I knew it! :eek:

Danny,
And you still love her too much to take her off your avatar?

umm... I thought you used smoke and worked. If so, I would have to spend $$ to buy some more cartons of cigarette.

Yes, she was a good woman. Made the best damn cornbread and chitlins you ever had. I'll miss her. :(

Yes, please do..

It started with an misunderstanding (tricked by a buddy who still brakes out laughing as soon as he sees me) and should have ended if I had found the "delete the whole thread" button in time. :D

Okay, the rare bit of serious advice. Ask your veterinarian (Animal doctor) about a product called "Advantage". Do NOT buy the Hartz Mountain and other junks sold in chain stores. Treat your dog with this...

For non toxic and effective flea killing use Peppermint Soap. You can bath the animals in it frequently without stripping the oil from their skin.

Mix some up in a spray bottle and spray the house liberally. Repeat as often as necessary.

If you go the soap route, his would be the "best" peppermint soap, IMHO:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1215355470.jpg

Or...move to Denver. Crazy, but fleas don't survive above 5,000 feet...not enough oxygen for them at high altitude.

Go to www.petmedexpress.com and order Frontline for your dogs. Much cheaper than at your local vet.

As far as fleas in yard it is unlikely its from the possum. It has been a bad year for flea infestation. More likely source is neighborhood pets. Get malathion from Homedepot/Lowes and put in a sprayer and treat your yard every 7 days until problem has subsided for 2 weeks. Spray only the shaded areas of the yard...fleas avoid sunny areas. Its about $8/quart for concentrate which will make up to 48 gallons but mix it much stonger...like 1 quat/10 gallons. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=188464-316-188464

If your dog is going nuts scratching at night then give them a benadryl (1/2 tab per 25-50 lbs) at night.

Catch the possum in a box trap baited with a can of cat food. Or run up on it quickly and when it balls up pick it up by the tail and put it in a box and take it several miles in the country and release it. It may look fierce but they are not agreesive and probably won't try to bite you. Eliminate food sources it is scavenging.

From my brother the veterinarian.

Spray the yard with diazonon, and use front line plus on the dog.

rnln - you have to change the environment so the fleas cannot survive - that is the bottom line and it should be fairly easy in Calif, since it is so hot and dry there. It is the very dry air at altitude that kills them, Paul, not the O2 conc.

The advice above (and some of mine) re chemical treatments will TEMPORARILY kill fleas. The chemicals will also very clearly impact your health, and esp. that of any kids you have, not to mention your dogs' health. Pesticide use is a last resort, esp. spraying alrge areas outside.

I will bet you have carpet. It creates a moist micro-climate for them to live in. Can you get rid of it? Turns out carpet is not real healthy for humans either.

You have to kill all 3 crucial life stages of fleas, eggs, "juveniles" and adults. Or you at least must kill them right after they hatch and before they can breed. Then all you need to do is to prevent re-infection (= migration of fleas back to your dogs and/or house).

You can vacuum the carpet and treat it. At the same time, shampoo each dog with a flea killing shampoo & wash all bedding (maybe all your drapes/curtains and anything else fibrous too!) in hot water with detergent or take to a dry cleaners. You have to wash their heads to but watch out for the eyes.

Flea collars can help esp. on smaller dogs. But fleas often survive at the rear on larger dogs & the collars are not good for your health or that of your dogs.

some dietary supplements can help some dogs...

#1 issue - see your vet and discuss this. There are some very specific flea killing chemicals now that will not affect you or your family or dogs as much as some of the chemicals urged on you by some of the above posters. Frontline is one of them, but may not be best. A good vet. will be able to determine what to use.

BTW - possums have twice the # of teeth and half the brain size of a raccoon...

You can buy this stuff on-line or at e-bay without a note from the vet. I use frontline on my dog, no fleas ever. They won't even jump on him if they are in the yard which I haven't seen any evidence of even though we have opossums and raccoons get into the yard on occasion.

Just squeeze the stuff from the tube on the dog's skin between his shoulder blades once a month and you flea problem will go away.

Well, in this case I don't want to delete the thread, although I know it confused people, but it can be a good reminder lfor me ater on in the future if I forgot the term again :)

Thanks guys.

Alright, now I have several options, I will start with the easiest (and less cost) one first, I know Advantage is presciption required:

1- Look like malathion from Homedepot/Lowes on the yard and Frontline on the dog is the easiest way. Spray it every 7 days? Oh mine, I spray the stuff also from Home Depot, similar price, maybe 7 times a day for weeks already.

2- Peppermint Soap: where can I get it? Is it prescription required? What kind of percentages to mix it with (water?)?

Regarding the Benadryl, if the dog is only about 3 to 5 lbs, how much should I give them? 1/4 tab or need to be smaller?

Again, thanks everyone.

We simply shoot the nasty little varmints around here.

The dogs or the folsom?

Diazonon is no longer legal for homeowners to use in CA, and pretty much useless if you have a possum. I used to have a possum living under a deck in the back yard, and the fleas were incredibly bad, and I don't have any pets. I sprayed with Diazanon in the yard every week, and it just slowed them down a little. Once I got rid of the possum the fleas went away totally in a couple weeks.

If you go the capture route you can get a live catch trap (I bought one on Amazon), and bait it with avocado. Possums (and some other rodents) love avocados. I happen to have an avocado tree so keeping ahead of the possums and rats is an ongoing battle.

I shot them with bb gun once or twice but didn't help. They ran and still come another night... I probably not a good shooter :D

Thanks Ed,
You just gave me another idea of using my fruits as bait.

Just bring MULE by the house to rid yourself of fleas....they will all flock to him like Liberals to big government.

