticks by play petting and inspecting. I always have the following handy when we are conducing an inspection.

 

You should be very carful with essential oils around cats, olbas oil is toxic to cats.

 

Rosa..found this for you its a lot of reading but quite interesting..
Best folk remedies to control fleas

Did you know that a flea could jump 100 times its own height? Did you also know that just one female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in a period of only three months? Lastly, did you know that it can take anywhere from three to six weeks for flea eggs to hatch? Now that�s definitely some eye opening, yet frightening flea trivia!

The pests in question are tiny, brown, wingless insects that survive on the blood of your pet. Unfortunately once they have found that food source they are very difficult to get rid of. Any of you who have been faced with the regrettable task of dealing with fleas truly know how trying it can be, and how incredibly quickly the problem can spread to other pets and to your home.

So first let�s talk about a couple of ways in which we can prevent flea problems for our pet�s altogether. The addition of Garlic to every one of our pet�s meals will help to keep them free of fleas, as will the addition of Sulphur to their diet on a once a week basis. You can also try giving your pet Black Walnut Hulls that come in a capsule form at many health food stores which will repel not only fleas but also, ticks and mosquitoes. Keep in mind that none of these solutions will work overnight and may take about four to six weeks before they are effective.

If you suspect that your pet does have a flea infestation examine the animal closely by separating the hair on the animals back or flank area. You want to be able to view the skin of the animal as well as possible and it will always be easier to detect fleas on those pets that have a lighter skin tone. During your search you might actually be able to see a flea scurrying by, but more likely you will see the evidence that the flea has left behind. Flea dirt (or feces) will appear as small, black pebbles in the fur and on the skin. To determine whether or not what you see is actually flea dirt, take some wet paper towel and wipe it over areas where the dirt is most prominent. If the dirt on the wet paper towel has dissolved into red blood then you can bet that you are indeed dealing with a flea problem.

Now let�s get down to bathing your flea infested friend. Use an herbal shampoo that contains a combination of any of pine cedar, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, citronella, juniper or geranium. Before you wet down your pet here�s a handy trick to ensure that you are successful in killing all of those nasty fleas. Know going into this process that as soon as you wet the animal down, those fleas are going to run for higher and dryer ground; this means they will flea (no pun intended) to the head area. You should never douse your pet�s head with water and certainly not soap, so in order to prevent the fleas from escaping make sure that you first pour a thick layer of the shampoo all around the head and neck area; as close to the top of the head and underneath the chin area as you can get. Pour small amounts of water with your hand onto the soapy area and spend some time building up a thick, soapy barrier that will kill the fleas that attempt to pass through it. Proceed by wetting down and lathering up the rest of the animal�s body while frequently returning to massage and re-lather the neck area. Fleas are very difficult to kill and it is better for your pet if you can handle the problem with one good bath rather than several of them, so be sure to leave the shampoo on for at least 15 minutes or more while continuing to massage the soap deep into the animal�s fur. Rinse the animal thoroughly and dry it off well, especially during cold weather.

If you are also dealing with a house infestation of fleas, hereâ��s a great way to get rid of the problem. Mix together 1 �½ pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 �½ pounds of natural borax and 1 cup of salt. (Donâ��t use the earth and borax that you can purchase at a pool store, rather use the products that you can get from your local garden store.) The diatomaceous earth works because it contains very tiny particles that have sharp spines, which puncture the exoskeleton of the flea, killing it. The borax and salt work by absorbing the moisture of the flea and make all of those cracks and small areas that they might find to live in your home much more undesirable. You can use the mixture by sprinkling it throughout your home onto carpets and into those harder to reach areas. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of days and then vacuum it up. Although these powders are not poisonous itâ��s never a good idea for you or your pet to breathe it continually for days so if itâ��s possible to go elsewhere while it sits then thatâ��s definitely an option you should use. Alternatively, if you prefer not to douse the house with the mixture, you can always pour it into your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum everything thoroughly so that any of the sucked up fleas will die inside the bag. Keep in mind that this solution will not kill the un-hatched flea eggs and therefore the process may need to be repeated several times depending on the severity of your problem.

 

thanks for advice seen the dust and fleas will see how effective spot on is and will go to another pet store and get a shampoo with flea killer in it, sprayed all her bed and powdered all carpets, just a matter of time for this spot on to work.

 

Sparkle..I wouldnt use olbas oil on any pet their is a combination of too many volatile essential oils ..A lot of pet shampoo is made with tea tree or eucalyptus oils ..and i know sulphur and lavender are also safe..I wipe my dog down with a few drops of tea tree every day and we have never had a flea..i am really glad ..as it would be a nightmare with his hairy coat..

 

wildflower were do you get the tea tree from and in what form do you buy it, as when i get this lot sorted will do the same with rosa

 

Thank goodness I'm not there with Frontline costing �£22 for the three pipettes. Here it is under 13 Euros, so about �£9 for the regular and 16 Euros (about �£11) for the Combo (kills fleas and eggs).

 

yes that frontline is expensive mind i have just spent �£20 for the sprays etc for rosa, definately getting that tea tree when i find out from wildflower were you buy it and what form is it. liquid i guess.

 

Rosa if you go to holland and barratt now they have some tea tree oil in their sale ..they also have some lavender..what i do is buy connor a herbal flea collar and every day i rub some tea tree oil on it so it repels the nastys and also keeps the strength of the collar going..

I think the nearest one to you is whitley road whitley bay..

 

thanks wildflower, will get them, yes holland & barret is in whitley bay, will get a flea collar for her.
I have just about got rid of the fleas i went in the bathroom with rosa and sprayed her, going to have another look in her coat this morning, bet she feels much better, when i am sure they have gone going to bath her with a flea repellent shampoo i got yesterday.thanks again for everyones advice.

 

Never use anything else but Fro ntline as it is so effective, expensive yes but worth it.

 

i aree with you S never have any bother at all

 

can you just get frontline at the vets, everything seems ok, just keep checking rosa and hope that they have gone