Treatment for Flea Control

Dear Katyea: Generally garlic is never recommended, but in case you want to know and some who had success using it, it is worth the explain further.

Garlic is toxic at large dose for cats and dogs, but onions are the most dangerous, even to farm animals. Only small dose can be used, not exceeding 1/2 teaspoon (garlic powder or crushed clove not given directly) applied to average size cat, externally.

I think it is risky to use garlic to rid of fleas and if used it is heated and only one half clove are used, and only the liquid portion of garlic juice and the rest of it is discarded. The use of garlic while helpful with cat's sickness and liver problems, I think is still controversial and potentially dangerous.

Garlic has a small amount of N-propyl disulphide (recent research points to N-propylthiosulphate) which destroys red blood cells in the cat causing anemia, but more well known in onions.

While it maybe true that some people did it with success, I think it is likely that the disulphide was destroyed in the heating of food, during such preparation. Another possibility is the use of a dried form of garlic powder was used and applied lightly over the cat's or the dog's body.

Cats and dogs have a very different metabolism from humans. A lot of food deemed safe in humans are quite toxic to them. The ones I know to be poisonous or toxic are garlic, onions, chocolate (theobromine), yeast dough, coffee, tea, wine, paracetamol, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, cayenne pepper, any spices, certain aromatherapy oils, high fat foods(leads them to obesity, pancreatitis, fatty tumors under their bellies, diabetes and sometimes hair loss). The high fat foods include margarine, cheese, lard, and butter.

The best way to get rid of the fleas is just a taking a bath saturated solution borax in 1% hydrogen peroxide, no rinsing. They kill both the eggs and the fleas.

I prefer to use natural flea repellents for my dogs and cats. They are very effective in repelling fleas and ticks and other insects they are safe to your pet, your family and the environment.

Toxic chemical pesticides have been known to cause immediate health crises in some dogs and cats, and perhaps worse, these chemicals can circulate and accumulate in our pets' bodies, doing unseen damage to vital organs that may go undetected for years. And then there is the damage these chemical residues can do to our children, ourselves, and the environment. There are natural alternatives to the harsh and harmful chemical based flea and tick repellents.

One really good remedy in repelling fleas and getting rid of parasites is food grade Diatomaceous Earth for Flea and Tick Control. You can sprinkle it on the coat of your pets for flea control or sprinkle on food for parasite control.

Diatomaceous earth is a geological deposit made up of the fossilized skeletons and tests of siliceous marine and fresh water organisms, particularly diatoms and other algae. These skeletons are made of hydrated amorphous silica or opal. When crushed, they break up into tiny pieces of glass'' (so tiny that the material feels like talcum powder). This is easily picked up by the hairy bodies of most Insects. Whereupon it scratches through their protective wax layers; and they also absorb some of this material. The result being that the insects lose water rapidly, dry up and die. Further protection is provided by the powder's property of repelling many insects. A similar principle probably accounts for the fact that birds frequently take dust baths, presumably to rid themselves of parasites.

Some other great natural flea repellents use essential oils for repelling and killing fleas.

To protect themselves, certain plants have developed highly effective defense mechanisms against potentially harmful insects. The essential oils of these plants were combined in a solution to form a natural pest control barrier for pets.

I have dogs and cats and since I use these natural pest controls there are no fleas anymore and they not getting bothered from ticks, mosquitoes or such.

I also am researching everything on natural flea control. I am so over vets and their products etc.