unicorn (03/31/83)
The best and most natural way of taking care of fleas is to put brewer's yeast into the animal's food every day. This is 100% effective, harming nothing and nobody. The amount you put is dependent on the dog's (or cat's) size; my cockapoo (who only weighs 3 lbs, still a puppy) gets about a teaspoon once a day. You can buy brewer's yeast at Frazier Farms (San Diego area) in bulk from the bins; it's very inexpensive that way--the drug stores charge way too much. Hope this helps everyone.
bch (04/01/83)
There is no hard evidence that brewer's yeast does anything positive in terms of flea control. It is not toxic to fleas and, in fact, may provide a positive food supply for them. Even if it (by some unexplained mecha- nism) made your animal unattractive to fleas, it could not help in terms of environmental infestation. Fleas live only a part of their life cycle feeding on the blood of your pet. Most of the cycle is spent in egg or immature form feeding off latent organic substances in the environment. It is estimated that for every flea you see on your animal there are at least 100 unseen in your house. If your pet goes outside at all, chances are he will bring in a few unwelcome guests each time he comes inside. Whether or not they feed on the pet, they may ultimately feed on you! I don't know what the flea population is like in California, but it is generally very severe here in the South. Even my hard core natural foods friends have given up the Brewer's Yeast approach and grudgingly adopted Sevin dust to help aid in flea control. Understand, I am normally not the sort of person who delivers tirades against natural foods or natural methods of doing anything. I am certainly against the unrestricted use of pesticides. I do think, however, that fleas are potentially a greater source of ill-health for both animals and people than the *regulated* use of household pesticides in their control. Byron Howes unc!bch
halle1 (04/02/83)
Despite many claims of its effectiveness, brewers yeast does NOT prevent fleas. Only two methods work: insecticides and avoidance. There have been scientific studies demonstrating the ineffectiveness of brewers yeast. (Unfortunately, I do not have the references.)