For Pet Owners--Flea Remedies

One Blog member wrote to me with this to say.  I have no experience with this, but would love to hear if others have used these methods with canola oil, and what kind of results they have had?  Canola is less aromatic than any essential oils that I have used for this purpose.  If it works, it might make the whole experience much more pleasant for dogs, who can smell an estimated 10,000 times better than humans.   Thank you for sharing this idea! 

"PET OWNERS PAY ATTENTION!!! There is no need to hire an exterminator to clean out your house or grounds or kennels of Fleas. Canola oil kills every insect in the world. Just put on a pair of slippers and coat your legs with canola oil, but not too much to make you slip and fall. Walk around each room or the grounds or kennels slowly. They will jump on your legs and die within  a minute. The slower you walk, the better to wait for the tiny baby fleas to catch up with you. Take another walk around the property again the next day. Soon they will be gone. If you missed just one, they will come back. Then  let him jump on you again.

Have no worry — the Fleas can’t bite you, because they are dying and in no mood to eat you.

Canola oil is very good for bathing dogs and puppies. Start by wetting with dish washing detergent and water. Then add the canola oil and rub all areas from the tip of the tail to the snout. Avoid letting the oil go into the ears and eyes. First kill all the fleas on the property, including the house and then wash the pets with canola oil".

Essential oils that I have used for removing fleas include fleabane and leleshwa, and sometimes a combination of the two with lavender or citronella.    I like to mix them with water or hydrosol; a ratio of 50 drops of oil into one quart of water.   Apply with a spray bottle, rubbing the mix in to the coat.  The dog may not like the smell--it will be ever so much stronger to him!--so please  avoid getting any oil near the nose, mouth, and eye area.  Spray the dog while he is outside, away from all areas that he can normally inhabits, so that the fleas that hop off will not be living in your house, ready to return.  

Depending on the level of infestation, you will need to spray the dog's bedding, rugs or carpets, and any places where the dog sits, lays down, or spends any time.  Car seats and carpeting may be infested too.  

Always follow up by spraying again in a couple of days, then a third time in a couple more days after that.  Three treatments should take care of most infestation--but if it is really bad you may have to do it several more times.