Greyhounds and Fleas
08/01/09 20:27 Filed in: Injuries & Remedies
Understanding the life cycle of the flea is necessary in order to control it. The flea has several stages to its life cycle. Adult fleas spend most of their time on the dog or cat - they must be dislodged to leave since they will not do so voluntarily. Despite this, when the flea population on the dog becomes excessive humans tend to be an acceptable alternative to the flea. The average life span of an adult flea is probably about 6 weeks - but fleas can live as long as a year under certain conditions. A female flea can lay 20 to 28 eggs a day. She may lay several hundred eggs over her life span. These eggs fall off the pet and develop where they land. They are small and can even develop in the cracks in wood floors or other small crevices. A larvae hatches from the flea egg. It takes as few as 9 days to as long as 200 days to go through its growth stages. At this time is forms a pupae and waits for the right time to hatch. Fleas prefer temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees and humidity of 75 to 85 per cent. This range determines the period of time that fleas are a problem in your particular area. For some areas of the country, this is all year. In others, the flea season is relatively short. It is estimated that for every adult flea found on the pet, there are about 10 developing fleas in the pet's environment.
Do you have fleas!
How do you know if fleas are causing all that itching (called pruritus)? Generally, unlike the burrowing, microscopic Demodex or Scabies Mites, fleas can be seen scurrying along the surface of the skin. Dark copper colored and about the size of the head of a pin, fleas dislike light so looking for them within furry areas and on the pet's belly and inner thighs will provide your best chances of spotting them. Look for "flea dirt", too. "Flea dirt" looks like dark specks of pepper scattered on the skin surface. If you see flea dirt, which is actually flea feces and is composed of digested blood, pick some off the pet and place on a wet paper towel. If after a few minutes the tiny specks spread out like a small blood stain... it's definitely flea dirt and your pet has fleas! Flea dirt may be your only evidence of a flea infestation but believe the evidence! If there is flea dirt there are surely fleas present. You need to begin your war on the pests.
NATURAL FLEA and TICK REPELLANTS
1) Neem products work really well. It is a herb. You can spray the pet spray directly on the dog (nontoxic if eaten), you can shampoo w/ the shampoo or add a few drops neem oil to regular shampoo, you can mix neem oil & water & spray around the house, you can attach it to the garden hose for the yard, you can even use it as a supplement for killing the fleas from inside out. You can also put neem oil on the back of the neck like you would frontline, but you have to reapply weekly.
2)Recipe for natural flea, tick, mosquito repellant.
2 lemons...slice thin w/ skin on
Rosemary leaves or dried rosemary
Cover w/ water and boil for 15 min, strain, let cool & spray on dog twice weekly.
3) You can make a tea out of Eucalyptus leaves to spray the house and yard. Take a bunch of Eucalyptus leaves and pour boiling water over them & cover the pot. I let them steep and cool and then strained and put in a sprayer & spray the whole house & yard.
4)You can also use diatomacous earth sprinkled inside & outside the house. It punctures the fleas shell and dehydrates them & is totally safe. Just don't inhale it when you apply it because it is a dusty substance. It is safe to let the dog on it right after you apply it. Some people even feed it to their dogs as a natural wormer.
5) Beneficial Nematodes......these can be purchased form an organic gardening store. You put them in the yard and they eat the flea larvae.
6) LymeDyp for Ticks.....For a particularly heavy infestation. The dog can be dipped in lymdyp, a natural dip made form Sulferated Lyme.
7) Most importantly, keeping your dog healthy and on a good diet will make him/her much less attractive to fleas & ticks.
Natural FLEA Dog WASH - Add 40 to 60 drops of Eucalyptus Oil to soapy washing water and wash dog - reputedly rids fleas.
To stop the cycle of eggs (usually in carpets) ..... Sprinkling Borax Powder over carpet area in house and dog and cat beds, shake out, and vacuum carpets within a few minutes of coating carpet. Put some Borax in the Vacuum bag also. Repeat as often as needed to stop eggs/fleas
Organic Tick, Flea and Mosquito
Ingredients are full strength oils (Important! NEVER put undiluted oils directly on yourself or your dogs):
Tea Tree Oil
Rosemary Oil
Sage Oil
Cedarwood Oil
Peppermint Oil
Sweet Orange Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Citronella Oil
Pine Needle Oil
(also heard you can add almond oil)
Shampoo:
Mix 4-6 drops each with 32 oz of any natural shampoo and you have a natural flea shampoo
Repellant:
Mix 2-3 drops each with 16 oz of (not chlorinated) water in spray bottle - shake before each use and spray lightly over entire body.
Repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and makes the van smell great. Can spray on blankets, beds, too. Good for people & dogs.
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