Are you worried about the effects of chemicals on your dog?
Why not make your own safe, non toxic flea repellents?
It's flea season, the sun is out and the woofers are frolicking in the grass; this means flea bites and some unwanted visitors in your home and on your pet. My little guy is extra sensitive so I always utilize nature's pharmacy to keep him happy and flea free!
PLEASE NOTE: Even with natural remedies always apply with caution on a small area of the animal first to test for sensitivity or allergic response.
The best book I know for natural treatments of any kind is:
All you ever wanted to know about Herbs for Pets by Mary L Wulff-Tilford and Gregory L Tilford
Skin Soothers and natural repellants:
Bee Balm, Yarrow, Chamomile, Calendula, Comfrey can be used to sooth irritated skin - after a nice shampoo simply pour a mild rinse over your pet and let it dry naturally.
Dill, Fever Few Flowers and Yarrow make a nice skin rinse - simply steep the plants into a mild tea and pour over affected area to sooth skin and repel insects and fleas
Citrus repellent: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog's `armpits'.
Aromatherapy repellent. Using 10 ml. of sweet almond oil as your base, add 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of cedarwood. Shake well and use 1 or 2 drops spread over the skin at least twice a week to keep the fleas away.
Use ¼ tsp. of Eucalyptus Oil in a 8-10 ounce spray bottle. Fill with water. Put the pump on a fine mist. Spray your house with the mist. Spray the carpet, furniture, car, pet's beds everywhere. Fleas hate the aroma and run for the door.
Do this 3 times a week. It leaves a fine mist that dries almost instantly. Your home will have a very fresh scent. Spraying your pet is also a great idea. It doesn't hurt them and it helps keep fleas away. Do this recipe all year, but especially do this routine in the summer months when fleas are at there peak. Vacuuming is also important for picking up eggs.
Eucalyptus Leaves are also great for placing around the base boards of your house. You can put them under the bed, behind my hutch, behind doors, under the couch. They have a mild scent that stays fresh for 6 months or longer. This along with the Eucalyptus Oil gives added protection. You can buy the leaves from a crafts store that has the flower arrangements for Flower Design, or if you're near a Eucalyptus Tree just snip off some cuttings from the branches.
Use ¼ tsp of Wintergreen Oil in a 8-10 ounce spray bottle. Fill with water. Put the pump on a fine mist. Spray your house with the fine mist. Spray the carpet, furniture, etc. Basically do the same as above, but on this oil you do this recipe ONCE every 3 months. The easiest time to remember is the first of the month. This oil kills the eggs. Before they become hatched and become adults and lay more eggs.
Home made flea collar for dogs #1
A flea collar can be made by rubbing a few drops of one of the following into an ordinary webbing or rope collar or even a doggy bandanna: eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, citronella, lavender or geranium. Don't forget to do this weekly.
Home made flea collar for dogs #2
- 2 tablespoons peppermint essential oil
- 1/2 cup rosemary essential oil
- 2 tablespoons white cedar essential oil
- 1/4 cup citronella essential oil
- 2 tablespoons eucalyptus essential oil
Soak a natural fiber rope in mixture and let dry for several hours. Tie around pet's neck. DO NOT use on cats.
Your Home: Fleas spend most of their time in your furnishings and only hop onto your dog or you for their next meal. Make sure you wash your dog's bedding regularly because no flea ever survived a hot wash cycle. If you add eucalyptus oil to the final rinse it will also kill 99% of house dust mites according to research from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Vacuum your home very thoroughly and sprinkle a fine layer of ordinary table salt over your upholstery and carpets and leave overnight before vacuuming again to evict your unwelcome guests safely but don't forget to empty your vacuum bag.
Bathing: A badly infested dog really needs to be bathed so use your favorite dog shampoo. Rinse the dog off very thoroughly and in the final rinse add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil or Lavender oil. An alternative is to make your own herbal flea dip which will also work on ticks. Steep two cups of fresh rosemary in two pints of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves and make it up to one gallon ( 8 pints) with warm water. Pour this mixture over the dog until it's saturated. Do not rinse off and allow the dog to dry naturally so this is a remedy to use on hot summer days.
Internal Flea Repellents: Garlic may not be your favorite cologne and it's not the flea's favorite smell either. When your dog eats garlic, the smell is excreted through the dog's skin making your dog less likely to be the flea's next meal. In case you think you might need to give your dog a breath freshener along with the garlic, my dogs, Mack and Josh, eat a garlic clove every day and I don't find their breath smells from it at all.
Brewer's yeast tablets will also help to make your dog less attractive to fleas because once again the smell is excreted through the skin.
Adding a dessertspoon of apple cider vinegar to the water bowl will make the skin more acidic and unpleasant to fleas and ticks. If your dogs don't fancy apple cider vinegar in the water bowl, dilute it 50/50 with water and use in a spray bottle instead of the citrus repellent.
Some of this great information came from the following websites:
http://www.doggienews.com/lib/pests/controlling-fleas.htm
http://www.familyherbalremedies.com/natural_flea_remedies.html
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