The Dish by Darcie

Hello Darcie, I have a 2 year old Yorky with a flea problem and need help controlling his fleas without over medicating, bathing daily, and dusting the house carpet weekly. I use Ortho Bug-b-gone all over the yard. I have not found a flea product that works. I searched on your site for flea control articles and only got mosquito control articles. I’ve not had a mosquito issue here in Largo, FL. any ideas are welcome. Norman

Norman, To start this post, I want to say emphatically, so there is no confusion about where I stand on this issue, that I’m with you on this. I hate using chemicals on my animals and around my home. It’s why I’ve searched and searched and tested natural products hoping that they work. So far, I’ve not found anything that works like the chemicals do. Some of the natural products I tested were far worse than chemicals. I’m positive that we are not doing our animals a good service by putting chemicals on and around them. The alternative is to live with fleas and ticks or ban our dogs to the outdoors…I won’t do either.

I don’t think Ortho targets fleas, does it? I can’t find anything on their site to tell me that it does. I think that’s more for winged insects. You certainly don’t want to be breathing this stuff or letting your dog breath it either.

For your house and yard, talk to your local pest control. If your home and yard are infested, they’ll know the fleas that you’re dealing with and should help you gain effective control as safely as possible for you, your dog and your family. Then vacuum daily for a while, then at least every other day, it’s a natural way to pick up fleas and their eggs. You’ll more than likely have to continue the fight with vacuuming even after getting some chemical help to gain ground on the infestation. Most flea eggs are not laid on the animal but in the carpet, cracks and crevices, and in damp places. Burn the vacuum bag when you’re done, don’t leave it in the house, the eggs will hatch and it all starts again. Wash bedding frequently and use a hot dryer.

Diatomaceousearth is one natural remedy that you rub into the dog’s hair and put on flooring and bedding. It kills the flea by cutting them to death so it’s not a fast remedy. There is a caution with this, too, wear a mask and mask your dog when you apply to your dog and your home. I haven’t had a lot of people tell me this has worked for them so my jury is still out on it as widespread home and dog flea control.

I think the ingredient in Ortho Bug-b-gone is Bifenthrin which is a Pyrethroid compound. Pyrethroids are supposed to be fairly harmless to humans and dogs in small doses but can harm sensitive individuals. Symptoms of poisoning with Pyrethroid compound according to pesticideinfo.org are:

- Irritation of skin and eyes.
- Irritability to sound or touch, abnormal facial sensation, sensation of prickling, tingling or creeping on skin, numbness.
- Headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, fatigue.
- In severe cases: fluid in the lungs and muscle twitching may develop. Seizures may occur and are more common with more toxic cyano-pyrethroids.
- Suspected carcinogen
- Suspected endocrine disrupter

I found this extremely concerning piece of info, too. According to mdpest.org:

A study conducted by four scientists on a variety of pesticides found a connection to thyroid damage, although this study was conducted on rats and not on humans. The study concludes “exposure to organochlorine, organophosphorus, and pyrethroid insecticides for a relatively short time can suppress thyroid secretory activity in young adult rats.” The study also said a decrease in body weight seen “suggests that pyrethroid insecticides can inhibit growth rate.” [Journal of Applied Toxicology, Vol. 16, No. 5, pages 397-400, 26 references, 1996.]

To combat the infestation of your dog, talk to your vet possibly about Frontline Plus or Comfortis. Confortis is a once a month pill that targets fleas. I had good luck with it with Oliver when he was coming home from his rescue…he was infested with fleas. He was also infested with worms of all sorts partly due to the flea infestation. Poor guy. Within 30 minutes of taking a Comfortis pill, the fleas were dying. Within 4 hours of giving him the pill, the fleas were all dead and very quickly after that he was alert and happy, excited to be alive when before the pill he was lethargic and itching…a very, very sick little puppy. Our vet said that if I had not taken this measure, he certainly could have died soon. His infestation was horrible, I’ve never seen so many of anything in one place as I did when I saw these fleas dying and falling off of him. I was worried about giving him this pill because he was such a sick and underweight little guy but it worked out well. The vet I talked to was right in my opinion, it was our best solution at the time and one that saved his life. Oliver only took one pill. I made sure there were no live fleas on him or in the car before we drove home. I sprayed the car with Frontline spray. We made it home flea free.

Since I wrote the article about bringing Oliver home, several people tried Comfortis and told me that they liked the results. There can be side effects so do question your vet thoroughly to make sure it’s the right choice for your dog. If it is the right choice for your dog, your home can become flea free. Comfortis is designed to be used once a month.

