Garden Pests: Tackling Ticks with Natural, Dog-Friendly Sprays

 
Whether you’re talking about the tiny black deer ticks, Ixodes scapularis, or the larger brown wood or dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis, ticks are more than just a gardening nuisance. Carriers of tick born illnesses such as Lyme Disease, several relapsing fevers, ehrlichiosis, and tularemia to name but a few, they are a significant health hazard to both people and pets.

Where we live in coastal Massachusetts, ticks are a particularly serious problem. And even though the diseases caused by ticks are serious, the problems associated with tick repellants are equally problematic, never mind the fact that they aren’t completely effective in any event.

Emily was successfully treated for Lyme disease.

Most chemical tick control agents (such as Biospot or Frontline), do little or nothing to actually repel a tick from climbing onto your dog and nothing for the ticks that you carry in yourself on your clothing. They kill ticks that climb onto your dog but that can take up to 48 hours. Even utilizing one of those products, we found ourselves removing several ticks a day from each dog, and it wasn’t unusual for a tick to fall off the dog onto us or our bed.

With one dog already having had a bout of Lyme Disease, we are quite aggressive in the treatment of our pets and yard for ticks. Most “natural” repellants that are commercially available consist of essential oils in an oily or watery base. I find that witch hazel makes a very nice base for these kinds of mixtures; there is no oil to stain clothing and it dries nicely on the dogs as well as us.

My recipe is simple: In a clean spray bottle, combine one bottle (16 ounces) witch hazel and one small bottle (about 15 ml) of each of the following essential oils: oil of eucalyptus, oil of lemon grass, and oil of rose geranium. The oils will float on top of the witch hazel so shake the bottle gently to mix before spraying.

I spray the dogs with special attention to their legs, tails, bellies, chest, and under their chin twice a week and that goes a long way toward preventing ticks from hitchhiking into the house in their fur. We still check them carefully twice daily, but the number of ticks we’re finding has been reduced to one or two a week on all of the dogs, down from 3-4 daily on each dog.

I also recently obtained a homeopathic tick repellant from our holistic vet that is added to the dog’s water every time you change the water in the bowl. Since we have been somewhat inconsistent about using it every time we change water (we have several water bowls, several people changing the water, and I keep the drops in the kitchen so they are often overlooked), I can’t verify that it has made a substantial difference, but I have to acknowledge that it also may be playing a role as a tick repellant as well.

We also add oil of rose geranium to our general garden spray at least once a month. That, along with home made garlic oil, helps control the number of ticks and fleas in the environment; we have yet to have any issues at all with fleas and we do notice a dramatic decrease in the number of ticks we observe on our dogs, on us, and in our home when we spray on a regular basis. You can find our entire protocol here.

But ticks still manage to find their way into the house. We check the dogs daily for stowaways and we check ourselves when we come in from gardening. Light colored clothing makes them easier to spot but not infrequently we will spy one crawling on the furniture or floor, most definitely having traveled indoors on our clothing.

A handy way to quickly trap and permanently secure them when you spot them crawling on clothing, furniture or the floor is with adhesive tape. They readily adhere to the tape and when you fold the tape over on itself, they are permanently imprisoned and can be tossed into the regular trash.

Stuck to the tape, the tip can’t extricate itself from the adhesive.

Fold the tape over on itself and dispose of the tick in the trash.

It’s a quick, hands off way to quickly trap and dispose of a tick permanently.

For ticks that attach themselves to the dogs, we keep a small jar with several ounces of cooking oil and a pair of heavy large tweezers handy. After removing the tick, they are dropped into the oil where they smother. Every few weeks, the jar is disposed of in the trash and a “new” jar prepared.

DIY Natural, Herbal, Homeopathic Flea, Tick, Mosquito Repellent Sprays, Rubs, Dips, Rinse for Dogs and Cats

In this article:

Recipes to make your own all natural, non-toxic, herbal and homeopathic flea, tick, mosquito: 

1. Repellent topical sprays;


2. Rubs;


3. Dips; 


4. Rinse;


5. Collar Drops


6. Spot-on Drops
   

1.0 Sprays

1.1 Fresh Lemon Spray (for cats and dogs)

Fresh lemons and water make an excellent non-toxic easy to make mosquito spray with a refreshing scent. See the recipe here.

1.2 Almond, Garlic, Lemon Oil-Based
      Sprays

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Almond Oil,Citrus Spray (for dogs only)

Pour the following ingredients in a spray bottle…

• 
  1 cup of water;


• 2 cups of organic apple cider vinegar;


• 2 tbs sweet almond oil or:




• 2 tbs lemon oil (see recipe below), or;


• 2 tbs garlic oil (see recipe below;


• Both almond oil and garlic contain sulfur – sulfur repels many types of insects including mosquitoes;




• 2 tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice;




• 
  Mosquitoes do not like citrus, especially lemon;
  


• do not use this spray on cats if you use lemon essential oil instead of fresh lemon!




• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s fur.

 Make your own lemon oil…

• You will need 2 lemons and 1 cup of olive oil.




• Preparation;




• Peel the rind from the lemons;


• Place oil and lemon rinds in a sauce pan;


• Place on a very low heat for 20 minutes;


• Allow to cool;




• Strain and pour into a bottle.

Make your own garlic oil…

For treating ear infections, making insect repellent, etc.  

• To prepare garlic oil you will need:




• A small, clean wide-mouth glass jar;


• Cheesecloth or other breathable clean cloth;


• Elastic band or string;


• Amber, brown or blue storage bottle;


• Garlic cloves;


• Virgin, or extra virgin olive oil (cold-pressed olive oil).




