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Oh joy, Kathy. Looks like your last post got hit by the infamous Time Machine Bug!

Posted: May 11, 1936

The problem with home remedies in fighting fleas is that they don't kill ALL stages of flea life, usually only the full grown flea. In nine months, two fleas can generate 222 trillion descendants. They can live two years, can survive the most frigid winters, and they can go months without eating. They can cause anemia and transmit disease and parasites to not only animals, but humans as well.

The only way to get rid of fleas is to first treat the pet's environment thoroughly, dip or have the pet dipped, and use veterinarian endorsed products such as Revolution, Advantage, and Frontline. The biggest problem that folks have in using these products is that they DO NOT follow label instructions. If followed, they are safe and extremely effective.

In the sidebar on the front door of this board is a site called Hartz Kills. It appears to be down right now, but there are tons of horror stories (and law suits) about over-the-counter flea products.

If, however, you want a constant defeating battle with home remedies, you may want to try these recommended by Richard Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D. However, my vets (all five of them) DO NOT recommend garlic because onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop hemolytic anemia, where the pet's red blood cells burst while circulating in his or her body. Symptoms include hemolytic anemia, labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, and discolored urine.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Leftover pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

But please take note that while garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

Groom daily. This may be a big task if you have a big dog, but it's important if you want to control the flea population. Use a fine-toothed flea comb, if the coat is short enough for this technique.

Give an herb bath. At the first sign of a flea, bathe your pet with a natural pet shampoo that contains flea-repellent herbs. Pennyroyal or eucalyptus oil boost the bathwater's flea-killing power. A badly flea-infested dog needs a bath about every two weeks; a cat, about once a month.

Be clean, clean, clean. "In summer, wash the pet's bedding in hot, soapy water once a week, and dry it in a hot dryer," Dr. Pitcairn says, "Also, vacuum your rugs every two to three days. Ninety percent of fleas are found where the animal sleeps."

Use natural powders. They contain such herbs as rosemary, rue, wormwood, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, or citronella, and sometimes tobacco powder. You can also dust the powder, or just diatomaceous earth, in all the nooks and crannies you can't reach by vacuuming.

Diatomaceous earth removes the fleas' waxy coating and dries them out, which kills them. Cautions: Wear a dust mask to avoid the easily inhaled, finely ground diatomaceous earth used in swimming pool filters; and pennyroyal and tobacco powder in large quantities can be toxic to you and pets.

Attack internally. Finally, add garlic and brewer's yeast to your pet's daily diet. Even try rubbing the yeast into your pet's fur. Both ingredients are said to make a flea's taste buds curl in disgust. There's no scientific proof, but some pet owners swear by it.