My dog has fleas! Safe products to kill, repel and control fleas

Fleas have not been a problem around here for several years. But recently my dog started scratching like a maniac, and that could only mean one thing. My dog has fleas!

The ugly truth was confirmed when I ran my fingers through his fur and felt gritty flea dirt. Also known as flea poop. Also known as my dog’s digested blood. Nasty! Those fleas gotta go!

In the past I’ve used poisonous flea medications, flea bombs and noxious yard sprays. They became ineffective as the fleas became resistant. I stopped using those nasty chemicals and found safe flea treatments that really work.

The war against fleas requires a comprehensive plan to get rid of them and prevent new infestations in the house, yard and on the dog. I put together a new system that knocked out those fleas fast. Here’s a breakdown of what’s working for us.

Safe and effective flea control

Indoor treatments: flooring and furniture

Fleabusters orthoboric acid powder for flooring of all types. I had used this a few years ago on my old carpet. It worked so well I only had to apply it once.

Fleabusters keeps fleas away for years

It works by lacerating their nasty little bodies to make them die from dehydration. It kills fleas at every stage, from eggs to adult. Also works on other bugs like ticks, mites, ants and roaches.

To apply, you sprinkle it on the carpet (or hardwood, tile, etc.), work it in with a broom then vacuum the excess after 24 to 48 hours. Make sure it gets into all the baseboards, cracks and crevices where flea eggs end up.

I spread this on my carpet then applied it to my mattress and couch, two areas where my dog loves to sleep.

Fleabusters will keep working for at least a year or until you clean your carpet. Then you have to reapply after the carpet dries.

Check out this video showing Fleabusters powder being applied to hardwood floors, carpet and furniture.

Indoor treatments: flooring, furniture, bedding, pets

Vet’s Best flea and tick home spray. This natural nontoxic spray, made from peppermint oil and clove extract, kills fleas on contact. In two seconds or less they’re dead!

Doesn’t leave sticky residue anywhere. It’s only active when it’s wet. After it dries there’s no residual killing effect. Leaves a fresh clove scent for a while.

I sprayed this on areas of the carpet where my dog likes to lay to instantly kill fleas until the Fleabusters worked its magic. I sprayed it every day for about four days, vacuuming in between.

And I sprayed it on the bedspread.

Vet’s Best flea and tick home spray

I also use this on my dog if I find a flea on him because it’s easier than trying to catch them. I go through his fur with my hands and if I see a flea, I hold it down with my fingers while I grab the spray. Then just one little squirt and BAM, it’s dead.

Outdoor treatment: all surfaces

From the same people who make the incredible flea and tick home spray, Vet’s Best has a flea and tick yard and kennel spray. Also nontoxic and made with peppermint oil, clove extract and sodium lauryl sulfate.

You simply attach your hose to the bottle, spray then let dry. The 32 oz size covers approximately 4500 sq ft. It’s also supposed to be safe for plants.

As an added benefit, it kills and repels mosquitos.

Flea control for the dog

Garlic tablets

The goal is to keep fleas from jumping on your dog by making him less tasty to them. The best way to do that is to give the dog brewers yeast and garlic tablets.

I had been using this one brand that worked extremely well for a few years until they changed their formula. The new formula was responsible for this latest outbreak of fleas. So I found Nutri Vet brewers yeast tablets that were well reviewed on Amazon. They have to be taken for a while before they’re fully effective.

Nutri Vet brewers yeast and garlic

After a couple of weeks using the pills I saw improvement but there were still too many fleas so I switched to raw garlic.

This worked great and the only downside is the slight inconvenience of preparing raw garlic every night. I have to chop it up, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes and give it to him right away. The amount for his size is ⅔ teaspoon.

Now, he doesn’t like to eat the pills or fresh garlic so I put it in some peanut butter and down the hatch it goes!

After a couple of weeks the fleas were gone so I started to alternate raw garlic with the tablets. He gets the pills three or four days a week and that’s working well.

Flea comb

I had never used one of these before but I got one to use while waiting for the garlic to kick in. Not only is it much faster than manually picking off fleas, it’s also easier to remove flea dirt.

The key to using a flea comb is to have a dish of water handy that has a splash of soap in it. The soap allows the fleas to sink to the bottom and drown, otherwise they can float around and sometimes crawl out.

Flea comb

I prefer using the flea comb dry because I don’t want flea dirt to dissolve on my dog. When I pull the comb through his hair and find a flea, I put my thumb on top of it before it can jump off. Then I hold it above the dish and flick the flea into the water. I also pull out the hair and flea dirt and put that into the water as well.

When I’m finished, I just take the dish and flush the contents down the toilet. Easy peasy.

Safe flea control is possible and highly effective without harmful chemicals

Well there you have it—a detailed plan to eliminate fleas safely and effectively in the house, in the yard and on the dog. We went from this…

To this…

Finally things are back to normal!

Ahhh, now that’s a happy dog. Peace once again reigns supreme in the Makara kingdom!

I hope you find this information helpful. Please comment below if you have any tips to share about safe flea control treatments that worked for you.

More info

Garlic for dogs: poison or medicine?