Any Thoughts?

[DeltaCharlie]

I am really hoping that I don't jinx myself with this and Im finding every bit of wood to knock on as I type

I have never had a flea problem on any of my dogs despite them being exposed fairly regularly. I'm trying to work out why this may be so that I can hopefully advise my mother and help her with her flea problem.

Info on my dogs:

- I don't use any sort of flea prevention (frontline etc) on my dogs for most of the year, I use it for tick prevention during high-tick season as my dogs go through the bush to go swimming.

- My dogs are fed an entirely raw meat/bones/organs diet and until recently it was from a supplier that used no preservatives at all (I had about an hour to portion it and freeze it or it started to go brown).

Info on exposure:

- Many of the dogs that I bring in straight from the pound have fleas. I treat them immediately but there is still about 24hours that my dogs would be around them while they are still fleaish.

- I take them to visit my sister's dogs all the time as my mum lives about a minute away from me. Both dogs are covered in fleas, my mother has fleabombed the place, tried every medication and spray available but cannot get rid of them. Despite the amount of time my dogs spend there they have never picked up any fleas.

- They train 5 days a week and have comps etc where they meet all sorts of strange dogs, as well as running around the offleash area.

- When Delta was about 16wks old my housemates mini foxies moved in. Both dogs were covered in fleas most of the time and Delta was around them 24/7 but she never got them.

- Cody went with me to property-sit my aunts house a few years ago. Her dogs had fleas and Cody ran through the bush with them all day but never actually got any in the 3 weeks that we were there.

Someone suggested to me that it could be the raw diet. That perhaps the fleas are attracted to the preservatives in processed food. No idea if that has any merit to it but that is the only real difference I can find between my dogs and my sister's (and housemate's for that matter).

Anyone have any ideas?

[Golden Rules]

I would say it is the raw diet as well. Don't know about the preservatives thing, it could be anything in a commercial diet.

I have never flea treated my dogs either and have never had a flea problem.

Just keep on doing what you are doing and suggest the same to your family's dogs

[MissMolly]

I have just started to add apple cider vinger to my girls water and will contuine to do this for the next two weeks to see if it make a difference to my flea troubles...

[J...]

I've treated Darcy once for fleas about 18 months ago as a precaution. She'd been exposed to dogs who were riddled with them and she was showing signs of being very very itchy for a day or so before I knew about the flea problem. I never found evidence of any fleas but didn't take the risk of not treating her. At that stage she was on a 1/2 raw 1/2 SP dry food.

She's now on a full raw diet, with ACV as well, and (touch wood!) she's never had an issue again, despite definitely being exposed several times since. She also competes so has contact with other dogs and many different training grounds.

[Dogsfevr]

24 years no fleas & dont feed barf.

Showdogs,run boarding kennels & grooming.

I have a breed that is highly allergic to fleas & we dont flea treat at all .