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Brewer's Yeast for fleas.

Species: Dog
Breed: pug
Age: 2-5 years
Is brewers yeast and garlic a safe treatment for deterring fleas and ticks, especially a dog with diet controlled allergies?

Related Article: How to get rid of fleas!

Related Articles written by Dr. Marie:

Can dogs eat garlic?

Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

It's a bit of an old wive's tale that Brewers yeast or garlic works to kill fleas.

Garlic can actually be toxic to dogs. It's possible that feeding a dog garlic may make it a little less tasty to fleas but it's not going to kill fleas.

I just did some searching for you as I never want to discount something just because I think that it's not true. I actually found a scientific study that was done to determine if brewer's yeast works for fleas. You can read the abstract here:

Does Brewer's Yeast Kill Fleas?

As you can read in the article the dogs treated with Brewer's yeast had no reduction in flea numbers at all.

I wish there were an easy and inexpensive remedy to fleas. If there was something that worked perfectly then we'd all be recommending it! One of the problems that I am seeing now is that fleas are getting resistant to many treatments. I blame this on over the counter pet store flea products. These products will usually only kill a percentage of the fleas. The fleas that remain then go on to reproduce and create a population of fleas that can resist cheap flea products.

The only products that I believe in are prescription strength products. These include:

  • Advantage <--You can buy this online without a prescription.

  • Revolution

  • Frontline <--You can buy this online without a prescription.

  • Comfortis



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    Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.