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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth for flea,
tick and or worm control in/on dogs ? I just received a 5 pound bag of food grade diatomaceous earth. I have read that it can be used to control fleas and ticks on your pets and even given orally to control tape worms. One could even use it in the garden to control insects ( or so the reading says ). I'd like to use it on both if it really works. Anybody ever use it ? Paul |
#2
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
I know people who have used it.... primarily on their yards, although
one dusted his dog with it. In the yard, it was probably not put down heavily enough, as it was only about "moderately" successful; reduced the fleas, but didn't eliminate them. Once it rains, reapply, I was told. Mick dusted his short-coated dog with it. Had to repeat often as the environment was full of fleas, so not a good "test". Only really useful during the growing season when fleas are active. I've read about dosing orally, but no one I know has done that.... or will admit to it. You've got to get the house, vehicle, bedding, yard and dog rid of fleas, all at the same time, then go on from there if you want to get away from chemicals completely when you live in the type of warm climate I do.... and then be willing to hit everything about once a year in the spring. Takes much of a day.... Night before the War on Fleas, " bug bomb" your vehicle, and air out in the AM. Move to a location that will stay in the shade. Bathe dog and take directly to the vehicle and crate. Return to house and vacuum EVERYTHING, including crevasses in furniture, under furniture, behind long curtains. While you are doing this, dog bedding should be in the washer. Move washed bedding to drier, do NOT turn on. Seal vacuum bag closed with tape and place in zip-top baggie and place in outdoor garbage container. If vacuum doesn't use bags, take cup outside and dump into zip top bag, seal and discard. Take change of clothing, keys, ID, wallet to the garage. Set out interior " bug bombs", and close house. Spray yard and bushes, spraying up about 4 feet on wood fencing and walls of house/buildings. Wash off any insecticide and change clothes in garage. Take the dog for a ride, and return three hours after setting the bug bombs. If yard is dry, dog may go into yard. If not, leave in car. Open all doors and windows of house, discard bug bombs. Dry dog bedding. Dog may return to house in about half an hour, usually. Collapse with a cold beer. Now the yard and dog are ready to be dusted with diatomaceous earth. Depending on how often the dog is exposed to fleas and ticks will determine how often dusting is required. At my house the squirrel traffic is so busy that this method is not practical.... they reseed the fleas instantly and constantly.... You will also need to do the thorough vacuuming FREQUENTLY. Entire house, immediately discard the bags/dust from cup that contain fleas and flea eggs. Probably 2-3 times a week. Run flea comb through dog's coat every 1-2 days. You will find some live fleas the dog picks up elsewhere. Don't wait for the diatomaceous earth to erode their outer shell..... Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia, USA |
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:37:01 -0500, Jo Wolf wrote:
I know people who have used it.... primarily on their yards, although one dusted his dog with it. In the yard, it was probably not put down heavily enough, as it was only about "moderately" successful; reduced the fleas, but didn't eliminate them. Once it rains, reapply, I was told. Mick dusted his short-coated dog with it. Had to repeat often as the environment was full of fleas, so not a good "test". Only really useful during the growing season when fleas are active. I've read about dosing orally, but no one I know has done that.... or will admit to it. You've got to get the house, vehicle, bedding, yard and dog rid of fleas, all at the same time, then go on from there if you want to get away from chemicals completely when you live in the type of warm climate I do.... and then be willing to hit everything about once a year in the spring. Takes much of a day.... Night before the War on Fleas, " bug bomb" your vehicle, and air out in the AM. Move to a location that will stay in the shade. Bathe dog and take directly to the vehicle and crate. Return to house and vacuum EVERYTHING, including crevasses in furniture, under furniture, behind long curtains. While you are doing this, dog bedding should be in the washer. Move washed bedding to drier, do NOT turn on. Seal vacuum bag closed with tape and place in zip-top baggie and place in outdoor garbage container. If vacuum doesn't use bags, take cup outside and dump into zip top bag, seal and discard. Take change of clothing, keys, ID, wallet to the garage. Set out interior " bug bombs", and close house. Spray yard and bushes, spraying up