Natural Flea Control: A Case Study!

13 September 2022

You may have noticed a red lab puppy that has been featured in a number of our instagram posts. That’s Xero. Being Dr. Suzy’s dog, he’s been fed Billy No Mates! since he was tiny. Life was a dream, and he always had plenty (way too much) energy to run around and make friends with all the other dogs, squirrels, and rabbits in the beautiful fields and woods of his Hertfordshire home.

But on his second summer – he got fleas.

Oh yes. Fleas.

The good news was that the flea did not want to be on Xero just as much as we did not want it there (Xero did not seem bothered). The flea was crawling around in his fur, not attaching, just wandering around. Gross as it is, this is actually a good thing. A flea crawling around is not attaching and sucking blood or laying its eggs. A quick flea comb later, and it was gone.

But we knew we had to be on guard. Until now, we assumed that a bit of BNM was going to suffice, but this has been a record year for fleas and ticks. We knew we had to start giving Xero extra protection, so we washed him with Neem Shield Shampoo. Off-the-shelf pet shampoos strip the skin of the Billy No Mates! flea and tick-repellent aroma barrier, so we advise using our Shield shampoo with neem and lemongrass so that your dog can be washed without having to start all over again.

We also started spraying him with Neem Shield Spray before his daily walk. This spray is filled with things that creepy crawlies hate: lemongrass, cider vinegar, and neem, among other naturally derived products. The spray made him smell nice and made sure he did not pick up any other fleas.

Enemies in the bushes

Dog/cat fleas are different from human fleas. Dog/cat fleas love most warm-blooded animals but human blood, unlike that of cats, dogs, foxes etc, doesn’t contain all they need to develop. Xero’s new freeloader friends came either from being picked up on his walks, or from the garden, where they may have been dropped by an affected wildlife creature or local cat. Fleas tend to huddle in a lair or nest, so we spent some time making sure there were no cat nooks or foxy retreats in our garden.

Treating the house, and what about all the dog toys?

But what about his bed? Our sofas he loves to curl up on while we watch TV? Our carpets he loves to sprawl himself on?

We washed Xero’s bed on a high temperature cycle (over 60 degrees C), and his favourite soft toy was put in the freezer for 48 hours. The others were put through the dishwasher. We also hoovered with a pet filter and then sprayed our carpets and sofas with Wipe-Out Household Flea Spray. One good go-over coats any flea eggs, immature fleas, pupae and adults and stops them developing further. It stays active for up to six weeks, and best of all, it is inert and odourless – Xero flopped himself back on the sofa for snuggle time like nothing had happened!

Stand down, the war is over

We kept flea combing him after his walks.. This was his favourite and he loved to join in by licking and nibbling us back. Fortunately, we consistently couldn’t find any more unwanted guests in his coat.

These simple, relatively easy adjustments will ensure that natural treatments can work to the best of their efficacy, and that chemicals won’t be necessary.

To get rid of fleas and ticks naturally, we used:

Billy No Mates! Herbal Flea Deterrent
Neem Shield Spray, before and after his walks.
Neem Shield Shampoo
Wipe-Out household flea spray
A flea comb

For cats, we recommend our Neem Pet Kit as the Shield range isn’t recommended for them

We also made sure we were:

Avoiding areas with wild animals and not encouraging them in the garden
Freezing or washing pet toys and bedding at over 60°C
Hoovering around his bed and where he lies down at least daily
Brushing daily with a flea comb

Xero is currently an only-animal, but if you have more than one pet, treating them all at the same time is a must as they will pass fleas between them!

Final words

We hope that helped show a holistic, chemical-free alternative to vet treatments for fleas and ticks! Do you have questions? Read our Billy No Mates! FAQ for the most comprehensive guide on the Internet to this popular product. Or, if you would like more personalised advice, feel free to DM us, email in to sales@theneemteam.co.uk or phone us on 01633 263 567 (Mon-Fri, 1000-1600) and one of our friendly team would be happy to advise.