There’s a wide variety of different myths surrounding pet care that have continued to spread amongst pet owners, some as old as the 1950’s. One of the big ones involves a cure-all “organic” dog flea solution. This flea removal myth comes from the belief that organic practices are somehow more ‘pure’ and sometimes even more effective than any synthetic/non-organic pet product. The organic dog flea solution may also come from the misguided principle that all the currently available flea treatment products are potentially harmful to your pet. After a recent email asking for clarification on whether or not using all organic/natural flea treatments can be an effective alternative to chemical based products we decided to weigh in on the phenomenon.

Will using only organic or natural flea remedies work with your pet? There’s not really any sort of definitive way of answering that other than by saying the answer depends on a few factors such as the level of involvement you’re willing to dedicate to treating your pets’ flea problem, the current living-space that the pet lives in and the type of treatment you choose to go with. By choosing to go the organic route you need to realize that it doesn’t just limit your options to organic-based flea shampoos and by-hand flea removal, there are a few other natural treatments that you can use in combination with each other.

While it is true that using organic based products is typically a safe bet you can make when purchasing products you need to keep in mind that sometimes it might not be enough. If you only buy all-organic pet products, you may be worsening your dogs’ flea problem considerably by setting these limitations. While an all-organic based flea shampoo bath is a good start, your pet will need more than just a bath to keep the parasites away for good. Besides, in order for this approach to work you’d need to give your pet a bath on a pretty regular basis which is a strain on spare-time not to mention water resources.

Treating your pets flea problem means more than just removing the pests from your four-legged friend, it also involves making sure that they won’t return anytime soon. The main way to do this involves a proper cleaning of your home and/or your pets’ living area. Making sure that there aren’t any lingering flea eggs or larvae will mean your pet will be able to stay parasite free.

Removing the fleas that are bothering your pet is one thing but making sure they stay away from your pet after you’re done is a whole other task. Regularly vacuuming any rugs or carpet in your home will greatly reduce the risk of any re-infestation. You should clean with hot water any bedding that your pet uses, letting it dry in the sun before returning it. Steam cleaning is an option that works best for cleaning any bedding or rugs that they use frequently. Another flea prevention step is to keep a well-maintained lawn. By keeping the grass/hedges low you’ll help stop flea infestations from harvesting where your pet goes to play.

Using a special brush or comb to manually remove any visible fleas and ticks is a time-consuming task that will typically grow old after the second or third time performed. If time isn’t something you have a lot of, then using an all-organic approach to flea treatment will probably end up being a frustrating time for both you and your pet. Trying combinations of both organic and non-organic treatments typically is the best way to tackle safe flea treatments though if you’ve got your mind set on only using organic remedies than you should look into age-old remedies like applying diatomaceous earth to help prevent the fleas from laying any fresh eggs or any number of the different bath-shampoos that are out there.

For more information on flea treatments and other pet-care questions visit the At Home Flea Control Blog