Basic Home Remedies For Killing Dog Fleas
Everybody knows that dogs suffer from fleas, but not everybody knows that dogs can get sick and die from suffering from too many of them for too long. That's why you, as a responsible pet owner, have to know a thing or two about killing dog fleas to make sure those bloodsuckers keep their distance from your prized pooch.
Don't worry, though. You don't have to work yourself to the bone or spend a boatload of cash just to give your dog relief. Home remedies, done correctly, can effectively rid your dog of these pests. Here are a few simple and inexpensive methods you can try.
1. Set up a Flea Trap.
Lots of people claim that a pot, a light, and some soapy water adds up to a surprisingly effective natural remedy for dog fleas. Why? Because when set up correctly, these items make up a potent flea trap, which in turn, makes killing dog fleas an easy task.
How to set up: Go to the kitchen and pick up a small pot and some dishwashing detergent. Fill approximately half the pot with water (more water won't make this more effective, so make sure the pot doesn't overflow) and mix in some detergent. Find a lamp and set it up beside the pot, making the light shine over the water. You now have yourself a flea trap.
How it works: Fleas are attracted to heat. The heat emitted by the lamp should cause fleas in the room to jump toward the light, only to fall short and land in the pot of soapy water. Once there, it shouldn't take long for the detergent to work its magic and finish the pests off.
Note that you have to replace the water on a regular basis, even before it's full of fleas. Otherwise, others may be able to avoid sinking in the water when they jump in and may even manage to jump back out.
2. Make good use of Garlic, Vinegar, and Brewer's Yeast.
This particular method works great if your pet just so happens to be home to more fleas than you can count.
As is typical of bloodsuckers, fleas seem to have a strong aversion to garlic. So strong, in fact, that they drop dead when they get a taste of it in their host's blood. By feeding your pooch small amounts of garlic, you can drastically drop the fleas that have taken up residence in his skin and hair.
Same could be said for vinegar and Brewer's yeast. Try mixing some vinegar in your dog's drink or have him join you for a round of booze, and watch as the fleas check out of hotel K9.
Word of caution, though: sizeable servings of garlic has been proven to be detrimental to your dog's health, and the same can be said for small doses over an extended period of time. Your best bet is to allow your dog to switch to another natural remedy for dog fleas once the garlic has done its job.
3. Make good use of Vinegar...again.
The great thing about vinegar is that it's pretty versatile; you can use it as more than just a food additive. So how else can vinegar be used for killing dog fleas? Well, it works wonders as a spray.
Mixing water and vinegar (50-50) in a spray bottle should give you one heck of a weapon in the war against fleas. Spray all areas you suspect might have fleas and you'll wind up reducing the flea population by the hundreds, and maybe even the thousands.