How to Kill Fleas on Dogs Naturally

Natural flea control methods will not leave dangerous chemical residues on your dog’s fur.

But, I know you might have used flea control chemicals such as NexGard, Advantage, flea collars, flea bombs, Frontline, dog flea shampoo, etc.

Chemicals aside, today we discuss step by step process to control fleas on your dog naturally. 

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How to Kill Fleas on Dogs Naturally (4 Quick Steps)

1. Flea combing

To ease the scratching and itching caused by flea, flea combs will weed out fleas of all sizes from your dog’s fur. A flea comb has finely spaced teeth/ tines to physically trap and eject the flea “dirt,” fleas, larvae, and flea eggs. Luckily, the flea combing process leaves your dog well-groomed, too, and happy.

Use the flea comb when your dog’s fur is not tangled, thick, and extended to increase effectiveness and reduce pain. Remove the fur tangles by brushing using a regular pet comb or brush as it has widely-spaced tines.

Mix dish soap with hot water in a deep bucket (half full) – thus, fleas won’t jump out quickly. While combing, you’ll use the liquid to rinse your flea comb and hold the fleas combed from the dog’s fur.

Position white clothing or a newspaper under your bucket and dog. This will hold the flea dirt, fleas, and eggs that’ll be dropping off. Start the flea combing process with the dog’s head, neck, and shoulders, and finally to the back and tail. 

Comb gently and slowly in the direction where the dog’s fur is growing. This will remove the dead hair, flea dirt, eggs, and adult fleas. Frequently push the flea comb to the soapy water as it’ll be filling with fur, fleas, and debris.

Next, comb the dog’s belly, sides, chest, and back. The last portion will be to comb the tail, paws, and legs. Repeat the combing all over the dog’s body to catch any flea that could have escaped.

Finally, after completing the flea combing process, allow the soapy water to remain in the bucket for about 15 minutes to drown the fleas. Ultimately, dispose of the clothing, newspaper, and bucket water that you used to flea comb. Also, vacuum the whole room where you were cleaning the dog.

2. Use Apple Cider vinegar – Bathing and Drinking

First things first: apple cider vinegar (ACV) will not kill fleas but will create an unfriendly atmosphere (both taste and smell) that will repel the fleas from your dog. According to the FDA, apple cider vinegar has antibacterial and antioxidant features.

The essential oil from Alaskan yellow cedar causes lethal effects on the fleas. So much with the description; to control fleas for your dog using ACV, use sleeping mats (cedar-filled), cedar oil, and cedar spray or shampoo.

Caution: Do not pour the Apple cedar vinegar on your dog’s skin as it’ll irritate the areas with broken skin. On the contract, use the ACV on the dog’s spray, baths, and drinking water. However, contact your vet for direction on how ACV is appropriate for your dog, depending on its body weight.

For baths, pour the Apple cedar vinegar onto the dog’s bathing water to prevent or treat any flea infestation.

For drinking, add a teaspoon of the apple cider vinegar (fermented) to a bowl of water (quarter-liter) and give the dog to drink. The treatment will make the dog’s skin to become acidic and hence repel fleas and ticks.

3. Use borax powder

Borax, named Sodium Tetraborate or Disodium Tetraborate, is a direct natural mineral (looks like table salt) like a complex boron compound combined with sodium elements.

In its powdered form, borax is regularly employed in many cleaning agents. My readers tell me that they’ve found borax, like me, to be less-smelly, less-toxic, and more effective in flea control.

Borax will kill fleas by incising the bug’s exoskeleton and dehydrating their body hence killing them. Despite that, borax is great in killing flea larvae, too; it does not eliminate flea eggs on cats and dogs but can be mixed to create a spray for yard flea spray.

Caution: Borax containing substances must not be used near pregnant women. Further, keep borax away from food substances and cats, leading to poisoning and breathing problems, respectively. Also, do not use borax on wet carpets, and it can discolor them and destroy their fiber.

Apply borax on an area that has humidity being more significant than 50 percent. Further, review the warning area of the borax wrapping.

1. Now, sprinkle the borax powder in the sections having fleas such as the Kernel and even the carpet.

2. Use a rigid broom or brush to brush the carpet. The process will help you get the borax to the areas that the fleas are hiding, significantly below the rug and the dark sections.

3. Wait for about 1-2 days or longer after sprinkling the borax powder. Finally, vacuum the treated areas to remove the borax, flea, and flea debris.

Note: Don’t use borax to treat your dog. However, check these articles on cat flea removal and dog flea removal using shampoo.