DIY Flea & Tick Spray, Shampoo and Powder for Dogs
Now that Spring is upon us the topic of repelling fleas and ticks from dogs becomes a hot topic.
Let’s be honest - nobody wants their dogs to get fleas or ticks. Some of us even have dogs that have severe flea sensitivities…I do. All it takes is one flea and poor Reckon turns bright red and starts itching up a storm.
Today I want to share what I do to keep the pests away naturally. The last thing I want to do is put chemical pesticides in or on my dogs.
Pesticides have been known to cause problems with a plethora of things such as the nervous system, thyroid toxicity, thyroid cancer, liver toxicity, kidney damage, reduced fertility, and chemical burns.
Not to mention the physical issues of convulsions, loss of appetite, whining, barking, crying, motor skill impairment, loss of hair, and itching.
Curious to learn more about that? Do a quick online search, the data is there.
I can tell you, this scares me and it should scare you too!!
Because of this, I choose to use natural alternatives, specifically made with doTERRA essential oils.
I have three options that I use the most around my home as needed.
#1 DIY Flea and Tick Spray Repellant. A spray that I apply daily, and reapply when going out for excursions such as hikes, trips to the beach, etc.
#2 DIY Flea and Tick Powder for Dogs. A powder option that I make with food-grade DE, and of course I infuse it with essential oils. I use this topically on my dogs, as well as on the carpets in my home. With the carpets, I like to leave the DE down overnight, then vacuum it up. Caution should be used with using DE, it should not be inhaled (for us or our pets), so I am very careful when I use it. I like to make up my mix in a mason jar, and apply with this little container that I picked up at the dollar store.
#3 DIY Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs. This is a shampoo option that I add my favorite essential oils too. I use a combination of the doTERRA Salon Essentials Protecting Shampoo for the neck and body I like to lather up the neck and work my way back, and the doTERRA Baby Hair and Body Wash for the head and ears. If you have a long coated dog, or one with fringes like my border collie Reason, I like to finish off with the dT Salon Essentials Smoothing Conditioner, yes you can also add oils to this one too.
Some of my choice oils for these recipes include: cedarwood, lemongrass, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, Turmeric, Terrashield, Geranium and Arborvitae.
I shared with you my go-to options for supporting my dogs against fleas and ticks, now I want to share what I do NOT recommend.
I do not promote using essential oils on your dog’s collar.
Let me share why…. Our dogs noses are 40x stronger than ours, when we have a constant source of smell coming from the collar, your dog cannot get away from that scent. For this reason, I stick to my recipes above.
Also following along the same lines as the good old fashion flea collars the repellant is concentrated at the front end of the dog, which leaves the back end unprotected. It is just not a balanced option in addition to the overpowering scent to our dogs.
Some things to keep in mind, along the lines of the holistic thought processes, a healthy dog attracts fewer
fleas, so looking at your dog’s whole health can be a benefit and some say diet can play a part.
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