Okay so I mentioned our flea problem, well I came across several places online that mentioned Diatomaceous Earth as a great natural remedy for fleas. From my research I found that you are to get the FOOD GRADE version, this is non-toxic (evidently you can actually EAT it with no harm).
My tip to you, find this at your local pet feed store (where people buy food for livestock, chickens, etc...) I got a HUGE bag for $5, so don't get ripped off!
What is Diatomaceous Earth? Evidently it is a type of dirt/dust composed of ancient teeny tiny organism skeletons. These little skeletons are super sharp and basically cut up adult fleas, causing them to dehydrate and die.
Have you ever seen pictures of video clips of animals rolling in the dust? Basically they know in nature what to do to rid themselves of pests...
So you're supposed to sprinkle this stuff all over your carpet, furniture, etc... then brush it into the fibers to do their trick. Leaving it there for as long as possible.
Please, allow me to share my experience....
So, I purchased my huge bag, I was SO excited that I found a natural cure to get rid of these fricken FLEAS! First I took the dogs outside and gave them a dry dust bath of the Diatomaceous Earth. I rubbed it into their fur from head to toe. They looked dusty and dirty, but I was thinking "HA BYE FLEAS"!
About the Diatomaceous Earth, when you touch it, it is super fine, it feels like confectioner sugar, very fine and fluffy. But don't let it fool you! Let me explain... Have you ever caught a flea and attempted to squish it between your fingers? You squish, rub and squash and you're SURE you've gotten the little sucker. Only to open your fingertips to see him grin at you and hop away?
Well when your fingers are covered in Diatomaceous Earth, if you catch a flea and squash and rub, it literally cuts the flea in half leaving a bloody little dead flea body. So though this dusty dirt feels soft, I then understood how the tiny little ancient skeletons must do their job! So DON'T GET IT IN YOUR EYES!
After intentionally covering my dogs in dirt, I then proceeded to vacuum the house and started sprinkling the Diatomaceous Earth everywhere, every square inch... I put on all the carpet, under the couch kitchens, etc... (I did not use it on the hard floors, I mopped and sterilized them but opted not to dust them).
After I sprinkled, I went back with a broom, to sweep and tap the dust down into the carpet fibers. After finishing the living room I could really smell dirt, you know the dusty, dirt smell? I literally covered my floors in dirt. Once in the dining room I looked back, the sun filtering through the blinds revealed that I had completely filled the room with dust too, I was standing in a dirt cloud...
After panicking and running to Google to see if this dirt was going to get into my reef tank and kill all the coral and tropical fish (it won't all was good) I proceeded to intentionally fill my home with dirt...
The whole time I was thinking how great this was going to be...
The websites all said to give it time to let the fleas run over the Diatomaceous Earth, and to get sliced up and dehydrate. Note: this supposedly only works on ADULT fleas, not the younger, smaller ones...
Several hours later, the dust had settled, on everything, in the home. Every surface, horizontal AND vertical, was COVERED in a layer of Diatomaceous Earth...
I told everyone in the house to not touch it, leave it there, suck it up and deal with it for a few days...
That night, I saw fleas running across the dogs, it was like it attracted MORE fleas ON to the dogs. I had read so many blogs online saying "the fleas were gone within hours". BS. BS. BS.
Three days in, I vacuumed... Holy horror, more dust clouds... it took a few weeks of daily vacuuming to finally get it all OUT of the carpet. Did it help the fleas? NO. Perhaps it worked for others, perhaps I was not patient enough living in a dust pit for all the multi-generations of fleas to hatch, grow big enough to dehydrate and die.
So, on to the next plan...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
