My dog has fleas and I'm broke. Are there any temporary home remedies?

You can bathe Marley in Dawn dish soap, be sure to let it sit a few moments and it will kill the fleas on her. But any fleas in the environment will just get back on her. Unfortunately I don't know of any home remedies that actually work effectively against fleas. There are so many new and safe topical or oral insecticidal products available now that work immediately.

There are no home remedies other than combing out the fur with a flea comb and drowning the fleas in detergent water. Your vet can prescribe flea medications and give you a pill that kills all the fleas on your dog right away.

You'll need to treat Chloe and the environment. You can use an oral or topical flea treatment to get rid of the fleas on her. Preventatives such as Frontline, K9 Advantix or Revolution are applied once a month. Oral preventatives, such as CapStar or Advantus, can be given daily but only kill adult fleas. The Seresto collar can be effective against fleas and other parasites for up to 8 months. Use a preventative for at least three consecutive months to break the flea life cycle. Year round use is preferred. Next, you'll need to treat the environment. Wash all bedding in the hottest water allowable by fabric and dry in the dryer, not outdoors. Vacuum everywhere Chloe has been and dispose of the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately after. Use an area treatment, such as Knockout ES or Bayer Advantage Spray, to prevent reinfestation.

Hello! My name is Dr. Elizabeth and I am happy to help. Ugh! Fleas are the worst but the good news is that you can effectively get rid of them if you use a good product and are diligent in the treatment. Here is a link about the flea life cycle: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/flea-control-in-dogs The flea life cycle can last as long as 6 months. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure EVERY dog and cat in the house is treated with a good flea prevention AND that this treatment lasts an entire 6 months. Your vet can give you access to the best flea products on the market. Oral flea products like Simparica, Nexgard and Bravecto are the best products out there because they kill fleas so quickly. This decreased to potential for the female fleas to lay eggs which breaks the life cycle. Since the product is in the bloodstream, it also can't be washed off. Lastly, because they are new, there is not a resistance issue in the flea population. They are also cost competitive with a name brand product like Frontline. I recommend to get Smallie on one of these oral flea products and use it for 6 months. If you use a topical flea prevention, only wash Smallie just before the next application of flea prevention is due. Topical flea products like the one you applied can be washed off which means they won't work as well. Also know you will likely continue to see fleas for at least 6 weeks (assuming your product is working correctly) because of the newly emerging adult fleas. Lastly, know there is great variation in the effectiveness of topical flea products. As far as they go, for over the counter options, Seresto, name brand Frontline and Advantage/Advantix are your best options. Use them as directed. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Unfortunately, natural remedies don't work well. Here is a link about many lyths you will find online: https://www.petcoach.co/article/at-home-flea-and-tick-treatments-that-dont-work/ The only option is to hand brush and remove every flea you find with a flea comb. This will not work well because if the flea life cycle. Your best option is to treat all the pets in the home. Depending on the age and size of the puppies, there are likely product restrictions (aka not safe). Top products for adult dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard (some can be used on puppies pending age and size). Top products for cats are topicals such as Revolution and Cheristan. There is also an oral product called Comfortis that both dogs and cats can take. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Capstar is effective for killing adult fleas that are on Max. You will need a topical or oral treatment to continue killing adults and eggs both on and off him. Frontline, K9 Advantix and Vectra are just a few topical preventatives. NexGard and Bravecto are newer oral medications. Your veterinarian should examine Max to rule out other causes for the hair loss and to dispense antibiotics or antihistamines if indicated. Topicals are very effective when used properly. Use the appropriate dose based on Max's weight. Do not split doses between pets. It must be applied at least 3 days before or after a bath or grooming. It must be applied directly to the skin. This is accomplished by parting the fur with the applicator tip down to the skin. Treat ALL pets in the house for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Vacuum all areas and dispose of the bag outdoors. Wash all fabrics and beddings that have had contact with any pet in the hottest water temp allowable. The environment must also be treated. Knockout ES area treatment (by Virbac) is just one very effective product that can be used to prevent reinfestation. Lastly, treat all pets for tapeworm since fleas carry the risk of tapeworm infection.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Leo! Fleas are nasty and can be resistant sadly to holistic remedies as well as most of the topical flea preventatives. I recommend the new oral flea and tick preventatives. I like Nexgard or Simparica which are both monthly or Bravecto which is one pill every 3 months. I also like the Seresto collar which repels the fleas and ticks as well. It also lasts 8 months. The orals listed above will be quicker than the collar. Also be sure to treat all the animals in the house. I hope this helps and I wish Leo a speedy recovery!