Everyone you've spoken to - the staff at the pet store, your friends, your veterinarian... they've all told you the same thing. “You need chemicals to get rid of fleas.” Your dog is scratching like crazy, and all you want to do is help her, but you think to yourself -“There's got to be a better way!”.

Well, you're right. There is a better and healthier way.
 
Additionally, many of us live with dogs which have compromised health or immune systems, or are sensitive to chemicals, and using a flea product containing toxic chemical pesticides can be very detrimental to the health of your pet.

Following the steps below will ensure you rid your dog of fleas in a safe and healthy manner, without worry that you may be harming your pet, even while you’re trying to help them.

1) Use a gentle, all natural shampoo, preferably one with essential oils which repel fleas, such as lemon, peppermint, cedar and eucalyptus. Make a ring around her neck of thick, undiluted shampoo. Make another ring in front of her ears, but behind her eyes and muzzle, being careful not to get soap in her eyes. Put a third handful of shampoo on her anus. These act as barricades to stop fleas from hiding in your dog’s ears, eyes, and rectum, once you get the rest of her wet.

2) Wet her body, tail and legs, and apply shampoo. Use a generous amount of soap, and work up a real rich lather. At this point, you can spread the shampoo on her face, in case she has any fleas there too. Keep this lather going for 10 minutes, adding a little more water and shampoo as you go. Some dogs love the massage and the attention, others do not, and this can be a challenging process, so having a somebody to help you may be a good idea.

3) After 10 minutes of bath time, the fleas will have drowned and most will have become trapped in the soap. Now rinse, rinse, and rinse again. Don't forget to rinse armpits, under the tail and between the legs. Towel dry, and if she lets you, use a blow drier on a cool setting to look for any dead fleas which didn't go down the drain. You can comb these out with a flea comb.

Now that your dog is free of fleas, you'll want to be sure her environment is as well, so she doesn't become re-infested.

Dogs scratch for many different reasons. But if you suspect fleas may be the culprit, the following easy to perform tests can put an end to the guesswork, so you can begin to help your pet.

1) Have your dog stand on a clean surface, with a damp white cloth or paper towel handy. Now, fleas tend to congregate on the back near the tail, so give her hind end a real good scratch. She’ll absolutely love you for this! Wipe the table or floor below where you've been scratching, and look at the debris on the white towel. Wait a minute or two, and any black specks which melt into red smears are flecks of dried blood, commonly known as flea dirt. This is the most accurate way to determine if your dog is afflicted by fleas, other than actually seeing them.

Alternatively...
2) If you have a hair dryer with a cool setting, pass the air over your dogs coat, parting the hair in a methodical manner. You can sometimes catch a glimpse of a flea before it scurries away. This method works if the dogs coat is not too thick or matted.

3) Use a flea comb which you can purchase at a local pet shop - a metal one is best as the teeth won't bend. This works best on a dog with a short coat with no tangles. Run the comb through your dogs hair, being sure to go over her entire body. The comb will pull the fleas off because the teeth are so close together, and you can use this method to remove the fleas as well, but, since fleas move around quickly, you'll need to go over her multiple times.

Now that you’ve determined your dog has fleas, the healthiest way to get rid of them is with a natural flea bath.