about 4 feet on wood fencing and walls of house/buildings. Wash off any insecticide and change clothes in garage. Take the dog for a ride, and return three hours after setting the bug bombs. If yard is dry, dog may go into yard. If not, leave in car. Open all doors and windows of house, discard bug bombs. Dry dog bedding. Dog may return to house in about half an hour, usually. Collapse with a cold beer. Now the yard and dog are ready to be dusted with diatomaceous earth. Depending on how often the dog is exposed to fleas and ticks will determine how often dusting is required. At my house the squirrel traffic is so busy that this method is not practical.... they reseed the fleas instantly and constantly.... You will also need to do the thorough vacuuming FREQUENTLY. Entire house, immediately discard the bags/dust from cup that contain fleas and flea eggs. Probably 2-3 times a week. Run flea comb through dog's coat every 1-2 days. You will find some live fleas the dog picks up elsewhere. Don't wait for the diatomaceous earth to erode their outer shell..... Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia, USA GULP....! That's a lot to take in. I do believe I'll wait and use it in the garden instead. I have a large plastic mustard container with the tapered spout that can be removed. I've filled it about half way with DE and gave a quick squeeze and got a nice "poof" of powder. So then I stuck it under my Poms coat and poofed here and there and then rubbed it into the skin. I also gave about a tea spoon on my cats food ( I suspect she has worms ). That's my total experience. But I'm not so keen on doing all that you mention above. I guess I'll poof the garden when the time comes. Thanks for puttin' this query to rest for me.... = Paul = |
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
Paul, if you live in a region that has good flea die-off from cold
weather in the winter, you may have better "kill" with the diatomaceous earth, but it takes a fair amount to do an entire yard. I think my friend used a fertilizer spreader to put it down. I have to treat at least the dogs for fleas all year here.... and as we have warm days in winter that bring out the mosquitoes, we have long treated to prevent heartworm all winter, too. So it's almost a different problem. But every now and then.... say every few years.... you may still need to do the insecticide War on Fleas once. Doing it just as fleas start to hatch in the warmest spring days is the best time. Hey, it was at least 70° here this afternoon.... a good 20-25° above normal. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia, USA |
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On 1/25/2012 11:27 PM, Paul J. Dudley wrote:
I also gave about a tea spoon on my cats food ( I suspect she has worms ). That's my total experience. But I'm not so keen on doing all that you mention above. I guess I'll poof the garden when the time comes. ..............I've never used it internally on animals. But, a tsp sounds like way too much to me. Refs on the web say 1/2 tsp daily. If cat has rounds or hooks, the wormer used is fairly innocuous. Get some pyrantel pamoate from the vet. You can buy it in stores, but the concentration is so low you end up having to give too much for a cat to tolerate in one sitting. If the cat has tapes, you'll need to get wormer from vet. But there's no point in treating until fleas are gone, since they're the source of the tapes. ..............My suggestion is get Revolution for your cat and dog. Around here in FL, Frontline quit working a long time ago and now apparently Advantage is useless. ...........You can treat the yard with your diatomaeous earth. It can also be used in the house. It is very fine and powdery, so inhalation can be a problem, especially for pets down next to the ground. Vacuum up after an hour. Good ref: http://www.fleacontrolbook.com/natur...-flea-control/ buglady take out the dog before replying |
#6
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
The way I've heard of diatomaceous earth used indoors is to work it into
the carpet with a rake (plastic with the flat ended tines) before vacuuming. However, putting it on carpet at all can result in "wear" damage, plus having to dust everything that collects dust after putting it down and raking.... So I usually don't even mention it. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia, USA |
#7
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On Jan 24, 1:59*am, "Paul J. Dudley"
