Farewell to fleas
by Frances Gavin - Canine Natural Cures
Are you worried about the effects of chemicals on your dog? Why
not make your own safe, non toxic flea repellents?
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.
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 bandana: eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, citronella,
lavender or geranium. Don't forget to do this weekly.
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.
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by Frances Gavin - Canine Natural Cures
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