kimery@wdl1.UUCP (08/26/85)
Another fine mess! Not paying any attention at the time, I missed all the natural 'flea remedies'. Any good ones? HELP! My two 4 mo. old kittens are being over run with the little critters. Thanks. Sam kimery@FORD-WDL1
lizv@tektools.UUCP (Liz Vaughan) (08/28/85)
The best flea soap I've ever found Castille Eucalyptus soap, sold in Health Food
stores everywhere. Fleas HATE eucalyptus.
It says on the bottle to dilute it, but for I usually just use it straight.
It lathers well, doesn't seem to hurt either my skin or the dogs', and the fleas
just drop like flies (fleas? :-).
Some other hints for flea bathing:
Get Fido VERY wet first. Begin soaping at the neck and work back - this traps
the fleas and keeps them from jumping onto Fido's head (where you can't
lather as well). REALLY lather it in - use more
soap if necessary to get a standing foamy lather. Let this stand
for 2-5 minutes, then rinse and re-foam. Be liberal with the shampoo - it's
much cheaper than flea-bombing the house or trips to the vet for skin problems.
Rinsing very thoroughly will help with dry-skin problems.
General pet-bathing advice:
Don't bathe too often. Dogs especially have naturally oily coats and
over-bathing can dry their skin, creating more problems than it solves.
For dogs, especially large ones, use two people - one to
hold the dog's head, talk to her, and generally help out, and one to do
the actual washing. It helps if the washer just strips down and climbs into
the tub. For little dogs, the kitchen sink and sprayer are great; if
dog bathing is a frequent and hellish experience and Fido's too big for the
sink, consider getting a hand-held shower thing (a la Shower Massage);
they speed things up a lot.
For cats who have to bathed for fleas (the ONLY reason I'd ever brave bathing a
cat), try taping their little kitty paws up with masking tape so they can't
extend their claws - they don't like this but it beats the heck out of
shredded arms. Two people are a necessity to bathe a cat.
Happy splashings,
Liz Vaughan
{allegra, ihnp4, decvax}...tektronix!tektools!lizv