Natural Flea Solution for Dogs

she may have unrelated skin issues. Give her lots of Udo's oil.
Congrats on the new puppy! It is a great breed. I am so happy for you!
Good Luck!

Hi,

This article and website might be helpful to you:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/...

Are you sure it is fleas? Fleas are not the only thing that can cause a dog to have itchy skin - it could be the drier air in the house this time of year, or allergies, or a skin infection.

Garlic does not work - in large amounts, it can actually be toxic.

I still recommend either Advantage or Frontline, even in homes with kids. They are the most effective at getting rid of fleas and are the safest for your pet. You can apply it to your dog's skin once the kids have gone to bed and it will be dry and absorbed by the time they are up again in the morning.

I would recommend having the dog seen at your vet to make sure it really is fleas and not something else, then see what they recommend for treatment.

There is nothing natural that actually works against fleas,
My sheltie was on Comfortis with no side effects and it worked the best. It works the best. You should be more afraid of the fleas , heartworms, hookworms and other things she can get than side effects of these things.

Also she might have a skin allergy. Take her to the vet to find out.

Hi A.,
I am a veterinarian and I own a King Charles. There is no "natural" product that you can use to get rid of fleas. The best treatments are the topical products Advantage and Frontline Plus (which by the way, you can get at Costco at a very reasonable price). You will have to train your daughter not to pet the dog for 24 hours around the neck so that the medication can work through the skin and dry. My daughter does not pet the dog except on the head for that time period. You could also try bathing in a flea shampoo and then using an oral product like Comfortis. My best recommendation would be to talk with your veterinarian about the options you have available. She may indeed have itchy skin for another reason, although fleas are the most common reason, again talking with a veterinarian would be the best thing to do.

The Garlic tablets are as someone else said, harmful and can cause heinz body anemia (which causes the red blood cells to break apart). King Charles spaniels are already prone to getting immune mediated hemolytic anemia (where their body breaks down the red blood cells) a life threatening disease and you don't want to make that happen by giving garlic. Onions will also cause heinz body anemia as well. Orange oil does not work well either, but will make your dog smell nice.
The reason we use the topical products is because they work. Fleas have been an ongoing problem for thousands of years and the more we know about them the more we can target them specifically and make things less harmful to humans and more to fleas.
One more thing, do not, I repeat, do not use the other over the counter products that look like frontline and advantage just because they are cheaper. They are actually more harmful to animals, especially cats, because they are not specific to the receptors of the flea and can affect the receptors of mammals.
Good luck with your quest, and you will love your King Charles! They are the most wonderful dogs in the world!!!

I second DVMMOM. Obviously she knows her stuff!

My ex is a vet and I've had dogs all my life. There is nothing "natural" that works against fleas. You need to PREVENT them from getting on her. We use Revolution (a once-a-month topical treatment you get from a vet that works on heartworm/fleas/ticks). It dries quickly so it won't get on your daughter if she doesn't play with the dog right away. Also, you can tell her not to kiss the dog on the neck if you're worried about it.

Really you need to be more afraid of the fleas/ticks/heartworm than a chemical preventive. We've never had a problem in all the years we've used it.

That sounds like allergies, not fleas. I had a dog for 15 years who had severe allergies. I would take her to the vet to see.

Here is a link to some natural things you can do to help.
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/fleas.html

We sprinkle a little Brewer's yeast on my dogs food each morning and also add a tablespoon of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. We put water in the food to dilute it. It has worked great for us! If it is a skin condition then Apple Cider Vinegar will probably work for that too.

Also, I found an organic blend of oils that will help to repel ticks and fleas. The brand is Nature's Inventory Wellness Oil.

Take the dog to the vet to determine if he really has fleas or just dry skin or any other skin problem (like ringworm etc. etc.). It is my understanding that there is no "natural" flea product that works - but you can discuss this with your vet. Frontline is the best. Just don't have you child cuddle or pet him for 24 yours (you can administer it right after your child goes to bed and then you've got at least 8 hrs where you won't have to moniter the interaction between them). If it's not fleas, the dog may need medicated shampoo and/or infreqent bathing to address dry skin issues. If the dog has ringworm or some other skin lesions your vet will need to prescribe medication. Pets are great for families-congrats on your new addition!

