fleas & dogs

[Wolfwoman]

I know this is off topic, but if you didn't hand feed these dogs would they starve themselves or eventually go and eat the food given them? Curious...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Oh Jax doesn't have to be hand fed. He just won't eat unless DH tells him it's okay and is there to encourage him. That goes for treats as well; even Jax's favorite ones. In a way it's a good thing, kinda poison training without the training. Jax is the 2nd dog DH has owned with this trait. The first was a doberman that he "inherited". The dobie was a police dog whose trainer/officer was killed in the line of duty. That dog was poison trained and went four days without a bite of food until someone remembered that the dog would also eat for my DH. Since DH was the only one who could get the dog to eat, the dog went to live with him.

Our other GSD however wouldn't care if we were in a foreign country and had left him at home. When Kane is hungry, he's HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYY!

 

[jess5254]

Has anyone ever given garlic tabs you can buy at the store and does it work?

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Be careful with the amount of garlic. Too much can cause anemia, bleeding, and even death.

Veterinarians conducting the study concluded that garlic has the potential to cause hemolytic anemia and that food containing garlic should not be given to dogs.

Read more at Suite101: Is Garlic Good or Bad for Dogs?: Veterinarians Explain Garlic’s Benefits and Dangers http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/is_garlic_good_or_bad_for_dogs#ixzz0t77XfzdN

If you do, do small doses.

I use natural flea/tick products, and so far they seem to be working very well. No ticks seen on either of the dogs. Plus they smell nice, and there are no chemicals.​

 

[piecemaker]

To keep fleas out of the house I use 20 Mule Team borax laundry soap. Sparkle it on the carpet leave it over night or the next time I vacume. Been doing this for years and no flea problem. I guess it is the borax in it that kills them The plus side is it is cheap to use
At work we can not use chemical bug killers and the bugs are taking over the night shift so am taking some to see if it will work on the night time bugs. Wish me luck

piecemaker

 

[seedcorn]

Put a tarp down in yard, carried dog to tarp, got wet w/rag, then soaped her up w/Adams Flea and tick soap. I think this is her first bath (Folks old dog). She kept giving me that look like "What did I do to deserve this?". Let her sit soaped up, then she escaped.

No fleas as of today--day 2. She has forgiven me as she now comes to be petted again.

I tried DE for 2 days, totally worthless.

 

[pbjmaker]

I found with Adams you have to bathe like once a week or so for it to be effective.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
I have Adams and that's sorta true. It has things in it that inhibit the fleas ability to breed - it can't kill the eggs/pupae already existing(I think) so the idea is to use it in another 10-14 days(only two times total. Maybe three.) when existing pupae take over in effort to feed. For only as long as there's a problem because any flea living off your dog will become unable to breed. So it also takes care of the hiders in your house who have discreetly been feeding off Fido - but not living on them enough to be effected by dawn. When I bathe her I use both the Adams and Dawn together but then you need to give your dog something conditioning - I've found dawn strips the coat making the dog more likely to pick them up outside. This is why you hear people tell you not to use it frequently. No bath that I know of wont require frequent/repeated bathings especially if you don't put something topical/monthly/lasting on them after.

In my case, my dog is very prone to fleas - not a single pet in the house would have them and yet she'd get covered. Garlic has been most helpful but I still will bathe her with a mixture of Dawn/Adams at the first sign of trouble with a tea tree conditioner followed up with a shoulder dab of lavender oil and rosemary on her collar. It may sound excessive but it's not really much more than I do in the normal routine. Since I'm feeding and bathing her anyway. Not sure if the oils help - but she smells wonderful.

 

[seedcorn]

If all I had to do was give her a bath every 10 days, then I'd be all smiles.........

I also bought some of that stuff you put on their back that is suppose to last 30 days. I've had mixed results in past but I'm more than willing to try again and hope it works.

Fleas are back tonight, not as thick but back.

 

[chicksbestfriend]

As much as possible, I prefer to stay away from all those chemical based flea/tick meds out on the market, over prolonged uses, they become uneffective and its not healthy for the animals to absorb all those chemicals. Each dog, no matter what breed, responds differently from all those various types on the market, what may work for one, has no effect on the next dog. I was given a home remedy several years back and I swear by it. First, wash your dog with blue dawn dishwashing soap. Make sure it is the blue one though. As you bathe your dog, you will be amazed to see all the fleas/ticks fall off. (Dawn is a good degreaser). Second, use pure lavender oil and baby shampoo. I pour the whole bottle, 4 oz size into the cheapest baby shampoo and mix it together before using. This helps to recondition the oils back into the hair/skin that was stripped from the dawn soap. Depending how bad your situation is, depends on how often you will use the last step. Last, get the cheapest mouth wash, put it in a spay bottle, and use it as a daily or weekly repelent. I was a bit leary at first to try it, but it is completely safe for the dogs, and after many frustrating summers and fleas, I have finally found a workable solution! I also treat the yard with Adams yard spray once a month. I use perithium for their kennels and bedding as well as for controlling the fleas/mites on the chickens and in their coops. I also fry up minced garlic with liver and feed it to the dogs weekly, they lick their bowls clean of the garlic. My 15 yr old lab has been eating garlic every week from puppy, still going strong and has never been to the vet for any type of illness, we give our animals all their immunizations.

Try my suggestion, you will be amazed! Good luck!