One of my dogs had a persistent flea problem. His coat is thick, black and curly. In fact he has two coats, the under coat is very dense (we're not sure of his breed).
My other dogs had fleas - but having a straight, wiry, fine, golden colored coat the fleas were easier to spot. Also, they responded better to baths with pyretheum shampoo.
Well, diatomaceous earth has done the job.
Has anyone else used DE. Apparently a dose each day in dog food prevents worms.
I'm glad that diatomaceous earth has worked for you. I wasn't sure how you actually used it. Did you sprinkle it on the dog?
A friend recommended it for ants as we were being overrun by them last year. Since my dog gets into everything, I have to use products that are safe for pets. I sprinkled some in the yard and the ants vanished. They don't like to cross it and if they breath it in it hinders their ability to breath.
I'm not sure about injesting it for worms or other purposes. It does wonders for controlling insects when applied outdoors, though.
I've used it on carpets for years, it dehydrates and kills just about any arthropod that comes in contact with it. I have read that farmers sprinkle it on their feed stores, it keeps bugs from eating the feed itself, and also inhibits any worms in the animals.
I've never fed it, but I never have bugs of any type in my house, and I live in Florida. So I like it.
Fishbone, the only time we used it in the house was when ants got in the kitchen cabinets. It wasn't very effective in there only because there was too much space for the ants to get around it. They are deft at making detours.
I hadn't thought of using it in the carpet. We may have to try that the next time ants get in one of the bedrooms.
The update is that when i brushed the dog with the difficult coat, 2 days after dusting him with DE, the comb caught a few feeble, anaemic looking fleas. usually i have to be quick to catch the fleas on the comb with a pice of tissue - but these just sat there. I've never seen an anaemic looking flea before - they were pale orangy-brown . . .
I've done some more research and will have to treat the dogs and bedding every 4 days until completely clear to allow for the eggs and larvae of fleas that will be coming up through the life cycle.
Also, a level teaspoon a day for a small dog and a heaped teaspoon a day for a medium sized dog and a tablespoon a day for a huge dog is the recommended dose, sprinkled on their food, to kill and prevent worms.
For humans it has all sorts of benefits - lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, helps with weight control, joint pain plus loads more stuff. Good face cleanser . . .
You have to buy the "food grade DE" - there are different types, but the food grade does all the above and more, see :-
The carpet trick is, dust liberally into your carpet. "Rake" it into the carpet. Then you have to leave it without vacuuming for 3-4 weeks (that's the bad part.) It'll last awhile in the carpet from there on out. I adapted the technique from the instructions for orthoboric aid powder. I assume it soaks down into the carpet pad. Either way it kills most things crawling through the house.
I thought there was some risk with diatomaceous earth of breathing in the particles and causing lung inflammation. Has anyone else heard that before? I know there are different types of DE, so maybe it isn't the food grade type used for these household purposes.
It's interesting how the fleas looked when you found them. I guess they were dying a slow death after breathing the stuff in. Usually, if you don't catch a flea on first sight they are gone. Usually, they are on me because they love me.
Fishbone, that would never work in my house. My Mom is an obsessive vacuumer. She must vacuum every day or else.
Hi TreeClimber - re dangers of inhaling DE, yes, you're right, the food-grade type is not a problem. It can be liberally sprinkled on dogs, cats, rabbits to kill off fleas. No harm to them or yourself if you inhale some. Although, that has never happened to me, I just put it on their tummies and base of tail and there is no dust flying around.
The fleas aren't killed by breathing it in - but because the DE destroys their outer hard skin and once that is damaged they can't survive. In fact, that's how DE kills off all invasive insects such as ants, roaches etc.
BTW DE is not ground-up fishbone. It is a powder made from a sedimentary rock which was formed by the fossilized remains of diatoms, which are a sort of algae.
I'm the opposite to your mum - I don't even own a vacuum cleaner. I don't have carpets - just tiles.
I've heard about using it on antholes before, and that's what I thought of when I saw the thread. But, I've never heard of it being used on dogs. That's pretty cool, not only is it pet-safe, it actually is beneficial!
I'm always worried about worms, and I don't want to get them tested all the time, so I'm definitely going to look into using this as a preventative measure.
