I've heard adding some garlic or brewer's yeast to the diet will help repel fleas, as they don't like the odor that comes through in the dog's skin. I personally have never tried either. Garlic can be quite toxic to a dog in larger quantities, which is one reason I stray away from this.

Although this is a chemical compound, it's not spread to the general environment, so I consider it as green as anything organic and much more effective.

They have thin, sensitive skin, and some of the remedies (tea tree oil, pennyroyal) are downright toxic to them while others (citrus remedies, eucalyptus oil, even cedar bedding, for some cats) can give them dermatitis up to and including skin lesions.

I too depend on Frontline. I do worry sometimes about it, but it's not being flushed down the bathroom drain like shampoos and not being released into the general air and every surface of the house like flea bombs. And I've tried every non-synthetic means I've ever heard or for dealing with fleas, and with 5 cats none of them stopped our house from being crawling with fleas, and the cats from being miserable. Sometimes, you just gotta compromise ...

Kristin

I will be green as much as I can, but there are times when natural isn't best, IMO.

While the ASPCA is not "green," its website does have extensive lists of plants and chemicals toxic to various animals and, if you submit a question, they are great about returning your inquiry. Please check them out before risking the health of your pets!

Kevin

Sometimes I think about putting it between my own shoulder blades for tick control. :-)

Although I have a lot of trouble with bugs in my house, none of them (knock on wood) have been fleas. I'm very thankful, since I have five cats.

Now as far a fleas go, I had always used lavender and DE around the house to prevent a flea problem and it did not work as my cats got a huge flea infestation somehow last summer. The only thing to use is Frontline or one of the similar products. Nothing else works. I battled the fleas for months. I don't like chemicals either, but sometimes it's the only sensible option.

However, if you have fleas in the house, use boric acid (20 Mule Team here in the states) to get rid of them. Broadcast it across the floors, and behind and under furniture. Leave it for 24 hours, then sweep up. It will also kill roaches, ants, termites and silverfish.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid#Insecticidal_use

I've used it, several times, keeping the cats and dogs away from it for the time it's on the floors. It will kill fleas!

I didn't know about the beneficial nematodes and fleas. I will give that a try next year.

If you want to make it a little easier, confine the pet to certain parts of the house for that month--certainly keep them out of the bedrooms and off the sofa.