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Do natural home remedies really work for dog and puppy fleas?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 50 lbs

What is the best natural home remedy’s flees on a dog. And puppies

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on November 19th, 2019

Unfortunately, natural remedies don't work well. Here is a link about many lyths you will find online: https://www.petcoach.co/article/at-home-flea-and-tick-treatments-that-dont-work/ The only option is to hand brush and remove every flea you find with a flea comb. This will not work well because if the flea life cycle. Your best option is to treat all the pets in the home. Depending on the age and size of the puppies, there are likely product restrictions (aka not safe). Top products for adult dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard (some can be used on puppies pending age and size). Top products for cats are topicals such as Revolution and Cheristan. There is also an oral product called Comfortis that both dogs and cats can take. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 3rd, 2018

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. Unfortunately there are not any natural flea or tick control remedies that you can use at home. Remedies such as garlic and essential oils are ineffective at best and can even be toxic to your dogs. Fleas and ticks can actually spread diseases to your pets and even you. For this reason, they need to be prevented. Prescription veterinary products have been thoroughly tested for both safety and efficiency. They work by targeting the nervous systems of the pest. They are safe because the nervous system of a dog functions differently than that of an insect. I prefer topically applied products as they will kill the flea or tick on contact. Oral products require the flea or tick to bite your dog to die. This allows the spread of disease. I prefer Vectra 3D. I hope this information helps!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 10th, 2019

    Unfortunately home remedies don't work very well. You will find a lot of 'information' on the internet. This link can help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/at-home-flea-and-tick-treatments-that-dont-work/ Capstar can be given with other treatments but it will only last for 24 hours. Your best option is to purchase a reliable flea product. If you must use an over the counter product, stick with frontline. There are better options though. Top products for dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard. Top products for cats are topicals such as Revolution and Cheristan. There is also an oral product called Comfortis that both dogs and cats can take. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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