Andrea’s Natural Anti-bug Treatment for Dogs
For you animal lovers, Andrea has been experimenting with natural ways to keep her dogs bug free. It appears she is having “success” repelling ticks naturally. Less chemicals for the pets means less chemical exposures for the family. I’m all for it! Thanks for sharing, Andrea! Below is Andrea’s post wherein she shares what she has been up to:
“So, here’s my first report on my anti-bug program with my dogs. I checked them both on Saturday–they both had a few fleas, but no ticks. I gave them each a good bath in Dr. B’s lavender soap, rinsed with Cider vinegar. Then I vacuumed the whole house, washed the rugs they lie on etc. Since then I have been spraying them lightly with lavender water every time they go out, and putting some lavender oil on between their shoulder blades once/day.
“I’ll check them thoroughly again on Saturday and let you know. But the interesting thing is, I ran into some friends with a dog, who said she had brought home alot of ticks–and they treated her with Frontline! So the ticks ARE around, and my dogs have been out a lot, and so far–none. So, something’s working.
“Hoping I can get rid of the fleas this way too. I’m also going to give the the alternative herbal heartworm treatment, starting in a week or so.
Bye for now! Andrea”
What lucky doggies those are that aren’t doused with toxic chemicals!
Marlakins 
May 5, 2007
Well, I’m delighted to say that I just got an update from Andrea regarding her trial with using natural methods of repelling ticks and fleas from her furry family members! Not only has she given us the results, but has a little more about ticks and fleas that is helpful to know. I’ll paste her report below:
“Hi! I noticed you made a page section for “natural” doggie treatments, and here’s an update–Today I shampooed both dog’s with Dr. Bronner’s lavender soap. This soap is very concentrated, so I dilute it about 1:15. When I shampoo them, I am sure to find any hidden ticks or fleas, as I go over their entire bodies very thoroughly.
I found only ONE tick on Missy, and NONE on Jessie! And no fleas on either of them. Since Frontline users here in Maine are complaining that their dogs are bringing home lots of ticks, I would say my approach is definitely working. It does take a little time, but not that much–it takes me about an hour/week to wash both dogs, maybe another hour to wash the towels involved, clean out the tub afterwards, keep them sprayed and lavender-oiled, and do the bit of extra food prep. Two hours/week total–not prohibitive.
Frontline does seem to work on fleas. I think that is because of how it works. It actually kills the bugs (rather than repels them)–but not until they bite. So fleas, which only feed on the dog and then breed and lay eggs in the house, die before they can get on with their lives, and you avoid infestation. (This is why when a flea-infested dog leaves a house, the house seems to fill up with fleas that then jump onto people. The fleas prefer the dog as long as there is a dog. But with no furry animal, they have to feed on people. When your dog has fleas, really your house has fleas.)
Ticks, on the other hand, dig into a dog and stick with it, becoming engorged with blood. They do not infest a house. So, they dig in and eventually the frontline kills them, but not before they have made the dog miserable. They drop off and you have dead ticks around the house. Not a desirable situation.
It makes more sense to me to repel them, so they don’t attach to the dog in the first place.
My son Tom was amazed that Jessie had NO ticks. He takes her out for a long run in very tick-y territory (they like grassy places) every morning.
I am very happy to be exposing my family, and especially of course Rob, to the smell of lavender rather than God knows what in that Frontline stuff.
Andrea”
Thanks for all the info and the quick follow-up, Andrea!
Marla
Okay, update from Andrea for June 2007:
I do want to report that I just washed and clipped Missy and –NO fleas, NO ticks. The organic vinegar spritzing, plus frequent lavender baths, seems to be doing the trick!
July 9, 2007 Update
In the interest of full disclosure, I need to tell you that I finally broke down and gave each of the dogs a dose of Frontline. They were pretty un-buggy until it got hot, and then they just exploded with fleas, I just couldn’t stand watching them itch all the time, and nothing worked.
There’s some stuff–some kind of borax maybe?–that’s non-toxic that you can put around the house. I might try that for when this dose of Frontline wears off (in about a month). I’ll keep you posted. Hope you’re staying comfortable in the heat!
Andrea
Thanks again, Andrea! Seems the treatment was working well during the milder bug season, but may need something else or in addition to during the heavy season. Will look forward to any further updates you have!
Marla
