Fleas.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Flea antidote for animals?
From: dessert.olympic.net (Dianne)
Date: 19 Mar 1996 17:56:34 GMT

> Could anyone help me with an antidote or repellant for fleas on dogs? My mom's animals are going beserk ... and so is she.

What we've found to be especially good is adding brewer's yeast to their food each day, and giving garlic caps orally. We also rinse them with a rosemary tea after their baths and just let that dry on.

Get rid of or throughly clean and disinfect all bedding and if there if carpet in the house, you can sprinkle in diatomaceous earth (procure at a pool supply) and leave it for about a week. It kills the little devils and is not of any harm to humans or pets.

From: alford.vnet.ibm.com (Jack Alford)

> you can sprinkle in diatomaceous earth (procure at a pool supply)

All good advice -- except that DE for pools is highly processed and should not be used. Many garden supply stores and mail order garden suppliers sell unprocessed DE. This is safer for your pets and more effective against the fleas (it still has the tiny, sharp points that kill insects by cutting them up and drying them out).

My cat refuses to eat her morning meal unless I've sprinkled brewer's yeast on it. She loves the taste (and has never had a flea problem).

From: TREP.burridge.nscc.ns.ca (nicole)

An excellent herb for flea control is penny royal , from the mint family dry and crush then sprinkle over carpets and cracks near base boards. For canines wash normally with herbal shampoo then apply a strong tea of penny royal leave on for 30 min. rinse. good luck and remember to wash infested dog and cat blankets.

From: ropposch.tir.com

My mother and I have both had tremendous luck repelling fleas by giving our dogs daily doses of Brewers Yeast during flea season. Although most vets don't seem to have faith in this remedy, pet owners who have tried it swear by it. My dog loves the Brewers Yeast tablets. I don't have an exact dosage, but I give him 3 - 4 tablets a day during peak flea season. Many dog food already contain small amounts of Brewers Yeast, but not enough to do the trick. My dog is 7 years old and very healthy and my mom's dog is 14 and doing great...both with zero fleas!