Recently, flea medications have come under scrutiny for their safety. This is alarming because as the human companion to several different dogs, they have all been exposed, at various times, to a flea control product of one type or another. I have never been big on flea collars or shampoos and have never ever tried the topical treatments. This doesn’t mean that I don’t acknowledge that they are necessary. As sure as fleas exist, every human dog companion knows this. But what's a human companion to do?
When my dog, Morby, got a flea infestation, I took her to her regular groomer for a flea dip and when I got her back she appeared to be flea free but within a few weeks she suddenly became infested again. I felt badly but took her back to another groomer for another flea dip, this time I got her back and noted a flea or 2 still on her. It was only 2 so I simply pulled them off. But again, within a few weeks, she was terribly infested and I didn’t want to take her for yet another flea dip. I had to do something, because this time she seemed to be suffering from “flea allergy” – she had developed a bald spot in her beautiful coat right above her tail. She was so uncomfortable.
I remembered reading somewhere that Dawn dishwashing liquid was good for eliminating a flea infestation but I was skeptical – plus I was concerned about how harsh it might be on my Morby’s skin. Then I thought about it. They used Dawn on the animals covered in the oil from the Exxon Valdez and if it was okay for them then it shouldn’t be too bad for my baby. Also, it couldn’t be any harsher than giving her another flea dip so I gave it a try. I bought the Dawn dishwashing liquid and did a patch-test first and waited a few days to see if there might be any adverse reaction. I noted none.
I put her in the tub and on her dry coat I first created a ring of Dawn around her neck about half way between her ears and her shoulders making sure to keep it away from her face and especially her eyes. I then started pouring the Dawn all over her dry coat, adding a little bit of water only to be able to spread the Dawn a little more evenly over her coat. Once I got her fully coated, I let her sit for 5 minutes. Morby was so good for those 5 minutes. I then lathered her up and washed her off, and felt really confident because I noted all of the fleas coming off in the water. When I was finally done, and she was dry, I then did a visual inspection of her body to see if I missed any fleas. They were ALL gone. There wasn’t one flea to be found. I also followed this up with the addition of a dog dietary supplement which included garlic.
I was feeling really good now because I figured that I had conquered the fleas and at least if she was going to get fleas again; there was something milder I could do for my baby-girl. Well, I never had to use it again because thankfully, that was the last infestation she actually got. The Dawn got rid of the fleas and I believe the garlic in her diet supplement kept them away.
2 comments:
Good article. However you forgot to mention that to be able to get rid of fleas out of the home, it's a must to keep your pet confined in one space, preferably outside. . Wash all pet bedding, any other washable furniture such as covers, rugs, pillows and your bedding. Vacuum all carpeting thoroughly and then make sure you throw the vacuum bag away immediately.
You are so right. I was so swept up in the success of using the Dawn : ) that I forgot to mention those other important details.
As a matter of fact, these comments are also well-timed because I have 3 dogs now and 2 are battling fleas like crazy, and just yesterday, I was doing exactly those things you recommended...lol.
Thank you for including these important details.
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