Garlic or Vinegar for fleas?

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that you are having this frustrating problem!

I have a theory for what is happening. It sounds like she was given either Advantage, Revolution, or Frontline which are all really good flea products. (If by some chance it was an over the counter pet store product then she really does need to have a prescription product.)

If a dog has had fleas for a while or if there were fleas in the house (or on other animals in the house) for a while then there will be flea eggs in the carpets or between the cracks on hardwood that are constantly hatching and then jumping on the dog. These are likely the fleas that you are seeing. However, they will die within 24 hours of jumping on to Lady because of the medication.

This is one of the reasons that we need to reapply the flea treatment every month for at least 3 months. Eventually, the flea problem in the house will stop. However, it is VERY important that every animal in the house is treated as well.

Also, if you live in an apartment building then you may need to treat Lady year round as new fleas can enter your apartment if there are other untreated animals in the building.

There is no benefit at all to using vinegar and please do not use garlic. It has very minor qualities that repel fleas slightly. However, garlic is toxic to a dog's red blood cells. It is never a good idea to give.

So, stick the medication your vet gave you. You may want to ask your vet to prescribe you a medication called Capstar to go along with it. This is a very inexpensive pill that you can give that will almost instantly kill any fleas you are seeing. Combined with the other medication it will speed up the process of being flea free!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that you are having this frustrating problem!

I have a theory for what is happening. It sounds like she was given either Advantage, Revolution, or Frontline which are all really good flea products. (If by some chance it was an over the counter pet store product then she really does need to have a prescription product.)

If a dog has had fleas for a while or if there were fleas in the house (or on other animals in the house) for a while then there will be flea eggs in the carpets or between the cracks on hardwood that are constantly hatching and then jumping on the dog. These are likely the fleas that you are seeing. However, they will die within 24 hours of jumping on to Lady because of the medication.

This is one of the reasons that we need to reapply the flea treatment every month for at least 3 months. Eventually, the flea problem in the house will stop. However, it is VERY important that every animal in the house is treated as well.

Also, if you live in an apartment building then you may need to treat Lady year round as new fleas can enter your apartment if there are other untreated animals in the building.

There is no benefit at all to using vinegar and please do not use garlic. It has very minor qualities that repel fleas slightly. However, garlic is toxic to a dog's red blood cells. It is never a good idea to give.

So, stick the medication your vet gave you. You may want to ask your vet to prescribe you a medication called Capstar to go along with it. This is a very inexpensive pill that you can give that will almost instantly kill any fleas you are seeing. Combined with the other medication it will speed up the process of being flea free!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---