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Copyright Notice
Liability Disclaimer:
I am not a veterinarian, and do not wish
for you to use this information to diagnose a problem. Instead, it
is offered as "food for thought" for responsible and educated dog
owners.
Very Young Puppies
Natural Remedies
Prescription and Over-The-Counter
Unless you keep your pet indoors 24/7, you are at a pretty good risk of
having a flea issue arise sooner or later. In fact, fleas can come in from
your yard, so even humans can bring the unwanted guests indoors.
Having a pet (or home) with fleas is not necessarily
a sign of poor housekeeping. But not taking care of the issue, if it does
arise, sure can lead to problems you won't want to deal with. It won't get
better on its own!
If you run into a flea problem, remember that you may have to treat
- Your dog/puppy
- Other pets he/she can contact
- Your home (carpet, bedding...)
- Your yard
Very Young Puppies
First and foremost, read labels before using any
over-the-counter chemicals on young puppies. Most are not labeled for use
on puppies under 8 weeks of age. Improper use has been linked to
neurological damage.
The safest way I've heard of to treat a puppy under 6
weeks of age for fleas is to bathe him/her using warm water and Dawn
dishwashing detergent and then manually pick off remaining fleas. Dawn
dishwashing soap is very effective and it kills fleas quickly. Many
breeders bathe their dogs in Dawn. You can do this twice in the same
bathing session (bathe/pick/rinse, bath/pick/rinse, then dry). During and
after the bath, pick dead and live fleas off the puppy by hand and with a
flea comb, and drop them into a large bowl/cup of boiling-hot water that
is in a safe location near you. This will kill the fleas.
- Don't let the puppy get chilled.
- Keep puppy away from the boiling water to prevent a
spill and burns.
- Keep water/soap out of ears and eyes.
I have also seen references to using Johnson's Baby
Shampoo similar to above, but letting it sit on the puppy for 10 minutes
before rinsing. Again, don't let the puppy get chilled!
Pre-Made "Green"
Natural Remedy
Contact the people at
Cedar Cide and ask what they recommend. Their web site claims their
product is safe even for newborns!
At the same time (or perhaps a couple days before the
afore-mentioned bath), treat the mother with a good flea treatment.
Frontline's label says it is safe for nursing mothers. Look at other
options as well, making sure they are safe for nursing mothers. Once the
mother's fleas are killed, treat the puppies.
You'll also need to treat the area your puppies/mother
dog live in.
In addition to treating your pet and house, you may need to consider
treating your yard. There are chemicals that are labeled as safe available
at garden centers (even Wal-Mart has some) and pet supply stores. But also
check out the more natural CedarCide option
here.
Side effect of fleas: Tapeworms. Also keep
in mind that the mother and puppies could get tapeworms if they have had
fleas, so a treatment for tapeworms may also be in order. The most
commonly-used dog dewormer (pyrantel pamoate based wormer) does NOT kill
tapeworms.
Natural
Remedies...Buy or Make Your Own
This section adapted largely from
eHow.com
Step 1
Visit your vet
first. If your puppy is over eight weeks old, he can use Advantage or
Frontline.
Step 2
Get a flea comb from your
local
pet
store and dip it in a dish of soapy water (Dawn dish soap). Run the comb
through the puppy's hair and dip the comb quickly in a pan of boiling-hot
water to remove fleas from the comb and kill fleas. Repeat until you have
combed the entire puppy. Remember to keep the puppy well away from the pan
of hot water.
Step 3
Give the puppy
a homemade flea bath. Remember to check labels before using a store-bought
flea shampoo! Make a shampoo by adding a few drops of citrus extract
to Dawn dish soap. Rub this shampoo all over your puppy and keep
the puppy soaked in it for 5 minutes before rinsing clean. Skip the eye
area.
Step 4
Take care of
the yard by spreading out cedar shavings and pine needles.
These two items produce a smell that fleas hate. It will keep the fleas
from returning to your yard and re-infecting your puppy.
Step 5
Use a homemade
flea spray instead of a store bought one if your puppies are too young for
prepared flea sprays. Fill a 16 oz. spray bottle with water. Add four
drops of both lavender oil and cedar wood oil. Spray on the
puppy every 6 hours for at least one week. This will kill the fleas and
the eggs that hatch at the end of the week.
Step 6
Use salt to kill the fleas in
your
home
carpeting. Pour salt all over the carpeting. Take your puppy in the
bedroom with you for the night. In the morning, vacuum up the salt and the
dead fleas. Then do your bedroom floor in the morning with salt and vacuum
it up before you go to bed.
Where can you get lavender oil and cedar wood oil? Soap
and candle supply stores (online) often have those two scents. I believe
you want "essential oil" and not "fragrance oil."
To treat your yard, you might want to look into a larger-scale volume
of cedar oil
here.
Pre-Made "Green"
Natural Remedy
If you don't want to take a risk making your own, contact the people at
Cedar Cide and ask what they recommend. Their web site claims their
product is safe even for newborns!
Side effect of fleas: Tapeworms. Also keep
in mind that the mother and puppies could get tapeworms if they have had
fleas, so a treatment for tapeworms may also be in order. The most
commonly-used dog dewormer (pyrantel pamoate based wormer) does NOT kill
tapeworms.
"Store-Bought"
Remedies...Check Age Limits First!
Available from your veterinarian and/or
online.
This table and info courtesy of
BudgetPetCare.com:
From the above table, it appears that
Revolution has the most "coverage" of mange and flea-related issues.
In addition to treating your pet, you may need to consider treating
your yard. There are chemicals that are labeled as safe available at
garden centers (even Wal-Mart has some) and pet supply stores. But also
check out the CedarCide option
here.
Side effect of fleas: Tapeworms. Also keep
in mind that the mother and puppies could get tapeworms if they have had
fleas, so a treatment for tapeworms may also be in order. The most
commonly-used dog dewormer (pyrantel pamoate based wormer) does NOT kill
tapeworms.
Liability Disclaimer:
I am not a veterinarian, and do not wish
for you to use this information to diagnose a problem. Instead, it
is offered as "food for thought" for responsible and educated dog
owners.
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