"Practice What You Preach" - Dawn & Fleas

Someone asked me recently if I actually use the things I post about in my blog and the answer is absolutely, yes! The things I post come from personal experience and research. I would never recommend doing or trying something that I wouldn't or haven't done to or for my own fur kids. 

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In an earlier post I highlighted some cost effective ways to prevent or get rid of fleas and one of those suggestions was Dawn dish soap.

There's a reason why Dawn always seems to have a picture of a baby duckling or other cuddly critter on their packaging; it's an AWESOME alternative to get rid of fleas and it's safe for even the most delicate surfaces. Not to mention it can also be used to remove grease or oil.

*It HAS to be brand name Dawn not a generic.*

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Those little, but abundant specs are fleas.

This past Thanksgiving Tim and I were blessed with a teeny, tiny little ball of orange fluff. She was taken from a hoarders home and brought to our house on the Friday after Thanksgiving. My husband was at "deer camp," so flea duty was solely on my shoulders. She was much too tiny for traditional flea repellent and was most certainly, undoubtedly infested with the little buggers.
Besides being annoying and irritating, fleas can be dangerous for numerous reasons but anemia is a real concern, especially for kittens and puppies. 

Having four dogs and two cats, bringing her inside to start the flea removal process was not an option, so we spent the night in the garage; her, being bathed with Dawn every few hours, combed and picked at with tweezers and me getting scratched and bitten to smithereens.   

I set her up in an old dog crate stuffed with warm blankets, a carrier for hiding and of course food and water. I set my alarm for every 3 hours and give her another bath/combing/picking. By the end of the night both her and I were exhausted, but the flea comb was coming up empty and I wasn't seeing any flea dirt. 

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Diatomaceous Earth- Amazon - $7.95

A quick dusting of Diatomaceous Earth (also discussed in my previous post) as a precaution and she was ready to venture into the house and meet her fur siblings. 

The adventure of removing fleas off a barely 4 week old kitten was over, but the mess left to clean up was enormous. Not only had I succeeded at getting rid of Pumpkin's fleas, but I also was successful in creating a rather large pile of soiled blankets, towels and clothes... yes, clothes; I had to strip down outside each time I came back into the house to ensure I didn't track any fleas or eggs into the house. I also showered before sitting on furniture or going back to bed. It was a process, one I hope to never have to repeat (but I would if I had to).  

After some debating I decided to just toss all the dirty blankets and towels. I could have drenched them with the garden hose and soaked them in Dawn, but with so many fur kids in the house, and knowing how difficult it can be to get rid of a flea infestation once it takes hold, I decided it wasn't worth the risk. As it was, everyone was going to get a coating of Diatomaceous Earth just to air on the side of caution. 

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The moral of this post is to prove that I  DO "practice what I preach," but if you are ever unsure about something you read, either here on my blog or on the internet in general, ALWAYS check with your veterinary. 

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