Fleas and dogs are like bread and butter, Morecombe and Wise, pigs in sh*t; they were just meant to be together – always have been and always will be. But are they a problem that requires pharmaceuticals every month? Every quarter? If you need to keep on top of fleas, are there alternatives to pills, ‘chews’, collars and drops-ons? 

Fleas and Dogs

There are over 2,500 relatives of the dog and cat flea, you know. They live on mammals and birds the world over. These six-legged wonders are impressively adapted to living on our pets, with flattened bodies, enormous resistance to being squished and an ability to jump 50 times their own body length to find new hosts. Awesome. 

Dogs and fleas have been living together forever. In the ideal situation, they are few and far between and rarely cause a problem and don’t build up in the house. But in the modern scenario, they can reproduce all year to proliferate everywhere. 

Many people buy cheap flea products from the pet shop, put them on the dog and hope for the best. Often this is fruitless because they don’t realise that the adult fleas they see on the dog are only half the story. I always say to clients, ‘for every flea you see on the dog, there are 20 others, along with larvae, in the carpet and bedding. That usually cheers them up. 

Do We Need to Treat?

If you find fleas, it’s best to treat. Not necessarily with drugs, but worth getting on top of them. They will only get worse. In the old days, all fleas were wiped out in the winter, but central heating has made them able to survive all year round; much to the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s delight, of course. 

How to Treat Naturally

You don’t need to start treatment with drug products unless you have a terrible infestation or your dog is sensitive (allergic) to ANY, even one, fleas at all. 

Flea Allergic Dermatitis (FAD) is a thing. It’s quite common and means that if you have an FAD dog, you have to be really on-it for fleas. You still don’t necessarily need to use drugs, but you have to be meticulous. If the FAD dog starts to itch, you have to always be suspicious of our jumping friends. 

My initial approach is to use non-drug methods against fleas first, aggressively. If they don’t work, then revert to the drugs. If treating the dog, you MUST also treat the house. Otherwise, it’s like mopping the floor because the bath’s running over, but not turning off the taps. 

For treating dogs, my favourite products are Insect Defence Spray by Dermadog and Cedarcide Original spray. The former contains Lemongrass, Rose Geranium and Cedarwood oils, the latter, Cedarwood, non-GMO soybean oil and Diatomaceous Earth (DE). There’s a nice powder, too, called DeNeem made of Neem and Diatomaceous Earth. 

For treating the house, and remember, it’s pointless treating the dog if you’re not going to do the dog’s environment, I use Diatomaceous Earth (food grade), or bicarbonate of soda. With both, you just sprinkle them everywhere. Leave it to sit for a good few hours. Try to dust soft furnishings, carpets, curtains, floorboard cracks and every nook and cranny the dog has access to. Come home, hoover. Repeat weekly/monthly as necessary.

The reason I’m keen to avoid drugs is that they can cause side effects, harming the health of the dog, the health of everyone in the house and the viability of essential insect life in the environment.  

How to Treat Using Drugs

If you’ve tried hard with the natural treatments and not been successful, you have to go to drugs promptly. Using essential oils and physical treatments like DE, you’ll reduce your dependence on these necessary drug evils, so reducing the lifetime toxic load, but sometimes you need to play tough to avoid being overwhelmed by visitors. 

Your vet will guide you on flea medications. Get the tried and tested licensed products. 

Please note: I don’t like using flea products if the dog hasn’t got fleas. Why would you? Many vet practices have ‘clubs’ where they give you flea products as part of the ‘health package’. Why dose the dog with a pharmaceutical just because you can, even if they don’t have fleas and it’s the middle of winter? 

It’s up to you, but I can’t see the point in taking an Anadin unless you’ve actually got a headache. 

I’m not too fond of Bravecto, but you’ll have to discuss this with your vet. I try to go for products that are inert unless activated in the flea. Again, your vet will guide you. I don’t want to advertise for drug corporations. 

Summary

All in all, keep your eyes open. If you see fleas, go in heavy with the natural treatments if you’re able. If that’s no good, go, lightly, with the drugs. Good luck!