You can try horticultural grade diatomaceous earth. It is safe to use around people and our animals, and is a common method of control of crawlies on poultry, cattle, etc. It's even used to control grain insects in storage. The ONLY time you have to worry about it when you are applying it. You need to keep the animals and kids inside and protect your eyes and lungs from the air borne particles. Once it gets to where it's supposed to be, it is safe.

There are also flea parasitizing nematodes, but I don't know what kind of soil you have.

Attached is a google page for you to research the diatomaceous earth direction.

Here is a link that might be useful: DE

I appreciate the info. I should have mentioned there are 11 dogs and 8 cats which would definitely be a problem to keep inside. I may be looking for something that doesn't exist but needed to try.
I also have to consider the horses next door. I'll check out the site though.
Thanks for your help.
Lynn

i was thinking of something containing sulfur as a deterrent.
i know of sulfur-based shampoos and oral treatments for pets but have never tried them.
maybe you could simply apply powdered sulfur to the areas.
there is also this product at the link below.
like the smell of garlic? ;-) it's a bit pricey, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: natural mosquito, flea and tick barrier

Jeff, I had looked at that site and it would be around a $100 for 3weeks which would come to a good amount considering the length of time it would be needed. My concern is the garlic as I understand garlic is toxic to animals.
I may just have to take time to talk to one of the farmers around here that has pets and livestock and see what they do.
Thanks
Lynn

i think it is onion rather than garlic. vet told me not to give onion or chocolate to the dog but i am thinking that garlic is not a problem. anyone know 'bout that one?
elemental sulfur is fairly cheap if it will be effective.
it is in many natural products for such things. also could possibly be a deer deterrent based on the reports of success with the "egg spray" (old egg smells like sufur?).

Hi, Lynn. Daddy raised beagles when I was growing up in the 1950s. Every summer the dogs were coated with fleas. He used to do two things: (1) he coated the pens with "cotton poison", which I am sure was DDT based. Of course you can't buy DDT any more. (2) he always dipped the dogs in a tub of water and coal tar. I'm not sure if it killed the fleas of the smell ran them off. We usually "dipped" about once a month, June, July and August. I think you can still get coal tar at feed and livestock supply stores. I think it is basically a type of more highly refined creosote. It sure smells like creosote. Check with the folks at the feed and livestock store about toxicity.

Have a great summer. - Terry

Jeff, I was told about the garlic. If given to a dog, it will kill it. I don't know about larger animals. No problem with deer as our property is fenced and with the dogs, they stay away.
Hey, Terry! Hope you and Sylvia are doing OK. I appreciate the advice and it seems like I'm turning people down but it's just my situation.
Most of the dogs are rescues. I have to sedate them to go to the vet. They won't allow you to pick them up. I can just see them taking off and I'm the one getting dipped!!! :O)
I know I'm very protective of them but some were very hard to coax to the car. Most were in very bad shape. I just don't want to do anything that might harm them. I didn't think of calling the coop or the feed store where I get the hay for their houses. They may have something for just this problem.
Thank you both.
Lynn

Lynn, you sound like a wonderful gal. All my pets are rescued, too, but I only have 2 dogs and 3 (maybe 4) cats right now. I can't offer any advice. Fleas are AWFUL! Last trip to the vet was $98.00 for 2 flea baths! Frontline or Advantix for the dogs and Revolution for the cats is what I use, but they still scratch. And Heartguard...spent nearly a thousand dollars on the Shepherd to get rid of heart worms...don't want those again! I bomb the house regularly, but don't put anything on the ground. It is all toxic. The vet-meds are expensive, but they work...the home remedies are a waste of time. BTW I bought some Seargants Joint Ease at the grocery store for my old dog, and he has been jumping around like a puppy ever since. Good luck. Topsie.

Hi folks,

I was a veterinary technician and treated a number of "poisoned" pets over the years. Here's what I know from experience.

Chocolate is the really bad one. Theobromine is toxic and is most concentrated (in descending order)in baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate. It doesn't take much to kill a pet. ANY QUANTITY is bad.

Onions and garlic both contain thiosulphate, more in onions. If the cat or dog eats a large quantity (several hundred grams for a medium dog) of onion they can develop hemolytic anemia. Garlic is really not nearly as dangerous. It would take a LOT of garlic to cause the same results. However, cats are more sensitive to garlic than dogs.

Here are some more things to not let your pets ingest:

# marijuana
# Acetaminophen (tylenol)
# Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
# Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
# Rhubarb leaves
# Moldy/spoiled foods
# Alcohol
# Yeast dough
# Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
# Hops (used in home brewing)
# Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
# Broccoli (in large amounts)
# Raisins and grapes
# Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

Looks like it's back to diatomaceous earth. Sounds as if the animals won't exactly be under your feet when you apply it. It is ONLY when the particles are airborne that it can cause a problem. It can be FED to animals safely. You might even find it in large bags at a farm supply store.

Don't mistake it for the Pool filter diatomaceous earth.

Thank you all so much for your help. I and my animals appreciate it very much.
Lynn

fleas are horrible- i buy the frontline spray at the vets and use that in lieu of the monthly treatments. we found that by the 3rd week the monthlys were not as effective.
what we have done in the past is treat the back yard and just let them out in the front for about a week, then reverse it. so far they haven't gotten sick but they are house dogs and don't stay out very long.
the cat is so old that he never moves off the porch except for bathroom calls...

I just bought 50lbs of diatomaceous earth at a local organic garden store. If I had a flea problem, I would probably dust some of it on the animals. It should work before they have time to shake it or lick it off. It is not harmful to them to swallow, in fact, it even de-worms them, because it kills intestinal parasites. It is NOT to be used continuously, however.

What about 5% Sevin Dust? It is supposed to be okay to dust right on the dogs and I know a couple of people who do. I use it in the yard for ants. Do be careful to get the 5 % and NOT the 10% though. It is inexpensive and you can get it right at Walmart or any other yard and garden center I think.

Thanks for the suggestions. The flea problem and the mosuitos outside seem too much in abundance. I have to be even more careful now as one of the dogs I got at that kill hole of a shelter has an immune deficiency. A flea bite gets infected. Not much would help if open sores. I went to the local farm supply and he was adament that DE would not work
I guess I'll have to use fronline oil and the spray combined.
Thanks
Lynn

Several years ago I was advised to use the hose sprayer filled with a bottle of Ivory liquid dish detergent and a couple of tablespoons of Downy fabric softener, and spray it all over the yard--grass and sandy areas. It might take a couple of treatments to coat and kill the flea larvae, but it was worth it. My neighbors had fleas which washed across my yard, so I had to do this several times.

It seemed to work, was cheap, and did not take all that much effort. I also give my two dogs and two cats a monthly Revolution treatment, which prevents heart worms and keeps fleas and ticks off them too.