Keep your pets naturally flea free

If you're a pet owner you know how difficult it can be to control fleas on your dog or cat. It seems that once they are infested, it can take weeks to control these nasty pests. But the good news is that keeping your pets free of annoying fleas is relatively simple and inexpensive to do. You will need to be very diligent at first, but don't be discouraged because the end results will be well worth it.

First of all, bathe your pet with a gentle shampoo. If your pets are severely infected, you could purchase an over-the-counter flea shampoo; however most of the time this will not be necessary. Following your pet's bath, rinse him or her with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. The vinegar solution tends to "offend" biting fleas and serves to repel them. After you leave this solution on your pet for a few minutes (5-10 minutes should work well) rinse and dry your friend.

Next, take a small flea comb and comb through your pet's hair. You will need a bucket of water to rinse your comb in after each pass through. Do this because the comb itself will not kill the flea, but rather the flea will get caught in the comb's teeth. Dipping it in the water will kill the flea and keep it from getting back onto your pet. You may use a solution of warm soapy water if you wish for dipping the comb, but usually plain water will suffice just as well. Make several passes over your pet's coat, taking care to comb areas that may easily be overlooked such as the back of the legs, tail, and top of the head. Comb gently and take care not to pull your animal's fur and most dogs and even cats will allow you to comb them as long as you please. Continue combing until you make several passes through the pet's hair without catching any live fleas.

Since you have treated your pet, you now need to treat your home. Mule Team Borax is an excellent treatment for fleas in carpets and furniture. Take the full-strength borax and sprinkle on your carpet. Next, take a straw broom and work the substance deep into the carpet. Leave in place and do not vaccuum. This will take a few days to take effect, so be patient. In the meantime, restrict your companion animals and small children from the space.

You will need to comb your pet with the flea comb daily for at least two weeks, since new flea eggs can take up to that amount of time to hatch. Don't be discouraged if you do find new fleas each day, it just means that the new eggs have hatched. You should find progressively fewer each time, but as I mentioned before, you will need to be persistant. After the two week period, be sure to comb your pet with his or her weekly bath to catch new fleas before they become a problem. If you do notice a high level of flea infestation again, comb daily for a week or so until all of the fleas and eggs are removed.

Now that your pet is naturally free of blood-sucking fleas, you will want to prevent them from infesting your furry friend again. Apple cider vinegar in the pet's drinking water has been shown to be effective in preventing fleas from getting onto your pet. You can try 2-3 drops of vinegar in the pet's drinking water each day as a preventative for flea infestation. This will take 6-8 weeks to take effect because the vinegar will change the alkalinity of your pet's skin, making it unattractive to biting pests. Note: You should use organic apple cider vinegar only, and do not use on animals which have a skin irritation, are allergic to yeast products, or have digestive problems.

Follow these steps and you and your furry friend will enjoy many flea free days while saving you money and your pet from harmful chemicals.