How To Treat Dog Fleas At Home

30 Ways to Naturally Prevent and Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs

Updated on March 1, 2021

Fleas are the bane of any dog owner’s life. Not only will fleas irritate your dog and cause excessive scratching, once they get into your house, but they also lay their eggs in your furniture, carpet, and anywhere else they can access.

We recommend following the advice of your veterinarian, but if you’re set on a natural approach, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to treat fleas on dogs naturally without using chemical treatments. If you’re wondering how to get rid of fleas on dog hair, dog skin, from inside your home, and even out in the garden, read on to discover top 30 tips on treating fleas at home using all-natural ingredients.

 

Home Remedies To Get Rid of Fleas on Your Dog

If your dog is scratching and you think it’s flea related, there’s plenty of flea home remedies for dogs to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a home-made collar, comb, dip, scrub, or something else, we’ve got plenty of ways to treat fleas on dogs without using any chemicals.

Washes, Sprays, Dips, and Rubs

ESSENTIAL OILS FLEA SPRAY

Some essential oils make for excellent flea remedies for dogs. Citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary will all naturally repel fleas. If your dog doesn’t mind a spray bottle, dilute a few drops of your chosen essential oil into a 300ml-400ml of water and spray directly onto your dog’s coat. It’s important to know that a number of essential oils, like tea tree oil, can be very toxic to pets unless it is diluted appropriately (.1%-1%) – learn more here. Do not apply a homemade essential oil solution to your pet until you have confirmed its safety at an authoritative source like petmd.com and spoken with your vet.

 

Our recommended essential oil flea repellent: Walk Your Dog With Love’s “An Ounce Of Prevention“.

We really like this essential oil mix by Walk Your Dog With Love. The solution is all-natural, affordable, and highly effective against fleas, ticks, and all sorts of pesky little critters. In addition, the blend of oils is non-toxic and safe for both dogs and family. It’s available on their website here. (We also love their dog harnesses – they’re great!)

 

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND SALT FLEA SPRAY

The beauty of apple cider vinegar is that it is a way to treat fleas on dogs naturally by balancing a dog’s pH levels, creating an environment that is optimal for your dog’s health yet unsustainable for fleas. Dilute six cups of apple cider vinegar with four cups of water, add a dash of sea salt, then spray directly onto your dog’s coat. Make sure to avoid your dog’s eyes.

LEMON BATH

This lemon bath is simple to make and will keep your pet smelling fresh and noticeably flea free. Simply dilute half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice into two cups of water, then add a squeeze of your normal pet-friendly soap or shampoo for a natural way of treating fleas in dogs.

LATHER BATH

Any pet-friendly shampoo that produces a lather will naturally kill existing fleas. When choosing flea remedies natural is always the best choice, so select an organic pet shampoo without any added chemicals. Once your dog is sufficiently lathered, leave the shampoo on for just a couple of minutes while it does its work. This is a great way of killing existing fleas before moving on to flea prevention remedies.

Our Recommendation for a Natural Kill-On-Contact Shampoo: TropiClean Maximum Strength Natural Flea & Tick Dog Shampoo

We recommend this shampoo for any pet owners looks for a powerful flea shampoo, but with natural ingredients. This shampoo kills fleas on contact, can be used in conjunction with spot-on type flea products and flea collars, is safe for dogs and puppies, and repels fleas for up to 7 days afterwards.

Our Recommendation for Relief of Dog Itching: TropiClean Neem & Citrus Itch Relief Flea & Tick Dog Shampoo

A natural formulation with Neem and citrus to alleviate flea and tick irritations. Note, this shampoo is not meant to address a flea infection, we suggest the TropiClean Maximum Strength formulation, seen above, for that.

 

 

ROSEMARY DIP

If your dog enjoys playing in water, this Rosemary dip will seem like a fun game rather than a flea remedy. Steep fresh rosemary leaves in boiling water, then strain the mixture and dilute it well in warm water. When the water reaches a comfortable temperature, pour the mixture over your dog and let it dry naturally.

