Diatomaceous Earth for Fleas : Get the Complete Overview of It
Fleas are a very irritating problem that every pet faces. Making your pets have regular baths can surely reduce the attraction of the fleas on them. But it won’t eliminate the issue altogether. Fleas will still stick to your pets and harass them and the pets will keep getting irritate. Shake their legs and head to push the fleas away. Let’s see diatomaceous earth for fleas.
Also, there is a danger of potential diseases due to the contaminate fleas. So one must take the potential measures to keep the environment clean. So that fleas don’t fly around your house and keep your pets away from them. One of the popular solutions for this is the Diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth kills fleas and is a good preventive for your pets so many pet owners often have the question. That should we use it to prevent the fleas flying around the pets and how do we apply it? To give you an overview of what is the diatomaceous earth for fleas, diatomaceous earth benefits. What are its implications when apply, we have brought this post today so continue reading it till the end. You will get the complete idea about it.
Table of Contents
What is Diatomaceous Earth?
Basically, diatoms inhabit the water bodies like lakes, oceans, rivers, etc. They are basically single-cell algae. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a fine powder made from fossilize diatoms and their cell walls are made of silica.
Now, there are two versions of DE, one is a food-grade version. The other is the industrial version. The food-grade version contains very less amount of silica. So it is safe for us. It is use to sprinkle on vegetables and fruits so that the insects don’t feed on them. We have to use the food-grade version only for pets.
Does DE kill fleas?
Yes, it does kill the fleas. Fleas that ingest DE will get kill. Not only by ingestion but if a flea comes into close contact with DE. Then also it will start its effect on the flea’s body.
When the fleas touch DE, it damages their exoskeletons and starts absorbing moisture from their body. So their body gets dry up and they eventually die. An adult flea will die within 4 hours after coming in contact with Diatomaceous earth.
Does your health get affected when you use it?
If you breathe in DE then it can cause irritation in the nose and nasal passage. And when you inhale too much DE then it can cause shortness of breath and cough problems. That depend on the severity, one might need to hospitalize you as well.
If it comes in contact with your skin then it will make it dry and also cause irritation. You will feel scratching your skin the whole day as it will cause irritation and you won’t be able to resist it. It is irritating to the eyes as well.
People who handle DE on a daily basis have the chance to develop inflammatory lung disease which is incurable. It is call silicosis. So, people working with DE frequently must be very cautious and should handle it with proper care and measures.
Is it safe to use it for Fleas on Pets?
Veterinarians usually don’t advise using diatomaceous earth for dogs and cats to prevent fleas. The possible reason behind this is that when it is directly apply to the pet’s body then it can lead to lung damage if it is inhale. So, it is not advise to directly apply to the pet. It is also a hazard to the gastrointestinal tract.
You can apply DE on pet bedding as it is safe to apply it there but make sure you don’t apply too much. Check out some flea collar for cats.
Can DE kill fleas in the house?
Now, the question comes that can the fleas be kill using DE in the house? Yes, it can kill the fleas in the house but the question is should we go with this step of preventing fleas?
Doctors recommend a No to a DIY method as people usually misapply the diatomaceous earth in the house or overapply it.
If you do it on your own then there are chances of many problems like you will apply it to the wrong place or overapply it and it will deteriorate the health of your family members. If you have children or old people in your house then you need to be very careful as it will affect them the most and if they inhale it then their health will get affect a lot.
Solution :
The best solution is to contact the pest control team who will effectively apply DE to the require places in your house and in this way, everyone in your family will be safe from inhaling it, and also the fleas will get kill.
Pest control team will sprinkle DE on all parts of your house such as carpets, rugs, floors, etc. by wearing gloves and masks. They will inform you to keep it as it is for three days so that its effect can be last for long. It can also be sprinkle on the exterior of your house but you will need to sprinkle it more considering the area you have.
While the pest control team is doing their work, don’t allow the pets to go to that area. Keep them away from that area for the time dust settles so that they don’t inhale DE.
One thing you should note here that DE doesn’t stop reproduction of the fleas. They will get kill but it won’t lessen the number of fleas as the reproduction won’t be affect.
Conclusion :
So, here was an overview of diatomaceous earth for fleas. Hope you got a clear idea of it. Consult the veterinarian if you want to use DE for your pet and under his/her guidance, use it effectively to prevent the fleas from roaming around your pet and irritating them.
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