Prevent possums from getting food in your yard. For the fruit trees, get roll of 1 foot wide sheet steel at hardware store, wrap around tree, fasten with staple or whatever - prevents possum from climbing. Remove all fallen fruit. Remove all other food. Is your yard fenced?

Drive off/kill any possum you see. Don't know what's feasible/legal in your neighborhood. If you are squeamish use traps or a service. Otherwise use a 22 rifle, pellet gun, wrist-rocket (slingshot), baseball bat or shovel.

Spray yard with insecticide for fleas.

Bathe and treat dogs, repeat as often as needed.

Flea bomb house if needed.

Obama likes fleas ;)

How come it took until Page 3 to get this suggestion. 'Possums are, according my my observations, just great big rats. Stinky ones. If I could find a 'Possum herd and had enough ammunition and beer, I'd be happy to sit and blast the fukkers all afternoon. Kill 'em. Kill 'em all.

Diazanon is simply not available anymore. Any living organism can live only within a specific set of circumstances. If you change the environment enough, those organisms cannot survive. Organic farmers know this and research what it takes to kill a specific pest. I think a soap solution may work, mixed with amonia. If you have tall grass, then cut it short. If you have loose bark, or plant clippings, then clean them out. The fleas will need shade, so elminate the shade by clearing debris.

Frontline plus will kill the fleas, eggs, and continue killing fleas and ticks for 3 months, and is the best stuff for your dogs. It is not cheap, period, but it is the best stuff. You may save some money buying it through a dog groomer rather than a vet.

The pesticides such as malathian will have a good chance of killing or seriously injuring a small dog. We had a 'possum around here, but I started feeding the stray cats, and they hung around long enough to kill the 'possum. I agree with shooting it, only because that way you know you got it, and you won't poison your own dog. The most effective way to kill the 'possum is to use a hot bait, or one that will kill it by thinning it's blood and attacking the internal organs. D-Con is a form of hot bait. It comes in a big bucket, and you put it where the dogs can't get at it, such as on a rafter or inside a large pipe.

'Cause he lives in Kalifornia (Los Angeles, I believe). If he follows this advice, he most likely can be prosecuted for:

1) Cruelty to animals.
2) Killing a "protected" animal.
3) Discharging a firearm within city limits (I believe this applies to air rifles, too).
4) Hunting without a permit/license.

Etc., etc., etc.

Gotta love California... :rolleyes:

I believe he said he already shot (at) one, right? I laugh now at the stuff I used to shoot in the back yard. I once shot a gopher with a 12 gauge, a squirrel with a 9mm handgun, and many many many squirrels with a .22 ca rifle. I used to shoot BBs into a mayonaise jar in the front yard. Now, so many people have moved into the area that I can't even shoot the crossbow.

Just don't get caught and you'll be ok.

+1 for the crossbow. Swift, silent, deadly...

I agree re cutting the grass, cleaning up debris etc.

Don't listen to the morons who say you can't kill possums in Calif. What you CANNOT do in any city, is discharge a firearm. Often they define pellet guns as firearms, but WHO is going to know? Just BE CAREFUL - a powerful pellet gun is quite dangerous, so be sure the pellet cannot travel into a neighbor's yard - you need to shoot down.

Cleaning up the habitat is the best. Never leave dog food etc. outside. Feed the dog inside only. Get rid of places a possum can shelter. Make sure the neighbors aren't harboring possums - now that ought to be illegal -- "harboring possums"

Excuse me? I'm a moron for telling rnln that it is AGAINST the LAW to kill an opossum.

http://bling.imperial.org/smile/jerkoff.gif

hohoho... :D :D :D

anyway, thank you much guys. I got more information than I can handle now. Don't worry Dave. I can't catch them anyway, and I understand that you just helped searching on someone else articles.
Again, thanks.

It may be illegal, but IMO the only good possum is a dead possum. Do what you need to do. Getting rid of the possums is the only way you'll rid yourself of fleas. If you're not going to kill or relocate the possum then you need to figure out exactly where in your yard they are sleeping during the day. I took out the deck they were sleeping under. I still get possums visiting to eat avocados, but I've "dealt with" two of those, and haven't seen one in nearly a year. Good luck to you.

Just send KevinP73 through your yard an when he leaves all your fleas will be gone....I think he would prefer the fleas to the "creeps" that I give him...

Probably? You go first! :D

I have never seen a 'possum "play possum". They fight first and then retreat. The ones I saw had no fear whatsoever. Just shoot the damn thing and bury it.

As a native Kalifurnian I have never heard of anyone being cited for running over a possum with their car...

Just sayin.

Late at night, a few avocados get left out in the street.

Accidents happen.;)

My Airedale used to grab those things and carry them around in her mouth...she thought they were great fun to catch. the next morning they were usually gone...with a few teeth marks for their reminder of my dog.

Now Skunks were something else she would go in and kill, especially after they pi$$ed her off by trying to spray her. With those I called animal control and they would come by at 2 AM to pick those things up. RABIES...

Rats were probably her favorite play toys...she could spend hours catching those. That dog was fking quick even at eight years.....Bam she would be on that thing...it never really had a chance. All you'd hear is a little yelp and that was it for the RAT.

If she got bored she would go after Birds and catch them.

Naturally the Cat that I had, had some nice dinners from the prey the dog would catch.

It has just been over one year that I have lost her, and have a new doggy doggy to love on..but I still miss her ornery ways.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1215564383.jpg

Bury it? You gotta be kidding! Why go through all that work? Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the possum it could be done. You think anybody will do an autopsy on a dead possum aside a lonely road? The Turkey vultures will appreciate the easy meal.