wrote: Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth for flea, tick and or worm control in/on dogs ? I just received a 5 pound bag of food grade diatomaceous earth. I have read that it can be used to control fleas and ticks on your pets and even given orally to control tape worms. One could even use it in the garden to control insects ( or so the reading says ). I'd like to use it on both if it really works. Anybody ever use it ? *Paul Yes, I use it all the time and don't have to resort to any pesticides like the others replying to your thread. It is used in grain bins as a way to prevent bug infestations in human foods so we've all eaten it over the course of our lives. Many people take it internally for medicinal purposes and it's quite remarkable in that respect. You may want to Google that and see what it can do for you. Bug bombs, Revolution, all the other things mentioned are pesticides with serious side effects including convulsions and death. No need to use them if you use DE and a few other methods. This is what I do to attack fleas. First of all vacuum the house and throw away the bag if there is one. I've put the DE on the dogs but it makes the coat feel funny and will dry their skin. I use it on the carpets, letting it sit as long as I can stand it then sweeping it into them. Outside is better treated with nematodes because they last longer than the DE although you can get a DE with clay added that is pretty cheap and easy to use. Rain tends to wash DE away. Also, DE will kill nematodes so you have to think ahead and decide what will go where. Roach powder can also be used for fleas BTW. The dogs get a flea bath with any soapy dish detergent and I follow up with a flea comb on a daily basis till all fleas are gone. To keep them gone simply vacuum a lot, reuse the DE now and then and consider getting your pets off of kibble which leaves pets not as healthy as those fed a more species appropriate diet. Fleas attack weak pets. Consequently kibble fed dogs tend to have more fleas. Other methods I've used are putting a small light over top a bowl of soapy water at night. Fleas come to the light and drown in the water. If the infestation is really bad consider using an insect growth regulator. This is mixed with water and sprayed around the house and prevents eggs from hatching, thus ending the cycle. Cars can be treated with DE, so can porches and the ground when rain is not expected and can also be vacuumed. Bedding should be washed often and then sprinkled with DE. Bug bombs coat everything in your house with pesticides and you and all the pets will ingest it like it or not. I'd never use them ever. Working with natural flea products takes a little more work but is so much safer. Too many dogs and humans are getting cancer anymore and commercial flea products are a huge cause. Anyway, don't let Jo scare you off. Merely putting the DE around the house can make a huge difference all in itself. It's not as much work as she makes it seem. BTW I live in Florida where the fleas are around year round and I manage to keep them down without killing us all. You can too! I've been controlling fleas for years now without using anything harmful. Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. |
#8
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:46:10 -0800 (PST), cyndi
wrote: On Jan 24, 1:59*am, "Paul J. Dudley" wrote: Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth for flea, tick and or worm control in/on dogs ? I just received a 5 pound bag of food grade diatomaceous earth. I have read that it can be used to control fleas and ticks on your pets and even given orally to control tape worms. One could even use it in the garden to control insects ( or so the reading says ). I'd like to use it on both if it really works. Anybody ever use it ? *Paul Yes, I use it all the time and don't have to resort to any pesticides like the others replying to your thread. It is used in grain bins as a way to prevent bug infestations in human foods so we've all eaten it over the course of our lives. Many people take it internally for medicinal purposes and it's quite remarkable in that respect. You may want to Google that and see what it can do for you. Bug bombs, Revolution, all the other things mentioned are pesticides with serious side effects including convulsions and death. No need to use them if you use DE and a few other methods. This is what I do to attack fleas. First of all vacuum the house and throw away the bag if there is one. I've put the DE on the dogs but it makes the coat feel funny and will dry their skin. I use it on the carpets, letting it sit as long as I can stand it then sweeping it into them. Outside is better treated with nematodes because they last longer than the DE although you can get a DE with clay added that is pretty cheap and easy to use. Rain tends to wash DE away. Also, DE will kill nematodes so you have to think ahead and decide what will go where. Roach powder can also be used for fleas BTW. The dogs get a flea bath with any soapy dish detergent and I follow up with a flea comb on a daily basis till all fleas are gone. To keep them gone simply vacuum a lot, reuse the DE now and then and consider getting your pets off of kibble which leaves pets not as healthy as those fed a more species appropriate diet. Fleas attack weak pets. Consequently kibble fed dogs tend to have more fleas. Other methods I've used are putting a