Rescue kittens, Dawn Dish Detergent, and Fleas

[CHICKEN little 1]

All I know is that Dawn does kill the fleas. It's a degreeser. Maybe it dries them out? I don't know? I just wish that I could find something to keep them off afterward. I've tried soooo many products. Works great for about 4-5 days. Then its start all over again. Vicks sauve works great on lice,and mites. Even on goats. I've used it!

 

[NoelTate]

My assumption for the recommendation of Dawn is that it, like most soaps, will kill fleas. However, it will not dry the skin out like most soaps, so it can be used more safely and with greater frequency.

 

[Holly O]

Joy soap is now owned By P&G same company that owns Dawn. Dawn is made the same way Joy was made so it is the same product.

Not only does it kill FLEAS.

I had a kitten fall into a pan of old motor oil.
It is such a GREAT degreaser... that it took the oil right out of the fur!
I tried Everything In the house before I finally called the vet and they said JOY! ... No other dish soap worked, I had tried sunlight.

It's also what the people use who rescue animals from oil spills.

 

[sundance]

I keep my yorkie clipped real short in the summer due to fleas, but he gets a bath with dawn, let it set for a few min, I rub him and scratch his back so he doesn't mind the bath so much, when he gets dry I spray some adams flea spray on him, since his coat is so short it only takes a small amount to cover him. I switch from adams to advantage to something else every summer to keep him from building up an immunity to flea drops. marrie

 

[digitalsniper]

The Surfactant (did i spell that correctly?), makes Water, Wetter. It breaks the surface tension (doesnt bead up as well). Thats one reason you put dish soap in poisons you spray around, so that it coats the surface of what your spraying better. So maybe in turn it keeps the fleas from creating a tiny air bubble with their little whiskers and in turn does drown them. Makes sense to me. lol.

 

[CarolynLogan]

I have washed my animals with everything before and nothing worked. It just got the fleas wet, and then when they dried up they would come back to life. Dawn dish soap does not drown them, but it does kill them and I am not sure what ingredient it is. But it works great.

 

[Chookies321]

From what I understand, any soap including sunlight and dawn, is deadly for any insect which breathes through its thorax. Breathing through its undercarriage. So when it skittles through water, it is okay, but sudsy soap actual plugs them up and they die from asphyxiation. Try it on a nest of earwigs!!! RAID and other chemicals, these little buggers just think it is raining outside and amble off. Put a 1/7 or 8 parts water with some dish soap, and voila!!! Instant bug destroyer. They literally may get a foot or two before they are deader than a door nail. Ants are no match either when you pour it down their hole.
I should keep some Dawn handy by the sounds of it. Haven't had chickens long, but we have had to deal with cat fleas before. NOT nice! So we try to keep everything super clean....but they putter outside so it is only a matter of time I think.