How Do I Get Rid of Fleas On My Dachshund?

As we were taking a walk out here in the country Rosie stopped to scratch her ear I immediately thought fleas. The last thing I wanted taking over my house was fleas…they rate right up there with roaches (which I don’t want either).

As I started searching online for flea removal off my dachshund I came across some very informative information so thought I’d share what I learned.

Does Your Dog Have Fleas?

• Stand your dog on moistened paper towels or a damp white bath towel.
• Brush her.
• If little specks of dirt fall onto the towels and turn red or brown, your dog has fleas.

How Do I Get Rid of Fleas On My Dachshund?

If you want to go the natural way here is some ideas:

These are prices as of today 12.03.2020

• EARTH ANIMAL FLEA & TICK Daily Herbal Drops – $19.99

Daily Herbal Drops are a highly absorbable blend that helps guard dog or cats from flea & ticks. Helps to bitter the blood, support the body’s defense against flea & ticks and quiet the skins reaction to flea and tick bites. The ingredients help protect your furry friends naturally. It is crafted in the USA with a Proprietary Blend of Organic & Wildcrafted Extracts. It is made to be taken orally to protect from the inside out.

• NATURE’S PROTECTION™ FLEA & TICK Daily Internal Powder $20.99

Contains a unique combination of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that help support a healthy immune system. And, they help change the odor of your dog and cat’s blood so that fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects dislike the scent and taste of the blood. It’s undetectable by humans but loathed by insects.

• VINEGAR OR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DRINK

To combat and prevent fleas from the inside out, try dilating vinegar or apple cider vinegar in your dog’s drinking water. You’ll need to test them first to make sure they enjoy the taste as you don’t want to put them off drinking their water altogether. One teaspoon of your vinegar of choice for every four cups of drinking water is a good ratio to aim for. Not only will you keep fleas at bay, but your dog’s coat and skin will also see the benefits to.

• LEMON BRUSH OR COMB
  

Lemon is widely recognized for its abilities to both repel and kill fleas while being completely harmless to dogs and humans. Simply dip your dog’s regular comb or brush into fresh lemon juice and apply it to their hair as normal. For a short-haired breed, a cloth dipped in lemon juice will give the same benefit.

• LAVENDER OR CEDAR OIL FLEA COLLAR

A home-made flea collar is an ingenious way of keeping your dog’s flea protection constant without having to spray or rub them with the mixture. Either purchase or make a simple collar or bandanna, then dilute a few drops of lavender oil or cedar oil in water and apply it directly to the collar or bandanna.

• COCONUT OIL RUB

Is there anything that coconut oil can’t do? Coconut oil can help in a number of ways when treating fleas. Rubbing a teaspoon of coconut oil directly into your dog’s coat will not only repel fleas but will make the coat shiny and reduce body odor. If added to your dog’s normal food, coconut oil can even help treat intestinal parasites due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

• MULTI-PURPOSE NEEM OIL

Neem oil is a natural insect repellent and one of the lesser-known flea treatments. If you are able to obtain this oil, native to Burma, Sri Lanka, and parts of India, you can apply it directly to your dog’s coat, add it to your normal natural dog shampoo, or dilute it well to make your own flea spray.

• AROMATHERAPY SPRAY

You can make up a batch of aromatherapy that will not only treat a flea infestation but also prevent future occurrences, whilst acting as a natural soother for your dog. Try sweet almond oil as the base oil, and add drops of Atlas cedar oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, geranium oil, bay laurel oil, common myrrh oil, and lavender oil.

• BREWERS YEAST – I also found this recipe that looks promising for dog treats

If you want to go with flea collar or the medicated way here is some ideas:

Getting Rid Of Fleas In Your House

Fleas are the bane of any dog owner’s life. Not only will fleas irritate your dog and cause excessive scratching, once they get into your house, but they also lay their eggs in your furniture, carpet, and anywhere else they can access. When there are fleas on your dog and you let your dog inside, what do you have? Fleas in the house, of course. Read on for plenty of ways of eliminating fleas at home. Pay special attention to any places your dog hangs out. These places will be the same for her little flea friends.

1. WASH – When you’ve got fleas in the house, the first step is to gather up all soft furnishings your dog spends any time on, including blankets, towels, beds, pillows, and mats, and put everything through the washing machine. It’s a big task, but it’s an essential one to combat your existing flea problem. Do this weekly.
2. DRY – Washing your soft furnishings is important, but putting everything in the tumble dryer will be even more effective. Just 15 minutes in a hot tumble dryer will kill fleas in all stages of growth, including eggs, larvae, and adult fleas.
3. Your vacuum cleaner is going to be your biggest ally when it comes to treating fleas at home. A water-based vacuum cleaning system is ideal, as the fleas are drowned as soon as they are picked up by the vacuum cleaner. For dry vacuum cleaners, remember that the fleas you collected will try to escape as soon as you open up the canister or bag, so do this immediately and outside your home. Ideally, spray your vacuum cleaner canister with water as soon as you open it to prevent fleas from escaping. Do this weekly.
4. By sprinkling baking soda directly onto your carpet and then penetrating and disturbing the carpet fibers by sweeping side to side with a broom, you’ll dehydrate fleas and their eggs. Leave the baking soda on your carpet overnight, then you can simply vacuum up the baking soda and the fleas in the morning.
5. SALT – Just like the baking soda method above, sprinkling salt on your carpet and soft furnishings before vacuuming the next day will dehydrate and kill fleas and flea eggs. An excellent flea treatment, salt still needs to be used with caution as it can cause your vacuum cleaner to rust if not properly cleaned out after you’ve finished vacuuming.
6. LEMON SPRAY – is a brilliant way of treating fleas that doesn’t require vacuuming afterward. Boil a thinly sliced lemon in water and then let the mixture cool down overnight. In the morning, fill a spray bottle with the mixture and lightly dampen your carpet and all soft furnishings in your home.
7. The flea’s entire life cycle can be as long as several months … so you’ll need to repeat these steps to make sure the flea infestation is completely gone.
8. Steam cleaning your carpets and soft furnishings drowns fleas on impact and will also keep your home looking and smelling great.

And Lastly For Your Yard:

NEMATODES – Nematodes are tiny worm-like multicellular animals that live in soil. They help control many garden pests like ants, termites and grubs – and they also eat fleas!

PLANT SOME FLEA REPELLING PLANTS

An excellent way to treat fleas naturally is to plant certain plants that naturally repel fleas. Spearmint, chrysanthemums, lavender, and Penny Royal are natural flea repellents for your garden, and there are plenty of others. You may need to do some research to discover which plants will grow well in your area before heading to your local plant nursery.

Keep pots of lemon balm, sage, rosemary, catnip, lemongrass, basil and mint outside. Place some by your main doors and throughout your yard. These plants help repel fleas through the natural oils that they secrete. They’ll deter fleas from entering the house.

MOWING – If you live in a flea prolific area, you need to keep your lawn cut short.

Tell us: What do you use at home to keep fleas at bay? What are your tried-and-true home remedies for fleas on dogs? Let us know in the comments below.

Share Now!