Treatment

Dog owners have access to a plethora of flea control products from herbs and electronics to biological controls.

Electronic collars are not effective. Electronic traps can be.

Powerful chemicals such as Dursban and diazinon and systemic insecticides such as the ingredients in Proban, Prospot, and Spotton seem to be on the way out.

The reason is that systemic insecticides can build to toxic levels in the dog if not used extremely carefully.

Some products repel fleas, some kill adult fleas, some kill larvae or eggs, and some prevent fleas from growing and reproducing. They all work in different ways, but the main point is to stop your animal from getting bitten, and to interrupt the flea life cycle so it can’t reproduce.

Garlic and brewer’s yeast are popular flea repellents with people who believe in natural remedies for their pets, but there are no tests that indicate these diet supplements are effective.  However, we do have quite a few natural remedies to suggest, covered in our article on the topic of natural remedies for fleas.

The essential oil citronella works well for both people and pets as an insect repellant.

These are just a few of the strategies to help you get through flea season better, as soon as spring arrives and warm weather appears all over the US.  For those of you who live in the southern and Gulf Coast states, we recommend natural remedies for flea protection and eradication so you can keep your home as chemical free as possible, and thus safe for your pets and family.

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