small light over top a bowl of soapy water at night. Fleas come to the light and drown in the water. If the infestation is really bad consider using an insect growth regulator. This is mixed with water and sprayed around the house and prevents eggs from hatching, thus ending the cycle. Cars can be treated with DE, so can porches and the ground when rain is not expected and can also be vacuumed. Bedding should be washed often and then sprinkled with DE. Bug bombs coat everything in your house with pesticides and you and all the pets will ingest it like it or not. I'd never use them ever. Working with natural flea products takes a little more work but is so much safer. Too many dogs and humans are getting cancer anymore and commercial flea products are a huge cause. Anyway, don't let Jo scare you off. Merely putting the DE around the house can make a huge difference all in itself. It's not as much work as she makes it seem. BTW I live in Florida where the fleas are around year round and I manage to keep them down without killing us all. You can too! I've been controlling fleas for years now without using anything harmful. Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. On the other hand, DE is not all that healthy for humans, especially those with asthma and other respiratory issues. It is definitely not the perfectly safe miracle product that some zealots would have you believe. |
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On Jan 28, 9:57*pm, sighthounds & siberians wrote:
On Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:46:10 -0800 (PST), cyndi wrote: Anyway, don't let Jo scare you off. Merely putting the DE around the house can make a huge difference all in itself. It's not as much work as she makes it seem. BTW I live in Florida where the fleas are around year round and I manage to keep them down without killing us all. You can too! I've been controlling fleas for years now without using anything harmful. Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. On the other hand, DE is not all that healthy for humans, especially those with asthma and other respiratory issues. *It is definitely not the perfectly safe miracle product that some zealots would have you believe. It irritates lungs if you inhale a lot of it. So wear a mask while putting it down if you are sensitive, that's all. I use an inhaler yet don't have a problem with DE. Stop scaring people from using something much safer than most things the vets want you to buy. I don't allow pesticides in my house (or yard) at all and I know that my pets and I are all safer because of it. I would never use any flea product that goes on the back of the neck for instance. They are all very much more dangerous than DE would ever be. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health...ductseval.html http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/Bod.../Fipronil.html http://www.biol.sc.edu/~coull_lab/staton/ab17.html http://www.apnm.org/publications/res...leachemfin.pdf Better alternatives http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-s...-control.html# http://www.aunaturelk9s.com/ridingfleas.html |
#10
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Has anyone had experience in the use of diatomaceous earth ?
On Jan 28, 9:57*pm, sighthounds & siberians wrote:
On the other hand, DE is not all that healthy for humans, especially those with asthma and other respiratory issues. *It is definitely not the perfectly safe miracle product that some zealots would have you believe. "Food grade diatomaceous earth has excellent health benefits for humans. Taken daily, it helps eliminate all intestinal worms and parasites from the body and keeps the bowels clean. Food grade DE is also known to sweep some bacteria out of the system, but DE does NOT kill the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Most people who consume food grade DE take it on a daily basis, ourselves, employees, and children included. DE contains 15 naturally occurring minerals that are excellent for the body. These minerals promote healthier, shinier hair, skin and nails." http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/di...human_use.html "Diatomaceous Earth (DE) has been reported in the scientific literature to absorb methyl mercury, E. coli, endotoxins, viruses (including poliovirus), organophosphate pesticide residues, drug residues, and perhaps even the toxins produced by some intestinal infections. A growing number of users count beneficial human side effects of Diatomaceous Earth and SILICA as being nothing short of vital to their well being and exhibit genuine devotion toward its use. The only cautionary side effect that we have found relating to Food Grade DE has to do with direct inhalation and is essentially the same caution advised as when handling baby powder." http://www.earthworkshealth.com/human-use.php Yeah, it sounds soooo dangerous! LOL! Cyndi |
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