Ideas to get rid of Fleas and Ticks?

Hey Gizmo! My ex-mother in law is a dog breeder and she lives on many acres of land in a very rural area. We always had a problem with ticks, but fleas she never had because she was very meticulous about everything. She said that using original Dawn dish detergent as a shampoo for the dog will kill the fleas presently on the dog. I tried it with a dog we found and it worked! As for the yard, be very careful and try to find pet friendly pesticides for the outdoors because your pets will get it in their paws, their mouth, they eyes and so on. They are very curious and they sniff and lick alot! I use Revolution for dogs for the flea and tick repellant and it has worked so far. I haven't had any problems. I would bomb the house as far as the fleas inside then vacuum thoroughly. I had to do that, and I just took the dog to the dog park and packed a lunch and bottled water and food for him and made a few hours there, that would be the most effective way to get rid of the fleas in the house! Good luck!

So sorry about your dilemna. Yes, Advantage is a good product I hear, but we personally used Frontline for our pup, and he doesn't seem to have any fleas right now at all! He had infested our pit bull, but our pit also seems to be doing better from the Frontline as well. We too, live in the Forest, so we can relate...It would almost be next to impossible to kill every single living flea when you live out in the country as we do, but I DO have a way that could possibly keep at least your puppy safe from those blasted critters! I have heard in the past, that if you put a little bit of garlic in your pet's food, that GARLIC is a great natural way to keep fleas away. It get's into your pet's bloodstream, and when the fleas bite, they detest the taste, thus they refrain from jumping on your pet. Now, personally we have never tried it, I did at one time try to get my kitties to eat it by mincing up tons of it and sneaking it into their chicken and tuna moist food, but they are SOOO finicky and have an extra sensory that is undeniably remarkable, those little buggers knew the garlic was there and refused to eat it! Hopefully, with your pup, that won't be the case! Heck, it doesn't hurt to try!! Good luck and hope those awful bugs disappear fast!!

Beyond medication, just keep your house clean and your pets clean. Give them a bath when needed.

I'm the same way, hate creepy crawlies lol. Advantix is good, just bought some online for my dogs. Don't use Advantage-only works for fleas. I have a smaller fenced in "dog yard" for my dogs when they're outside, so I just use the granules with a spreader, think it's called Eliminator. Kills fleas, ticks, lots of stuff, but you have to water the grass or do it right before it rains out. You may think about calling a pro company out to spray your yard, need to do the trees as well. I know when I lived in Florida, we had a company come out once a month to spray the yard and trees, think it cost about 30. a month. Kinda expensive, but they're doing all the work, and they'll get everything sprayed real good. Between the yard being treated and the pets being treated, you should see them gone within a few days, and a few stragglers for a few weeks after that.

I always used peppermint oil on my dog - the smell was pleasant and fleas/ticks hate it. I have heard that sponging on vinegar can help - but I haven't tried it myself. Go to a health food store and look in the body oils section and ask for help - you will find some natural products that are not damaging to you or the pup.

u can get them to spray your lawn with tick and flea spray but my mother told me that she heard lavendor works. not sure if it works because we get our grass sprayed but it leaves my dog smellin good. i think she uses like j&j baby wash try it it might help

Frontline Plus 6pk Large 45-88 Lbs Frontline Plus Provides Your Dog With The Most Complete Spot-on Flea And Tick Protection Available. In Addition To Killing 98-100% Of Adult Fleas On Your Dog Within 24 Hours, Frontline Plus Contains A Special Ingredient That Kills Flea Eggs And Larvae, Too, And Keeps All Stages Of Fleas From Developing. By Effectively Stopping The Development Of New Fleas, Frontline Plus Completely Breaks The Flea Life Cycle. And, Frontline Plus Kills All Stages Of 4 Major Ticks Including Those That May Transmit Lyme Disease And Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Kills chewing lice. It's Completely Waterproof. For Use In Puppies 8 Weeks And Older And Over 11 Lbs. 6 Topical Monthly Treatments http://storefront.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/store?eid=qH9Mw3*lp30&offerid=56753&stid=13&subid=

when we used to live in an area with a simple front and back yard on a city block - we used a product called Bengal or maybe it was made by Bengal. It worked very well. eliminated all the ticks and we never saw a flea. We have a big problem here, but like you we live in a wooded area...we also have acreage and can not afford or even have the ability to spray it all... plus I would worry about it poisoning the chickens. If you live in a rural area you might consider getting a few guineas, they love eating the ticks.

After spending a fortune trying to find a product that would work, I finally went to the vet. He suggested Advantix for our Shih-Tzu. It's the only thing I've found that kills AND repels fleas and ticks. It was a nightmare, but since I found Advantix I'm a happy camper. Have you seen the commercial? There ain't no bugs on me. There ain't no bugs on me. There may be bugs on some of you mugs but there ain't no bugs on me...... hehehe

I use Frontline Plus on the dogs because its waterproof so you can bathe them without having to reapply the product. Inside the house, vacuuming thoroughly will help get rid of the fleas and whatever larvae is present. You should also wash all the uphostery and bedding you can in HOT water. Couches and chairs can be vacuumed. Flea bombing is also very effective. . the sprays are cheap but you have to leave the house for a few hours with the pets which can be inconvenient. Outside is the spot that needs the most attention. You can get insecticide spray from Wal Mart or Target that attaches to your hose. I spray my yard weekly because fleas are a big problem where I live.

About 2 years ago the dog and house were infested with fleas. I got Advantage for my dog and it not only got rid of the fleas on the dog but it also got rid of them in the house. I had tried the traps that you plug in and they light up, it did trap fleas but we still had a problem until I treated the dog with Advantage. Good luck. I'm with you, bugs, YUCK!!