fleas and natural remedies

it started just after steve brough kali over for the night. the next day violet began scratching and the week ensuing left no doubt. we have fleas. i say "we" because violet is my little shadow and i have to watch her suffer. a week or so has gone by and the natural flea powder i got from environgentle was not so gentle. it didn't kill her fleas but it made quite a dent in her hair and now clumps are falling out all over the house. i researched advantix and other poisonous (yet effective) flea medications and came up feeling guilty. i will not poison my dog and endanger her organs over this. however, the old adage : "lay down with dogs, rise with fleas" comes to mind and makes my whole body convulse in anticipation. i got to work online yesterday and asked my green pet owners what to do. they all suggested garlic in the food and salt or borax sprinkled all over the house. what i found out was that fleas are mostly water and will dry up if enough salt is covering your carpets. i am testing the theory as we speak and tracking salt all over the house. rachel asked me if i has been to the beach lately because the house is all "sandy". unfortunately not the case. i also read that dawn/palmolive dishsoap will kill the fleas and the eggs so bathed her in some of that yesterday and found a ton of dead fleas afterwards. people even tell me to put a dish of soapy water out at night with a candle in the middle and see how many i catch. ew! i've heard everything from stashing crabapples under your couch to strategically placing walnut branches around doorways and behind furniture. all i know is in my quest for a safe and quick solution i am getting itchy waiting for it to work.