I'm Gonna Go Insane!

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Well I was looking to load it into a cheese shaker and dust my carpet and couch with it to kill fleas, and possibly dust her down with it before resorting to a pharmaceutical option (still researching if DE option is safe to do on an animal)

Maisy cat has started scratching and I've found a few, so I want to kill the buggers before it gets out of hand and I start getting bit big time. I have no desire to live on benadryl to counter my reaction to flea bites - might be interesting to be dopey all the time but sure won't be productive LOL. I'm always game to try a natural alternative before trying a chemical.

I know they sell DE at nurseries, but I'm not sure that one is safe to use like I intend to, or for live creature contact.
 
Gigi, as long as it doesn't contain any chemicals, it's OK on animals. You can probably get it at a feed store or a place that caters to horse owners. Some horse owners use it as a nutritional supplement as well as a flea dust. It won't say "food grade" because that is strictly for human consumption. However, the stuff from feed stores, co-ops and things like that are definitely safe for flea control. I sprinkle the stuff on the dogs' backs and rub it all over into their fur and skin then brush them. I ignore their faces because I don't want them to inhale it. I would check the local tack and feed stores and buy their DE before I got it from a hardware store. At least you will know that DE was meant for use in/on/around animals.
 
TeresaT said:
Gigi, as long as it doesn't contain any chemicals, it's OK on animals. You can probably get it at a feed store or a place that caters to horse owners. Some horse owners use it as a nutritional supplement as well as a flea dust. It won't say "food grade" because that is strictly for human consumption. However, the stuff from feed stores, co-ops and things like that are definitely safe for flea control. I sprinkle the stuff on the dogs' backs and rub it all over into their fur and skin then brush them. I ignore their faces because I don't want them to inhale it. I would check the local tack and feed stores and buy their DE before I got it from a hardware store. At least you will know that DE was meant for use in/on/around animals.
Click to expand...

Oh now that's brilliant! I have plenty of tack n feed stores around here. Brilliant idea, TY!

BTW, who the heck eats DE???
 
gigisiguenza said:
Oh now that's brilliant! I have plenty of tack n feed stores around here. Brilliant idea, TY!

BTW, who the heck eats DE???
Click to expand...

I remembered you were in TX. You can't spit without finding one!

I have eaten DE, that's actually why I have it in the house in the first place. The flea killing was just a bonus! It's high in minerals which is why many use it as a supplement. When I was taking it regularly, it helped with my IBS, my reflux and my leg cramps (of all things!). Some people use it as a natural parasitic for intestinal parasites. My problem with it is it doesn't dissolve. So, you put a tbsp in something, stir it and chug it down. I tried it in smoothies and that didn't work. The good thing about it is it won't go bad (it's thousands of years old to begin with!) so if I get any flair ups, I gag on the DE for a few weeks.
 
TeresaT said:
I remembered you were in TX. You can't spit without finding one!

I have eaten DE, that's actually why I have it in the house in the first place. The flea killing was just a bonus! It's high in minerals which is why many use it as a supplement. When I was taking it regularly, it helped with my IBS, my reflux and my leg cramps (of all things!). Some people use it as a natural parasitic for intestinal parasites. My problem with it is it doesn't dissolve. So, you put a tbsp in something, stir it and chug it down. I tried it in smoothies and that didn't work. The good thing about it is it won't go bad (it's thousands of years old to begin with!) so if I get any flair ups, I gag on the DE for a few weeks.
Click to expand...

Wow, I had no idea you could eat it like that. Learn something new every day :) And you have my sympathies on having to chug that down, eesh!
 
There Ain't No Bugs on Me

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is what I used when my house was infested with fleas. Sprinkle around the edges of the wall, in between the mattress and the bed slats.
I went to the vet who gave my cat a pill which kills the fleas for 30 days because the flea collar didn't work.!

After vacuuming, the vacuum filter was clogged and needed to be washed and dried before the next use.

Good luck!

Margo
 
Ok this sounds like a great plan. I can get a flea kill product for little miss Maisy easy, and the DE is the way to go for the house. TY vm folks :)
 
Flea Infestation

And don't forget to get some of the diamataceous earth under your couch, the pillows and in every nook and cranny. Leave everything undisturbed for at least two days before vacuuming. Those fleas will be dead, dead, dead

The best,

Margo, CEO
miraculousbeads
 
Ok so my apartment is a very dusty place now, thanks to the DE. I sprinkled it flippin everywhere! Every piece of upholstery in the house has been dusted. And I used a broom to brush it down into the nap and fibers. Wish I could vacuum it up now because I hate the dustiness, but I'll wait if that's what I need to do. I got one of those topical treatments for Maisy, the kind you put behind their neck. We will see if it works. I'm not going to try to flea comb her until tomorrow, to give the treatment a chance to work. Hope this does the job. If not, I'll have to find funds to deal with a vet visit because that's the only way to get the one that kills em dead in hours. Oh well, we will see.
 
Flea Infestation

Sounds like you waged war on those fleas.

I remember vacuuming every day and emptying the bagless container into the toilet bowl so that I can see the fleas. There were hundreds of dead fleas every day. Unbelievable!

Luckily, the bagless vacuum had a washable filter because it would get clogged and I had to wash it after each use so that the motor wouldn't get ruined.

The best,
 
Margo said:
Sounds like you waged war on those fleas.

I remember vacuuming every day and emptying the bagless container into the toilet bowl so that I can see the fleas. There were hundreds of dead fleas every day. Unbelievable!

Luckily, the bagless vacuum had a washable filter because it would get clogged and I had to wash it after each use so that the motor wouldn't get ruined.

The best,
Click to expand...

Mine is bagless too. Hadn't thought about washing the filter, good idea. TY :)
 
Alrighty.... how quickly do these little sobs die? I did the de and made sure I pushed it down into the carpet and couch etc and now 24 hrs later, vacuumed. I think I stirred all the little buggers up because they be attacking me now eesh! According to all the websites, this is supposed to happen after you vacuum because it stirs them up out of the nap, which ensures they come in contact with the de, and therefore die. I will do it again in a few days if needed, but I'd like to know I'm not doing it wrong. TIA :)
 

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