Ticks

[Geraldine Gaul]

Is anyone else having a problem with ticks? I use Advocate which I thought stopped them from attaching to the animals but I have had to remove quite a few recently & I wondered if anyone had any tips. I am not even sure where JD is getting them from as we have only been walking in local parks so not a lot of wildlife around.

[Fran Griffin]

We are having more issues with fleas at the moment.  I have heard that Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) is good to ridding ticks.  I have ordered some and will report back to this list as to how we get on with it.  I will be giving some to a friend of mine whose dogs are picking up ticks, so will be able to let you know about that too.

[Geraldine Gaul]

Do you feed it to the dog or rub it into their fur? It will be interesting to hear how you & your friend get on with it. Thanks for your reply

[Fran Griffin]

If you feed it, it only deals with worms. You have to put the powder on the coat.  It has arrived now, but my friend will be the first to use it for ticks in her dog,  as I am on top of our flea problem at the moment, so will only use it if/when the fleas make a re-appearance.

[Jennie Benstead]

Hi...I feed my dogs raw garlic ( I know a lot of people say it is bad for dogs) but if fed in small doses it is safe I have used it for years with no problems....I also feed "Billy no Mate" which is all herbs and you add to their food...I am also an Aromatherapist and I make my own sprays which I use on the dogs...I also add Raw Apple cider vingar to their drinking water this also helps keeps the little biters at bay (you can also bath them using the vingar in the rinse)...I am pleased to say as of yet my dogs have not had a single flea or tick all summer (fingers crossed)...the garlic and the vingar also help to keep worms at bay...as you may have guessed I do not use any chemicals on my dogs unless its a last resort...Also as Fran as said Diatomaceous earth also has good reviews....

[Fran Griffin]

Perhaps  I need to give mine ACV more often in their water. However, we have canine visitors to the house,and they live with cats, so I guess the fleas arrived on their backs :(

I am thinking about using the diatomaceous earth to stop the spiders coming in too Jennie.  Daisy will be disappointed as she loves her spider suppers ;-)

[David McIlveen Wright]

we never seemed to see many ticks before, but in the last few days we have had 4 or 5 on our boys! what's the best ways of dealing with them? We would rather not use heavy duty pharmaceuticals, if possible.

[Jennie Benstead]

David

As I have said above I use garlic and herbs along with raw Apple cider vingar I also spray them and myself with essential oils Lemon grass Lavender and geranium is best for ticks they hate it..you only need a few drops of oil in some water and spray all over (being careful of their eyes)..as with all natural stuffs you have to do more often..with the garlic and herbs it takes a time to build up in their systems but I believe well worth it....so far so good for us this year.....also if you are having a problem at this time....bath them in Raw apple cider vinger also add to their water bowls in then works fromthe inside out....for me so much better than filling them full of chemicals...good luck

[David McIlveen Wright]

Jennie,

Thanks for the info. Chantal got some essential oils yesterday and made up a spray, so we have started with that. I put garlic in their liver cake and sometimes we cook their food with garlic, but maybe not consistently enough. Will give the cider apple vinegar a try too.

Thanks again!

David

[Geraldine Gaul]

Jennie
Can u tell me the recipe for the spray, how many drops of each oil would u add to how much water? I bought the Lavender, Lemongrass & Geranium but not sure how much to use.

[Jennie Benstead]

Hi Geraldine

I would use 3 / 4 drops of each per 150ml of water....lemongrass has a very strong smell and can come out of the dropper fast (just a little warning) ...I also put one drop of each on their collars (not leather) when we go up the woods...dont forget to spray their legs (as a lot of people only spray their bodies) a lot of hoppers get on to the legs first...good luck....

[Jennie Benstead]

Fran you are such a spoil sport lol...

[David McIlveen Wright]

Jennie, how much garlic should one use per meal? I put one clove in each bowl. Darwin ate everything, but Mac would not touch it!