How to fight fleas naturally

Even though we are heading into fall, the heat and humidity this year doesn’t seem to be letting up. This can be hard on our pets, especially since the number of fleas increases with the warm weather. Not only are these sixlegged blood suckers a huge annoyance to our furry friends, but they can also spread tapeworms and, in young pets, cause severe cases of anemia. Luckily, we live in an area where fleas are not a year-round problem, but even during our short summer, controlling a flea outbreak can be tricky.

As fleas mature, they go through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Adult fleas can jump onto our pets and travel with them until they are brushed off or killed. Within two days after hitching a ride with Fido, the female flea will start feeding on blood, after which she will start laying up to 27 eggs per day, consuming 15 times her body weight in blood. A flea then excretes partially digested blood as fecal material, which can be easily seen on your pet’s fur and bedding as a fine reddish-black dust.

Unfortunately, fleas also reproduce at an incredible rate. Ten female fleas can produce more than 250,000 fleas in just one month. Alarmingly, for every one flea you see on your pet, there are no less than 10 in the areas your pet frequents most. So, when you wage war on these pesky bugs, you must also make sure you kill the eggs, larva and pupa around your house.

Typical flea extermination involves chemicals, be it through an internal or external treatment, but this can also be dangerous to your pets and family. Here are some helpful, effective and natural ways to deal with fleas.

Tips

• It can take up to 45 days to completely remove all fleas, which are the hardest to remove in the pupa stage as the cocoon acts as a barrier to many anti-flea agents. To eliminate pupa, vacuum carpets, area rugs, floors, furniture, pillows and beds regularly and immediately empty or throw out the vacuum bag.

• Use a flea comb daily and drop the combings into a bowl of soapy water and then flush down the toilet.

• Bathe your pet as much as possible — tea tree shampoo helps eliminate fleas.

• Add nutritional yeast (brewer’s yeast) to your pet’s food. Approximately one teaspoon daily for cats and small dogs and a tablespoon for dogs more than 50 pounds.

• Clean regularly using natural alternatives:

Borax and salt: Vacuum then sprinkle it on your carpets and floors. Let it sit for a few minutes and then vacuum again to remove fleas at the larval stage. Keep pets and children out of the room when applying borax.

Essential oils: Citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint and cedarwood are especially good for repelling fleas. Apply a few drops to your pet’s bedding, dab it on carpets, furniture, etc. While you can apply a drop or two directly on your dog’s coat, some essential oils are toxic to cats.

Diatomaceous earth (DE):

DE is an all-natural siliceous sedimentary mineral made from minuscule fossilized water plants called diatoms known to kill fleas by dehydrating them from the outside in. Apply a light dusting of food grade DE on carpets, area rugs, floors, pet’s bedding and even your pet, being careful not to get it in their eyes.

If you have any natural health questions or something you would like more information about, feel free to email cmcmurray@herald.ca.

Cynthia Mcmurray is a Custom Content Editor with a passion for living healthy. She has written several books and research papers for nutritional and supplement companies, and can be regularly found in the health food aisle. She lives in Dartmouth with her family (two and four-legged).