[ccasanova]

oh my goodness, this has been soooo frusterating! my parents house is infested with fleas because of their dog, and they love to bite me! I have to constantly be checking my feet to pick up the fleas that jump on my feet, and if i start seeing flea bites on my children i will really get mad! the dog doesn't even come inside the house but just be someone coming in from outside, they carry them in and then they seem to have a feast with me and my mom

problem is that my dad isn't much for spending money especially for vets, and i don't have the money to take her to the vet to get a prescription for flea medicine, which seem to be the only ones that work. i feel bad for the dog to have so many fleas on her, which can't be healthy, for me because it looks nasty to have to go around with all these red bumps all over my body, and scared for my kids that they will start getting bitten too. that can't be healthy, i know that fleas can carry diseases, etc, etc. so what can i do??? is there anyway that I can get a hold of advantage or fronline without taking the dog to the vet??? thanks for any suggestions

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[QueenSheba'sMom]

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I'm gonna listen in, because we have 6 cats (one had kittend recently) and it won't be long now.

 

[Bad Mama Jama]

 

[roundpegmom]

I got Frontline/Advantage from the vet without bringing the pet and paying for an exam. Call your vet and see if they will sell it to you without an exam (fleas should be easy to self diagnose :LOL )

Another thing that I have done with good results is borax on the carpet. I don't have children crawling around, so that is not as issue for me. If this is your parents house, perhaps you could sprinkle the carpet with 20 Mule Team Borax (in the laundry section), leave it a few days and vacuum up on your next visit. This did seem to help my problem. Remember that the fleas may stay alive or the flea eggs may be viable in the vacuum bag, so deal with that (disposing of the bag or whatever)

I have also read about keeping a saucer/bowl of water with a few drops of dish washing detergent in it. Put this bowl under a light close to the floor. The fleas jump in the bowl and drown. I have not personally done this, but I would try it if needed.

A friend of mine also used a lice nit comb on his cat. I don't know if this is overkill or not, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Look at maybe ceder chips around the yard. I think they are supposed to deter the flea population that is in the yard.

HTH-Good Luck, I know your frustration!

 

[kppy]

hi,
if you are looking for natural or homeopathic advice on this topic, go here.

http://www.homeocurecenter.com/index.php?showtopic=22

if you have questions, post them there. the writer of the post is really helpful and will answer any questions you may have.

good luck!
kppy

 

[streetkitty]

I really always try to go the natural way...but fleas are just something that I CANNOT stand. All of our cats are indoor only but occasionally we get a neighbor with a dog, next thing you know- someone has tracked in a flea and it's a flea party!

Good news- Advantage works very well on pets and you can get it w/o seeing a vet. Best price I've found is here:
http://healthypets.com/index.html

They also have Program and Frontline- I've only used advantage.

For the house- Fleabusters all the way. You can buy the powder and do your own carpets- it's non-toxic and really works.

HTH!
Traci

 

[vegmom]

Diatomaceous Earth can be used to mechanically kill fleas. It is a fine powder made out of natural diatoms. It basically stabs the fleas to death on contact. You can get it at any farm supply store in 40kg bags. Even some pet supply stores may carry it or order it for you. It is used in the farming industry to get rid of parasites in animals as you can ingest it and it does no harm (you sprinkle it on pets food). You can put it on your animals fur, rub it in and vacuum. Viola. Takes a few seconds and the fleas are dead. It is totally safe. But just a precaution since it is a fine dust i would wear a dust mask.

It is much safer than chemicals. I would sprinkle it outside where the dog is as well.

It costs around 45$ canadain for the 40kg bag so it is cheap and works well.

 

[ebethmom]

I'm glad to see this post - it reminds me to buy some more Advantage!

We had an awful flea infestation last Summer/Fall. Dd was tiny baby, and I could not put her down anywhere in our house without fleas jumping on her. They didn't bite dh, but they think I'm tasty!

I remember going to my Mom's for a few nights, and the relief I felt being flea free for even a few hours. Agh.

We tried diatomaceous earth, but it was so gritty in the carpets. I sprinkle it outside, though. We also tried the natural sprays, but I think our infestation was too heavy by the time we tried them.

We did end up flea bombing, then leaving the house for several days. We also gave our cats a pill that killed all of the adult fleas on them. (The pill were not expensive at all, but the vet did need to prescribe them.) Then we put the Advantage on.

 

[ccasanova]

what do you mean flea bombing? putting that spray that comes with the little squirter thing? does that really work? i got some, but it seems hard to use if it will only kill the fleas that it touches and not the ones that don't get touched. so i was thinking of trying the one that attaches to the hose, so that we can just cover the whole area! anyone have success with that? i'll have to see if i can find that powder stuff. thanks! keep the suggestions coming, i'm itching like crazy over here!