The use of tar soap for removing fleas in cats and dogs

Tar soap as a flea remedy is traditionally considered as a harmless and natural alternative, albeit quite effective, but far from always safe for cats and dogs, modern preparations based on synthetic insecticides. At the same time, tar soap among the people has gained a reputation as a reliable antiparasitic agent, and many pet owners are seriously convinced that in order to effectively fight fleas, you just need to endure the unpleasant smell of tar once or twice, providing your pet with a bath with this soap.

In reality, things are a little more complicated...

The fact is that, in general, tar soap against fleas is much less effective than the drops, sprays, powders and collars sold today in pharmacies containing fipronil, deltamethrin, imidacloprid, diflubenzuron and other powerful insecticides. And in order to rid your pet of parasites with the help of tar soap alone, you will have to spend more time and effort than when using tools specially designed for this.

Nevertheless, if the safety of the animal is put at the forefront, then it makes sense to use tar soap. This is especially true when breeding fleas in cats (they are generally more sensitive to insecticides than dogs), as well as in weakened animals, pregnant or lactating females.

Safety means, among other things, the low likelihood of developing side effects, which are far from uncommon for various insecticidal drops and sprays. Here are typical examples of adverse effects from the use of insecticidal drugs:

Feedback on the use of anti-flea drops:

“... No need to praise these drops. I gave them to my cat and kitten. Fortunately, everything is fine with the cat, but the kitten does not get up for the second day, does not eat anything, meows only when you touch it. It feels like it hurts when touched. I processed it according to the instructions, I bought drops at a veterinary pharmacy ... Now my conscience torments me that I myself practically killed a kitten, but just recently I was jumping and playing ... "

Elena, St. Petersburg

And one more tip about using flea drops:

“I bought flea drops for my kitty. Inflicted. Oh my god what happened here! Runs around the house like a madman, yelling wildly! Tries to lick…”

Svetlana, Samara

Thus, the problem of safely removing fleas in cats and dogs is far from far-fetched, and in this respect, tar soap is really of interest. About what you need to consider in order to save your four-legged friend from fleas with it, we will go on and talk in more detail ...

 

Tar soap as an insecticide

Generally speaking, tar soap can be called an insecticide only with a big stretch.The main component of this soap - birch tar (contained in an amount of about 10% by weight) - is not able to quickly and effectively kill insects, including fleas, even with direct contact with the integument of their bodies.

On a note

Birch tar contains a certain amount of phenol, cresol and other toxic compounds that can have a detrimental effect on living organisms during long-term exposure. However, the poisoning effectiveness of tar soap is tens (or even hundreds) times lower than that of specialized modern insecticides (for example, from the class of pyrethroids).

At the same time, a pronounced deterrent effect of tar soap on most insects is known. Birch tar itself has long been used as a repellant in gardening, and in ancient times, people who lived in the taiga used tar to protect against mosquitoes and midges.

The photo below shows birch tar:

Indeed, both tar and tar soap prepared with its use have a very strong specific smell. Many people consider it unpleasant, although this is rather a consequence of the high concentration of tar in soap (about 10%). But it is the smell that helps to repel insects, including fleas, and not some other properties of tar.

In this case, a reasonable question may arise: how then did it happen that tar soap has been widely and for a long time used to remove lice in humans? After all, lice cannot be scared away - they cannot, like fleas, jump off their heads, wait for some time on the floor or in things, and then attack a person again. Head lice can only live in human hair, and falling from them, the parasites die for several hours.

It turns out that if tar soap helps against lice, then it is still capable of killing insects - which means it will also help against fleas?

The point here is that tar soap against lice practically does not help. Traditionally, they were treated with various skin diseases, including on the head - tar really contributes to the speedy healing of scratches, wounds, various abrasions, it also relieves itching from insect bites. And it is not surprising that they washed their hair with tar soap for pediculosis - when lice bite, the head itches in the same way as with many other dermatological diseases.

But this tar soap was not initially considered as a remedy for lice, but was used primarily to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms caused by parasite bites. However, over time, the tradition of using tar soap for lice settled down, and a myth arose that this tool helps to effectively fight lice. And then - more: if lice are “poisoned” with tar soap, then you can poison fleas in cats and dogs ...

In fact, there are no prerequisites for the fact that fleas can be poisoned with tar soap. In the literature there is no mention of the insecticidal activity of either tar or soap from it - only studies were conducted that confirmed the presence of pronounced antiseptic efficacy in tar (that is, it is able to destroy bacteria).

However, the use of tar soap sometimes really helps to get rid of fleas. At least because fleas are afraid of the smell of tar, and these parasites, unlike lice, are more mobile and can easily leave the animal's hair.So, when used correctly, tar soap can be considered a safer (but less effective) alternative to modern flea preparations.

Review

“Help solve the problem. There is a cat, domestic, neutered. It itches, obviously fleas. Ears are torn to the point of blood. I bought him Frontline drops, which seem to be super effective. She dripped, followed him on his heels so that he would not comb it and lick it. For three days he did not seem to be worried, and then he began to itch again. I bought it in tar soap. In general, no effect, only the wool became stiffer. It didn't stop scratching. Now I'm thinking about what needs to be done to rid the poor fellow of these parasites. If such expensive drops did not help, then what will help?

Zhenya, Tver

 

A few words about the properties of tar soap

In addition to the strong and not the most pleasant smell, tar soap has several more characteristic properties:

1. The soap itself is brown (some manufacturers have it similar in color to chocolate);
2. When applied to the hair, it "dries" them, actively emulsifying fat (it should be borne in mind that it is undesirable for some cats to bathe with products that dry the coat);
3. It has some antibacterial and wound-healing effect. Due to this, tar soap is sometimes recommended to wash your hair with seborrhea, and tar is part of well-known wound healing ointments (Vishnevsky, Wilkinson);
4. It does not foam well, so it is difficult to use it as a replacement for ordinary soap;
5. Can soothe itching from flea bites.

