Garlic for Dogs' Fleas

If your pet is infected by dogs fleas, it can be a frustrating experience for both you and your dog. Fleas attack dogs in the summer but can survive in the winter months too. Although they don’t bite in the winter when they are dormant, they are active as soon as spring arrives. There are a lot of expensive remedies for fleas available in the market such as flea collars, flea shampoos and flea powders but all of these can have harmful side effects for both you and your pet.

Many pet owners are now opting for natural and inexpensive remedies to get rid of the fleas on their dogs. This is because chemicals present in flea control products can cause diseases such as diabetes, cancer or renal failure and also lead to nervous system disorders and seizures.

Commercial Flea Medications Include:

Advantages of Using Garlic to Get Rid of Dog Fleas

Using garlic is a natural, inexpensive and safe way to get rid of the fleas biting your dog. When garlic is added to a dog’s diet, it enters the blood stream and the scent and taste of the garlic gets into the skin. Fleas hate the scent and taste of garlic and jump off the dog. An added advantage is that your dog won’t suffer from bad breath due to the ingestion of garlic. You can administer garlic to your dog in many ways. You can either add a quarter of a clove of garlic to the dog’s wet food, or add a garlic tablet to the food. Alternatively, dust your pet’s coat with small amounts of garlic powder or you rub garlic salt into your pet’s coat to rid your pet of fleas.

Recommended Precautions When Using Garlic

Raw garlic isn’t recommended for dogs and only cooked garlic incorporated in the food should be administered to the pet. Remember, large quantities of garlic are harmful to your pet’s health and only small quantities of garlic should be added to the diet, as dogs can easily build up toxic levels of garlic. Depending on the dog’s size and breed, this build up can occur over varying periods of time and can lead to the accidental poisoning of your pet. Garlic is known to be toxic when it’s combined with chocolate and raisins, so if you are using garlic to get rid of dog’s fleas, you must keep raisins and chocolate off your pet’s diet.

Garlic has also been found to cause anemia in dogs and this can be dangerous to the pet’s health. Apart from this, garlic isn’t recommended for use in diabetic dogs as it can aggravate insulin problems and prove fatal. Hence, before you start administering garlic to your dog to rid him of fleas, it’s best to consult your veterinarian. It’s important to get advice about the amount of garlic that should be given as well.

The veterinarian would be able to advice you whether administering garlic is a preferred option and also how much of it should be administered keeping in mind your pet’s weight, age and breed. Although fleas will leave your dog’s coat if they can taste garlic on the coat, addition of garlic to your pet’s diet will not prevent fleas from falling off the coat.

You should ensure that your pet’s coat is well groomed to remove fleas present on the coat. Although it’s best to use natural remedies such as garlic, it’s advisable to seek medical care if there is no improvement in your pet’s condition.

 

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