Last summer, I adopted a kitten that was being given away by a neighbor. The kitten was great. The fleas he carried into my home were not.
Within weeks my Pomeranians were scratching and upon examining them I found a small number of fleas on each. Horrified, I treated them all with Frontline, which I regret to this day. One of my dogs had a serious skin reaction from it, and he still suffers from a skin condition as a result.
Obviously, another approach was required, and I started to research a better solution to flea control. The more I read, the more I realized how toxic most pesticide-based flea products for dogs and cats can be.
In March of this year, the FDA announced stricter testing and evaluation requirements for flea and tick products that are applied directly to a pet's skin.
The EPA's effort follows increasing complaints from pet owners that the "spot-on" products have triggered reactions in dogs and cats, ranging from skin irritation to neurological problems to deaths. Cats and small dogs appear particularly vulnerable, the EPA said, especially when given products intended for larger animals.
Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said new restrictions will be placed on flea and tick products, with additional changes for specific products likely -- including possible changes in some product formulas.
I tried a number of non-pesticide based solutions, including vacuuming twice daily, cedar chips, the soapy-water and light trick, flea combs (helpful, but they don't kill larvae in your house) and eucalyptus oil. These were all somewhat useful and probably prevented a complete infestation of the house, but I was still finding a small number of fleas during the twice-daily flea combing. Controlling the fleas without using dangerous pesticides was taking a huge amount of time and I wasn't eliminating the problem. I foster puppy mill Pomeranian rescues and socialize them for adoption, and I knew I had to eradicate the fleas from the entire house before I accepted any more fosters.
The fleas had also moved into my yard, creating an entirely new problem. I knew that I didn't want to treat my lawn with chemicals. I'm aware that homeowners routinely use up to ten times as much pesticide per acre as farmers when treating their lawns.
Then I read about a substance called Diatomaceous Earth, which is an organic substance composed of tiny fossilized shells of marine plants. When ground up, it feels and looks like flour but it has microscopic sharp edges that cut the protective shell of the flea, entering its body and dehydrating it. It does the same thing with ticks. One form of it that's sold is food grade, which is often added to the feed of cattle and such to worm them. If it's safe enough to eat, I reasoned, it's a safer form of flea control for my dogs than pesticides.
My next stop was the local feed store. I live in cattle country and the woman at the counter immediately knew what it was and indicated that they had food grade DE in stock - at .48 cents per pound. Forty-eight cents per pound. Wow. Not only was it a natural substance but it was cheap. But the most important question was - would it work? How difficult of a process would this be?
Quick answers - it works, if you're careful and methodical in applying it. And it's far messier than Frontline, flea shampoos and collars. But unlike pesticides (which fleas can become immune to over time) it doesn't pose a health risk for the skin, liver, or neurological functions of my dogs. That's a pretty good trade-off.
I started by treating the dogs directly on the patio (they'll shake off a small amount of powder, so do this outdoors if you can). DE is drying and it has to be kept away from their eyes and nose, and since it's such a fine powder treating them can be tricky. I took the advice of another dog owner and put about a cup of it in a sock and then lightly tapped each dog with it, which applied it to their coat without raising a big dust cloud. Then I massaged it into their skin. Pomeranians have thick coats and this was a bit of a challenge, but the dogs were relatively mellow about the process and it took about 10 minutes per dog. I wore a mask while applying it to the dogs, as I did in the house. Safety first - you don't want to breathe in any powder in any significant quantity. I'd recommend gloves when applying because it can dry out your hands. Don't do this on a windy day, as you don't want the dog inhaling any of the powder downwind. Treating the dogs was actually the easiest part of it. If the dog gets wet during the flea eradication process, you need to apply the DE again.
The house was more difficult. I put the dogs outside and the cat went into a kennel and was placed in a shady area of the yard. I opened all of my windows for ventilation. I put DE in a small squeeze bottle and went around the baseboards and then swept it in. I then swept small amounts into my hardwoods, as fleas hatch in the tiny cracks between the boards. If you have carpeting, sprinkle it in, vacuum, and then immediately place the bag into a trash bag and take it out of your house. I treated the bathrooms and the kitchen, including the baseboards behind the refrigerator. It wasn't fun. The dust wasn't pretty. My clothes immediately went into the washing machine, because the dust was all over them. Like I said, it's a messy process. Once it settles in there isn't a danger of inhaling it. I left the pets outside for around 90 minutes.
It's also a natural lawn treatment for fleas, chiggers and ants. For fleas, you only have to treat the portion of your lawn where your dogs spend the most time, and you can skip the portion that gets full sun all day. This part was easy.
Within 48 hours of treating the dogs, I didn't find any live fleas on them during their combing. I did comb out dead fleas.
DE will not kill on contact, and it'll take time to eradicate all life cycles of the fleas. But once your house and lawn and pets are flea free, you shouldn't need to apply it again. Remember if you try it to specify the food grade DE when you purchase it - there is also a grade used to filter swimming pools and it won't work.
Diatomaceous Earth can also be used as an organic pesticide for gardeners. Perhaps some of our dKos gardeners can chime in with how it's worked for them.
I just wanted to pass along my experience with this in case anyone has a pet with skin sensitivities to chemical pesticides, or if you just want to avoid having these chemicals in your home. It's messy and you have to target every area where fleas can hatch, but the results have been worth it. And little Luigi is a happier dog!