Another important feature of tar soap is its low price.One piece of it, which is quite enough for several baths of the animal, costs about 50 rubles (although in online stores you can find various versions of this soap that cost up to 600 rubles). Liquid soap with tar (or shampoo) is also suitable for removing fleas.

Given the availability and low cost, you can try to use tar soap against fleas as the first remedy, and if it suddenly does not help, then even then use a specialized more powerful tool containing synthetic insecticides. In addition, tar soap can be used in addition to other preparations, especially given that it is safe even for kittens and puppies.

 

How safe is this soap to use, including on puppies and kittens?

Tar soap, when used, very rarely causes even minor side effects.

In addition to drying the skin and coat of an animal, tar in soap can rarely cause allergic reactions. However, this risk can be called purely hypothetical, since cases of severe allergy to this agent in animals are not known today, they are described only in humans. It is noted that such allergic reactions are extremely rare.

Most likely, specifically in your case, neither in a dog nor in a cat (including a puppy or a kitten), tar soap will not cause any side effects.

Review

“I have heard a lot about the benefits of tar soap, but I really don’t like its smell. I only take out fleas from my dog, she sometimes finds them on the street when she plays with other dogs. I used to use imported shampoos, and recently I tried tar soap on the advice of the seller. It turned out that it is about the same effective.After 1-2 baths, the fleas disappear completely, the dog feels good.”

Olya, Moscow

 

The procedure for removing fleas in dogs and cats using tar soap

So, in order to remove fleas from an animal using tar soap, you should proceed according to the following scheme:

1. The pet needs to be put in a bathroom slightly filled with warm water;
2. All animal hair is rinsed with clean water until completely wet;
3. The animal is thoroughly lathered with tar soap until foam is obtained. It is highly desirable to lather, including the head, otherwise some of the fleas will simply move here and wait out the entire water procedure on the dry hair of the head;
4. Then the foam is washed off with clean water (already at this stage, some of the fleas will be washed into the drain);
5. The procedure is repeated, but this time after whipping the foam, the animal should be allowed to sit with it for 5-7 minutes;
6. At the end of the procedure, the animal's hair is rinsed with clean water several times, after which the pet can be dried with a towel.

Approximately 1-2 days after bathing, the animal's hair will continue to smell like tar (cats that have a less pronounced scent of their own smell especially long). Due to the smell of tar, fleas will not jump on the pet during this period, and at this time it makes sense to fight fleas in the house.

It is desirable to carry out such bathing with tar soap 2-3 times with an interval of 4-5 days. If measures are taken in parallel to destroy fleas in the room, then at the end of such a struggle, there will no longer be any parasites on the animal or in the house.

Review

“We were very surprised when fleas were found in an absolutely domestic cat. I don't know where he got them from. Maybe we brought it from the street.She put all his bedding in the wash, and the cat in the bathroom, soaped it all with tar soap. It was evident that he did not like it very much, but he was calm with me, endured. Washed off, let go. I thought that it would stink for a long time, but no, the smell quickly disappeared. I washed it again two days later. And that's it, no more fleas."

Elizabeth, Moscow

 

An integrated approach in the fight against fleas (including in the apartment)

It is very important to remember that fleas can leave the animal's coat and live in an apartment outside the body of a cat or dog for quite a long time. Moreover, they can bite people for quite a long time and feed on their blood, and their small worm-like larvae can develop in garbage, in crevices behind baseboards, in piles of dust, in animal bedding, and even in flower pots - wherever there is at least some organic matter that can be eaten.

Therefore, although the animal can be rid of fleas with tar soap (or other means), but if the parasites remain in the house, then they can attack the pet again at any time, and everything will return to normal. To prevent this from happening, after removing fleas from an animal, measures must be taken to get rid of parasites in the apartment itself.

For this you need:

1. Carry out a thorough disinsection of the premises with the help of special insecticidal preparations (not those with which fleas are removed from cats or dogs, but intended specifically for treating premises from insects - these can be aerosol preparations or powders);
2. Thoroughly clean the dirtiest places in the room, and it is also advisable to sprinkle them with insecticidal dust (to kill flea larvae).This includes spaces under the bathroom, wet corners on unheated balconies, gaps behind baseboards, lower shelves in the pantry, etc.;
3. If within 5-6 days after the last bathing of the animal and disinfestation in the room, neither people nor the pet are bothered by fleas, it can be concluded that tar soap and additional measures taken helped to get rid of parasites.

After getting rid of fleas, it is advisable to take your pet outside in a special anti-flea collar, which will protect him from repeated attacks of parasites. In the house, this collar can be removed so that it does not burden the pet.

Review

“My neighbor advised me to bathe the dog (Bernese Mountain Dog) with tar soap to save it from fleas. And then she, poor thing, literally combed herself to the blood because of their bites. In general, a penny remedy turned out to be 40 rubles for one bar of soap. Already after the first bathing, the fleas became clearly smaller, almost did not itch. And after the fifth bath, all the fleas disappeared. Now I bathe my dog ​​once every month with tar soap. She constantly lives on the street in the summer, and there are no fleas on her.

Alena, Saratov

If you have experience using tar soap to remove fleas, be sure to share the information by leaving your feedback at the bottom of this page (in the comment box).

 

An example of bathing a cat with tar soap

 

Useful video about different types of flea and tick medications - which is more effective?