Here is another non-toxic way to combat fleas that I am surprised to see omitted from this article since it is so effective:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

"Diatomite is used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties.[8] The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.[9] Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion."

I use it around the outside of my house, and on my lawn and garden.

I use DE also put it on your Dogs coat and rub it in lightly put in on their dry food depending on the size a table spoon for large dogs and I use it for myself once a week I drink a Tablespoon in 4 Oz's of water then another glass of water to get rid of the chalky taste

I'm in vet school so I asked my professor about using DE. They weren't too enthusiastic because there has been some link to DE use and mesothelioma-like symptoms. I wish I had more details to share. There might not be the same ill effects when ingested, but they were concerned that that the DE would irritate the GI tract as it was killing the parasites. I've used DE around the house when I lived in Houston and fleas seemed to be coming up through the floor boards (feral cats lived under the house). I think it helps to have it dusted in the cracks of thresh holds as well to keep ants out and rubbed into carpet to kill the flea larva that live there. If you go to the Comfortis website, there is a video that explains the flea cycle. It was made by my professor, Dr. Dryden who is a flea expert. It's pretty useful in understanding their lifecycle as a way of helping to reduce the parasite load.

A friend of mine puts garlic in her pet's food and says she never has had any trouble with fleas...don't know about ticks, we don't really have a big problem here with them.

Why would you ingest the DE?

Some people find that by ingesting DE, the internal parasites are abraded and thereby killed. There are conflicting thoughts on this because the safety hasn't been tested sufficiently. I did read one research paper that said that DE that was used in poultry operations led to increased weight gain and better egg production. Presumably this is because the animal could use more of their energy for themselves instead of sharing it with the intestinal worms. However, if the DE is strong enough to scratch up the worms (which are much tougher than the GI tract lining), then they are possibly irritating the lining of the dogs intestines. I wouldn't recommend doing it every day, and would still take the dog to the vet for yearly fecal exams. However, this is all probably not necessary for intestinal parasite though since the monthly heart worm preventative also kills most intestinal parasites.

Animals are caught between a rock and a hard place. Unprotected they get
serious parasitic diseases, tapeworm, Lyme disease & anemia from fleas
ticks, other parasites; whereas, if they use parasite medications, they can
get horrendous side effects like seizures, violent vomiting and death.
I'd like you to take look at an innovative technology that could replace
dangerous flea medications and protect our precious pets from the ravages
of fleas, ticks & other external parasites. This technology has swept Europe.
The company has sold 20 million discs in 10 years, with not a single solitary
return! And there is no ongoing expense as with Frontline, Hartz etc. that
cost a few hundred dollars a year.
This product has just been introduced to America and Canada & is
spreading like wildfire to replace dangerous medications. You can not only
protect your own pets, but choose to help others prevent the heartbreak of
losing their pets by spreading the word.

http://www.petprotector.org/?ID=24319
http://www.petprotector.org/PetProtectorLP.aspx?ID=24319

Sincerely,
Jo Roark
Senior Representative
360-840-8964
petprotectnow@Gmail.com
Skype: jo.roark2