MULTI-PURPOSE NEEM OIL

Neem oil is a natural insect repellent and one of the lesser-known flea treatments. If you are able to obtain this oil, native to Burma, Sri Lanka, and parts of India, you can apply it directly to your dog’s coat, add it to your normal natural dog shampoo, or dilute it well to make your own flea spray.

ORGANIC SOAPS

By swapping out your usual dog shampoo for organic soaps such as organic peppermint soap or organic Rose soap, you can wash your dog as normal and get a flea-free and great smelling dog at the end of it.

AROMATHERAPY SPRAY

If you’re familiar with aromatherapy, you can make up a batch of aromatherapy that will not only treat a flea infestation but also prevent future occurrences, whilst acting as a natural soother for your dog. Try sweet almond oil as the base oil, and add drops of Atlas cedar oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, geranium oil, bay laurel oil, common myrrh oil, and lavender oil.

COCONUT OIL RUB

Is there anything that coconut oil can’t do? Coconut oil can help in a number of ways when treating fleas. Rubbing a teaspoon of coconut oil directly into your dog’s coat will not only repel fleas but will make the coat shiny and reduce body odor. If added to your dog’s normal food, coconut oil can even help treat intestinal parasites due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Collars

LAVENDER OR CEDAR OIL FLEA COLLAR

A home-made flea collar is an ingenious way of keeping your dog’s flea protection constant without having to spray or rub them with the mixture. Either purchase or make a simple collar or bandanna, then dilute a few drops of lavender oil or cedar oil in water and apply it directly to the collar or bandanna.

VODKA FLEA COLLAR

Who knew that vodka was an effective way of treating fleas in dogs? Buy or make a simple dog collar, then soak it in a teaspoon of unflavoured vodka and let dry. You could also add a few drops of your essential oil of choice to make a scented collar, otherwise just using the vodka alone is a good alternative for dogs who don’t like the scent of essential oils.

Combs and Sachets

LEMON COMB

Lemon is widely recognized for its abilities to both repel and kill fleas while being completely harmless to dogs and humans. Simply dip your dog’s regular comb or brush into fresh lemon juice and apply it to their hair as normal. For a short-haired breed, a cloth dipped in lemon juice will give the same benefit.

FLEA COMB

If you already have a store-bought flea comb, this is one way of treating fleas that we would recommend, and it doesn’t require any additional purchases. Flea combs don’t contain any chemicals but are specially designed to remove fleas and their eggs from your dog’s coat. If your dog is already infested with fleas, this is a great way of removing existing fleas before using other flea home remedies for dogs to keep future infestations away.

FLEA SACHET

If your dog doesn’t like being sprayed or having products applied directly to their coat, this flea sashay is easy to make and will provide the same benefits. Buy or make a small bag of breathable fabric such as hessian or muslin, then fill the bag with lemon peel, dried lavender buds, and cedar chips. Tie up the top of the bag and place it near your dog’s sleeping area. The mixture may lose its potency after about a month, at which time you can simply reopen the bag and replace with fresh ingredients.

Food and Drink

VINEGAR OR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DRINK

To combat and prevent fleas from the inside out, try dilating vinegar or apple cider vinegar in your dog’s drinking water. You’ll need to test them first to make sure they enjoy the taste as you don’t want to put them off drinking their water altogether. One teaspoon of your vinegar of choice for every four cups of drinking water is a good ratio to aim for. Not only will you keep fleas at bay, but your dog’s coat and skin will also see the benefits to.

BREWER’S YEAST

Perhaps the least obvious way to treat fleas on dogs naturally is to start from the inside out. It remains true that healthy dogs are less likely to host fleas, and one way of improving the health of your dog while warding off fleas is to add a small amount of brewer’s yeast to your dog’s food. Just a half teaspoon of brewer’s yeast mixed in with your dog’s normal meal makes for an effective flea remedy.