The Best Natural Flea Killer for Dogs: Does It Work? (2023)

FAQs

What kills fleas on dogs instantly naturally? ›

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar's slightly acidic pH level creates an inhospitable environment for fleas. Mix six cups of ACV with four cups of water (use a 6:4 ratio), add a pinch of salt, and spray the mixture on your dog's coat and underbelly, making sure to avoid their eyes and any wounds they may have.

Natural Solutions

Using a natural preventative is far safer and effective than conventional means. In using chemical treatments, these are designed to kill the parasite once on the host, whereas the natural prevention aims to repel fleas and ticks, so your cat or dog doesn't even become a host.

Best Overall Flea Medicine for Dogs

Veterinarians recommend Simparica Trio because of its effective protection against ticks and fleas, as well as heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms—all in one convenient monthly chew. It's a small, liver-flavored chewable tablet available by prescription.

You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, which is both effective in dealing with pests. Mixing essential oils like cedar or lavender can make the solution powerful. You can damp cloth with a vinegar solution on infested areas and on your pets to ensure that all fleas will be gone for good.

The most effective products to kill flea eggs include insect growth regulators (IGRs). These compounds, called isoxazolines, are safe for pets. They work by mimicking a hormone that stops fleas from maturing into adults—including preventing eggs from hatching.

Choose an insecticide that contains both an adulticide (kills adult fleas), such as permethrin, and an insect growth regulator (kills the eggs, larvae, and pupae), such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen.

Getting rid of fleas is a difficult process due to the long lifecycle of a flea. Moderate to severe infestations will take months to control and require a four-step process for complete elimination: Sanitation. Thoroughly clean areas where fleas frequently breed.

Not treating often enough. Fleas go through a life cycle of egg, larvae, pupae and adult. Most flea treatments just kill adult fleas, but fleas can continue to emerge for months after you think an infestation has ended. When a newly emerged female flea finds a host, she can lay eggs within one day.

How do you make homemade flea killer for dogs? ›

DIY Homemade Flea Spray for Dogs (3 Cheap, Natural Recipes)

Best Overall: Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray for Pets + Home

Wondericide Flea and Tick Spray is mild enough to be applied directly to your dog or cat's fur as well as bedding, furniture, rugs, and carpet.

Bravecto Chew for Dogs

Bravecto Chew is also effective in killing adult fleas, so it can help reduce the risk of your dog getting flea bite dermatitis. If you're looking for a safe and effective flea and tick treatment for your dog, Bravecto Chew is the way to go.

Some essential oils make for excellent flea remedies for dogs. Citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary will all naturally repel fleas. If your dog doesn't mind a spray bottle, dilute a few drops of your chosen essential oil into a 300ml-400ml of water and spray directly onto your dog's coat.

Home Pest Control : How to Kill Fleas in 24 Hours - YouTube

Hot, soapy water kills fleas, so wash your cat or dog's bed every week. And if your pets sleep in your bed or with your kids, make sure to wash everyone else's bedding, too.

Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth

Once the diatomaceous earth attaches to the flea's body, it absorbs all moisture causing the flea to dry up and die. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth on your carpet is a highly effective way of killing fleas, and it's safe to use around humans and pets.

ORAL FLEA TREATMENT

CAPSTAR® (nitenpyram) oral tablets start killing adult fleas in just 30 minutes. Watch the dead fleas fall off your pet.

How do you tell if fleas are dying? ›

If you do see fleas and they are moving slow enough to catch – success – they are busy dying!

Apple cider vinegar can't kill fleas, but it can help to repel them. Fleas don't like the smell or taste of it, so they're likely to avoid your pet if they have it on their fur. Dilute apple cider vinegar in water and add it to a spray bottle.

*BRAVECTO kills fleas and prevents flea infestations for 12 weeks. BRAVECTO Chew and BRAVECTO Topical Solution for Dogs kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks and also kills lone star ticks for 8 weeks.

Bravecto® also is sold as a topical solution for both dogs and cats. The reason these products are so effective is that they kill adult fleas quickly, within 24 hours of jumping on the animal.

Raid^® Flea Killer Plus Carpet & Room Spray kills adult fleas on contact and kills hatching eggs for up to four months on carpet and upholstery. Available in 16 oz.

To inspect your dog, turn her onto her back and check the areas that allow fleas to hide best. The armpits and groin are two areas that tend to be warm and protected, making them preferred spots for large flea populations. Check the ears carefully for signs of scratching, redness, blood, or dirt.

Actively check your dog

Choose a flea and tick spray to keep adult fleas and ticks off your pup or bathe your dogs with a flea and tick shampoo made to kill these critters. If your dog is outside in wooded areas, check him regularly for ticks and remove any you find right away.

Often even after treating with a suitable flea treatment you will still see flea's on your animal. However, this does not mean that the treatment has not worked or that the fleas are immune – the reasons are fairly simple: Fleas are hatching in your home and re-infecting your pet.

You can also use a flea shampoo or a fast-acting chemical treatment, such as a flea pill that kills the fleas on your dog within hours. Again, it's important to ask your dog's veterinarian for recommendations.

“Dawn (and other soaps like it) creates a kind of surfactant, or surface tension, that will compromise the exoskeleton and make adult fleas sink,” he says. So essentially, the soap drowns the fleas.

What is the fastest way to get rid of fleas cheap and easy? ›

More good news: salt baths have been reported to kill fleas by dehydrating the pesky critters. Although they may not completely resolve your dog's flea problem, a salt bath can be part of a treatment regime to combat fleas on your dog.

Thoroughly clean areas where fleas frequently breed. This includes washing bedding, rugs, and pet bedding, and thoroughly vacuuming and sweeping floors and carpeted areas and along the edges of walls. Pet treatment. Every pet in the home must be treated.

Home Pest Control : How to Kill Fleas in 24 Hours - YouTube

Dawn dish soap, as well as other brands of dish soap, shampoos, and any other chemical that forms suds, can be used to kill fleas. This is because they interfere with the surface tension, stopping fleas from floating and causing them to drown.

Baking soda does not kill adult fleas and will do nothing to protect your pets. It is excellent at absorbing smells and has been suggested by some online pet sites for use as a flea killer because it “may” dry out flea eggs and larvae. But there is no evidence that using baking soda to kill fleas is effective at all.

Yes, any detergent will kill fleas. They lower the surface tension by acting as a surfactant and thus damage the flea's exoskeleton. A foul-proof method to drown the bugs in the water! However, allow roughly 5-10 minutes after applying the dish soap and then rinse the pet.

Choose an insecticide that contains both an adulticide (kills adult fleas), such as permethrin, and an insect growth regulator (kills the eggs, larvae, and pupae), such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen.

Dilute six cups of apple cider vinegar with four cups of water, add a dash of sea salt, then spray directly onto your dog's coat. Make sure to avoid your dog's eyes.

Can I put table salt on my dog for fleas? ›

Make sure not to use salt on your dog or cat. It is a dehydrating agent, which won't only affect the fleas. It can dry out your pet's skin and irritate it. Instead, use your favorite natural shampoo or anti-flea drops that are entirely safe for your furry friend.

In short: using vinegar solution or white vinegar on your pet's fur or in their drinking water will not kill fleas. There is a chance ACV could repel fleas because they don't like the taste, but it is only a mild detergent and is not the best flea remedy. ACV should not be your first choice for natural flea treatment.

When a dog ingests salt water, the excess salt draws water from the blood into the intestines, leading to diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Salt water also disrupts the fluid balance in your dog. Dogs with toxic levels of sodium in their systems have a mortality rate higher than 50 percent, regardless of treatment.