Here’s a short list of what you’re up against if you live in flea country. I believe there are closer to 2000 types in the world. All of these fleas have their preferred hosts, but all will feed on dogs and cats. With so many fleas that can and do feed on dogs and cats, we understand why they are difficult to control.

Pulex irritans: The human flea infests people, swine, and occasionally dogs and cats.

Xenopsylla cheopis: The rat flea is the carrier of bubonic plague, which we know as the ‘Black Death’ during the Middle Ages. Bubonic plague killed 200 million people. The “rat flea” feeds on rats, people, dogs, and cats.

Echidnophaga gallinacea: The Tropical hen flea or the sticktight flea is mainly a flea of birds, but will also feed on other animals.

Ctenocephalides felis: The domestic cat flea actually prefers dogs. This is the most common flea that affects dogs and cats. This is the one that Oliver had the most of, he was covered with them! It was awful!

Ctenocephalides canis: The common dog flea and despite its name, it also feeds on humans, cats, and other animals. Oliver had these guys all over him, too!

Male and female fleas feed on the blood of animals. And they can live several months without a meal.

Fleas transmit:

* a tapeworm called Dipylidium caninum
* Haemobartonellosis which affects red blood cells
* another parasite called Dipetalonema reconditum
* Plague caused by Yersinia pestis
* Typhus caused by Rickettsia typhi
* Tularemia caused by Francisella tularensis

From ehow.com:

Transmitting to Humans
5. One disease from dog or cat flea bites can transmit to humans: typhus. Dogs are not affected by typhus.

To give your dog some relief today if you can’t get Comfortis right away or choose to use something else, bathe your dog in warm water that has a squirt of Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Rinse the dog with the water, you’ll see fleas die instantly. Then rinse thoroughly with fresh clean water and dry. It won’t stop the infestation, it will give him some relief and I dare say that you’ll be gratified to see dead fleas. Or for a more natural way and I haven’t used it so I don’t know how effective this is: slice one lemon and soak it in a pint of very hot water. Let sit overnight, strain the pulp, and sponge or rinse your dog with the water.

I would love to find something to control pests on our animals and in our homes without poison, so far I’ve had no real and positive success at that. I hate to put chemicals on or in my dogs and cats but I want to live with them and I refuse to live with fleas and ticks. Once the fleas and ticks come in, it takes some doing to kill them all and keep them out. Science will one day find the thing that will work to keep us all safe. Until then, we have to do what we have to do.

Do your research and choose the things that feel safest to you. It’s all any of us can be asked to do.

Before I leave you. A dog with a low immune system will have more pests than a dog with a strong one. An extremely strong immune system might keep fleas from biting and at the very least will help your dog cope with bites better. If you are feeding your dog a dog food with corn in it or a poor quality food, expect that your dog will struggle with the effects of flea bites. Dogs who eat corn are not getting the nutrition they need to fight off anything, much less pests like fleas and ticks. Consider a raw food diet for your dog. You might find that change to be a lifetime of happiness for you and your dog. Some “experts” suggest giving high doses of garlic to dogs and say it will repel pests. I wouldn’t do that, large doses of anything are not smart or safe.

Don’t forget to call your local pest guys and talk to your vet. An infestation has to be tackled from many different sides. If you have fleas on your dog, you have fleas in your house.

Norman, thank you for being brave enough to share this problem with others. When we can all talk intelligently and helpfully, we all win. – Darcie

(Here’s an article at Mother Earth News about fleas. Natural certainly would be better if you can get it to work.)

(Here’s my worst and first experience with fleas. Oliver’s Story, part I, II, and III)

Tilli, Oliver, and I went walking down to the pond by the county road. Tilli was at my heels as usual. Oliver was running amuck, as ususal. He jumped into the pond after some frogs and chased them around for a while. Then found some more frogs to chase.

A neighbor drove by with a huge horse trailer on behind his truck. He waved at us and kept driving. Oliver’s big Black Lab Great Dane head came up out of the water and he turned toward the truck and trailer, then he did a double take. It was hilarious. I wished I’d had my camera. Oliver’s head came up as high as he could lift it with his front feet still on the ground, right up onto his big old tippy toes. With his nose and ears high in the air, he stiffened all four legs and then leaned his 90 pound body waaaayyyyyy back, he looked like a slight breeze might blow him over. And he just stood there like that. I watched and waited to see what would happen next.

Oliver watched the truck and trailer until they were out of sight, turning his head and eyes to follow the rising dust cloud, and stayed just like that until I couldn’t hear the sound of the engine any more. Then he turn to look at me and I swear, he shrugged his shoulders and jumped back into the pond again. Look out Frogs!

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