Natural Dog Shampoo - Flea Removal

Submitted by HokiesMom

"My poor pooch had a couple of fleas on her this summer (never had this issue before) and I needed a way to bathe her and kill the fleas without causing skin reactions as she has so many allergies. I found this through the e-how website and IT WORKED! The fleas just floated in the water and died and best of all little Libby did not have any reactions at all to the process. Cooking time is actually the time to leave the solution on the dog."

 

• Ready In: 8mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 1 quart
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• 1 cup liquid dish soap (I used Dawn for sensitive skin)
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 quart warm water

directions

1. Mix the three ingredients in a large bowl and then transfer to a leftover squeeze bottle (like an old shampoo bottle). Give it a little shake to make sure it is mixed.
2. Apply to your doggy just as you would normal shampoo. It is best if you can massage it into the fur and let sit for 5 minutes. My dog did not mind as long as I kept massaging the shampoo around.
3. Rinse your doggy thoroughly with warm water. Towel dry.

Reviews

[leavesofmytree]

THIS IS AMAZING. I signed up JUST to review this. My dog was absolutely ridden with fleas, and I didn't even know it until I used this concoction. I used a biodegradeable, natural, dye-free dish soap. I began by getting him wet, then starting at his head and working the suds down to his rump. I was shocked to look beneath him and see tons of fleas trying to scurry away from the soap. Soon enough, the scurrying stopped and they were DEAD. As I was rinsing him off and thought I had gotten all the fleas, I noticed a bunch more between his legs... exactly where I hadn't gotten any of the soap. So I applied more and sure enough, they died quickly. It took about 30-40 minutes total because there were SO many fleas and my dog has a thick, long coat (golden retriever mix). After rinsing him, I went through his hair with a nit comb and found a few live fleas, but most were dead. I am going to give him the same treatment in a few days to kill off any remaining fleas. I'm not sure HOW this works, but it does. I would like to know what it does to the eggs, if anything. That is my only concern. I don't want more fleas in a couple days! To be on the safe side, I'm going to spray him with a flea spray, and I expect that to take care of the problem 100%. So glad I found this!!!

 

[Debbwl]

An economical alternative to those price flee dip shampoos. As the owner of a long haired white dog can tell you some time commercial shampoos do not work in well or worse are hard to rinse out, but this worked in like a dream and rinsed out easier and better than any commercial dog shampoo I have ever used. Best yet is made with things I always have on hand. Thanks so very much for the post. As the dog did not even mined this one we will be making and using again.

 

[HiDawn]

IT WORKED! I have 2 mini Doxies(1 L/H, 1 S/H). I applied the shampoo & massaged for 5 mins(atleast). They thoroughly enjoyed that part & rinsed real good. Not a live flea to be found! It not only killed their fleas, made them soft & smelling good. But my s/h has such a prob w grass allergies that it calms down his itchy rash that he gets on his Doxie chest & groin area!(who knew!) Have used this 2x so far. Happy & have a batch made for next time. BRAVO!

 

[Forlaniz3]

My God! It's working wonders! I signed up just to give this a review, as moments ago I finished washing my pup with this recipe. IT'S WORKING! IT'S WORKING! This morning I woke up to seeing my dog scratch profusely and when I examined his underside I saw the ticks moving! I was so horrified and upset that I bathed him and then ran to the nearest pet store for items and I've been cleaning away ever since! I felt as though things would eventually work, but it wasn't working fast enough for me. I searched for flea killing shampoos and this was the most dog-friendly that I could find. I used Braggs Apple Cider vinegar and followed the recipe. Sure enough, after massaging and brushing and rinsing him off I saw the little bstrds... DEAD in the water! And even after I took him out and dried him MORE were coming off, and every time he shook MORE came off of him. I'm so happy that I could cry! Now he's just relaxing and I'm so grateful to you for this easy, thrifty solution!

 

[MILEEJA]

I haven't used the vinegar but I can attest that Dawn ABSOLUTELY DOES KILL FLEAS :). I saw that tip on pinterest and it worked like a charm. I assume the vinegar is what makes em fluffy because it strips the oils. So if your dog/cat has a smooth or short coat skipping the vinegar should matter much. But be sure to treat your home, pet bedding and yard so that they aren't getting a free ride every time they go out.... It'd defeat the purpose.