A.,
Shaklee's Basic H will get rid of them. You can use it to bath your dog. Also put 1-2 drops in the dog's water dish.
I have bathed in it for over 15 years and get no insect bites. I also bathed my boys in it when they were little.
I used the Skin so Soft for awhile, but started breaking out in a rash.
Also make sure you dog doesn't have allergies.
Victoria

Spaniels tend to have dry skin. She might not have fleas--have you checked and found any with a flea comb? Where did you get her from--a reputable place that should have already given her a flea treatment? You don't want to overdose her on flea meds. Maybe you can check with them first? My vet says Advantage and the likes are safe to kids as long as you let the dog's hair dry before they touch it.

If she doesn't have fleas, I would recommend these products.
http://www.evolutionsupply.com/dog-itchy-dry-skin.html?gc...

You might want to start with the complete repair kit until you get the itching/chewing under control, then the shampoo should be enough.

Good luck and congrats on the new addition. I bet she is beautiful!!

garlic on thier dog food

WE bathe our dogs with shampoo that has orange extract/oil in it and it works.
P..

I hate to tell you this, but she may have a skin condition, not fleas, especially if she's inside most of the time. I have owned dogs most of my life, and have never found a natural flea deterrent that works. Look at the dog - do you see fleas? If you don't see any fleas on her, then I would check with a vet about a skin condition. She just may have really dry skin that requires regular bathing with a medicated shampoo.

I have a cavalier. Sometimes they lick or even bite at their paws when they are nervous - it can look like a cat cleaning themselves. When they come in from outside and when they finish eating they often rub their heads and noses on the carpet like they are itching themselves. These are common things with cavaliers and might be related to some of the medical issues cavaliers can have. Of course, they can have fleas but I would confirm there was fleas before making a treatment decision. Look under her front legs (her armpits, if you will) because their coats are heavy here, it is the best place to see if fleas is what you are dealing with. If she already has fleas, then I think you are stuck with doing a Frontline treatment and keeping her away from your daughter for a few days. (You can bathe her after 48 hours). I have tried every natural remedy and they just don't work if you are already flea infested. If you don't find any fleas, then while I would probably do the Comfortis, you can try on a prevention basis, dusting her bed with boric acid and adding a vinegar rinse to her bath. (not by her eyes). Cavaliers are the most awesome dogs ever - she will be a wonderful pet!

If you just got her there is a pretty good chance she could have fleas. If you don't want to treat her unless she really has fleas I would get her checked out by a veterinarian. I don't know of anything natural that would help when she already has fleas. Once our dog had fleas and I tried over the counter stuff but I had to go to the doctor to get the real stuff because those fleas are really hard to get rid of. But like somebody else said she could just have try skin which also a doctor could help you with. Our dog has try skin and the Beneful Healthy radiance food helps her with that.

You can try brewers yeast, sprinkle it on her food you can get it at Olivers or Whole Foods. Also if you have flea problems around your house, find yourself a eucalypus tree and get a few braches with the leaves on it and place them like under your bed, couch etc. they work great and smell good too! Good luck and have fun with the new puppy! Happy Holidays!

What a wonderful breed, one of the sweetest breeds I have known. Garlic doesn't really work. If you haven't already had her checked by a vet do that, since they are a breed know to have skin issues and allergies as well.

Have you seen any fleas or flea dirt on her? I know some people use borax or diatamoeous earth around the house- I don't think either really work. We use Frontline Plus on our dog and really like it. From working at a vet's office many people started switching over to Comfortis and really liked it, some dogs will vomit after it the first month and you have to redose, but we saw no other problems and it says to give with food and many of the ones that vomited did not have it with a full meal. You can use Sentiel, which also has the much needed heartworm and intestinal parasite prevention and will sterilize fleas- but doesn't do a great job of killing them.

If you do go with a topical get one from the vet that they recommend and put it on after your daughter goes to bed, make sure to get all the way down to the skin and not on the hair. You can put it in several places- top of the head to the base of the tail. It should dry overnight and be safe in the morning. I know not the answer you wanted to hear, but just an option if you don't find a natural one that works. Also, as I am sure you know, stay away from the cheap brands, many of them can cause severe reactions.

Skin So Soft Bath Oil or the Bath Spray from Avon. Usually you can get a 5oz bottle for $3.99 on sale ($6.00 reg) or the big 24 fl. oz for $9.99 on sale ($16.00 reg). As for the ingestion part for you kiddo I don't know...because people use this product all the time for themselves.