• Preparation:




• Remove the outer skin (also called ‘paper’) from the garlic cloves;


• Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices;


• Put the sliced garlic in the jar, leave a little space at the top of the jar empty;


• Pour the olive oil into the jar, making sure to add enough oil to completely cover the garlic – make sure that you leave some empty space at the top of the jar;


• Cover the top of the jar with a few layers of cheesecloth:


• Stretch the cheesecloth so it lays flat on top of the lid – if the cloth touches the oil it will absorb the oil and make a mess;


• Secure the cloth with string or an elastic band;


• Let the garlic/oil filled jar sit top cure, in a warm location for 10 to 14 days;


• Once the curing period is over, separate the garlic from the oil by straining the oil into an amber, brown or blue storage bottle;




• Store the Garlic Oil in the refrigerator.

1.3 Neam Oil-Based Sprays and Rubs

Organic ¹Neem Oil Spray (for dogs only)

• You will need…




• ½ once (2.5 ml) organic neem oil;


• If you want to make a stronger replant use 1 once (5 ml neem oil);


• ½ once (2 ml) organic glycerine or organic Castile soap;


• 2 cups (.5 litre) warm water;


• Mixing bowl;


• Spray bottle.




• Preparation…




• Pour the glycerine soap and warm water into the bowl – mix the resulting liquid;


• Slowly add the neem oil , mixing as you add the neem to the soap/water mixture;


• Pour the resulting liquid into a spray bottle;




• Spritz your dog’s fur.

¹ Caution for Neem Oil:

• Neem oil breaks down after 8 hours, so only make enough spray  or rub for use within an 8 hour period, discard any unused spray and make more when required;


• Do not use Neem oil on cats;


• If you are using these Neem oil recipes on a dog that you breed or that is pregnant make sure that you make the recipes using the neem oil at half strength. 

1.4 Essential Oil Blend Sprays

Witch Hazel and Essential Oils Spray (for dogs only)

• 
  Fill an 8 once spray bottle with distilled or boiled (cooled) water;


• Add enough witch hazel to almost fill the balance of the spray bottle;


• Add essential oils:




• 10 drops of clove essential oil (if your dog is ²pregnant substitute use eucalyptus essential oil instead);


• 10 drops of  rosemary essential oil ;


• 10 drops of citrus (lemon, orange or grapefruit) essential oil .




• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s fur;




• 
   Don’t soak your dog’s or cat’s fur with this spray;
  


• Just mist your dog or cat with the spray;


• The scent of the essential oils repels the insects.

² Clove oil is a uterine stimulant and therefore should not be used on pregnant dogs. 

Lavender Essential Oil and Tea Tree Oil Spray
(for dogs only)

• 
  Fill a spray bottle with 1 cup of distilled or boiled (cooled) water;


• Add essential oils:




• 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil;


• 4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil;




• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s fur;




• Don’t soak your dog’s fur with this spray;


• Just mist your dog with the spray;


• The scent of the essential oils repels the insects.

Rosemary Essential Oil Spray
(for dogs and cats)

• 
  Fill a spray bottle with 1 cup of distilled or boiled (cooled) water;


• Add essential oils:




• 8 drops of rosemary essential oil;




• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s or cat’s fur;




• Don’t soak your dog’s or cat’s fur with this spray;


• Just mist your dog or cat with the spray;


• The scent of the essential oils repels the insects.

 

1.5 Herbal Sprays

Peppermint, Spearmint, Lavender, Cloves, Citronella Spray (for cats and dogs)

Use Fresh or Dried Herbs…

• 
  Boil 1 cup of water;


• Place the following in a tea pot or pot;




• 1 tbsp peppermint, 


• 1 tbsp catnip or spearmint;


• 1 tbsp citronella or lemon grass;




• if you are making this spray for use on cats use lemon grass, don’t use citronella;




• 1 tbsp lavender;




• if you are making this spray for use on cats leave the lavender out of the recipe and use rosemary instead;




• ²4 dried cloves (if your dog is ²pregnant substitute use eucalyptus essential oil instead)




• If you are making this spray for use on cats leave the cloves out of the recipe;






• Pour the boiling water into the tea pot and stir the ingredients;


• Allow to steep and cool – make sure you place the lid on the tea pot of pot as it is important not to lose the volatile oils from the herbs;


• When cool, strain the herbs from the liquid;


• Mix the resulting solution with one of the following:




• 1 cup of Witch Hazel, or:


• 1 cup of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar;




• Pour the resulting liquid into a spray bottle;


• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s fur.

² Clove oil is a uterine stimulant and therefore should not be used on pregnant dogs.

Rosemary Spray – Specifically for Fleas (for cats and dogs)

 

• Steep 1/8 cup of fresh rosemary in 16 ounces of boiling water for 30 minutes;


• Allow the resulting infusion to cool;


• Strain the liquid, discard the rosemary;


• Pour the liquid into a spray bottle;


• Shake well;


• Spritz your dog’s fur.

You can also increase this recipe to make a rosemary flea dip…

Four Thieves Vinegar – Extra Strength Spray
(for cats and dogs)

• Preparation:




• In a glass jar – a Masons Jar with lid is best; add the following ingredients:




•  2 cups Organic Apple Cider Vinegar;




• The following dry herbs;


• Lavender – 4 tbsp’




• If you are using this spray on cats do not use lavender use rosemary instead;




• Peppermint – 4 tbsp


• Sage – 4 tbsp;


• Thyme – 4 tbsp;




• Fresh Garlic – 4 to 8 cloves, crush the cloves before adding to the mixture.




• Mix the ingredients;


• Seal the glass jar with lid;


• Allow to steep (in a cool, dark place, shake occasionally) for a minimum of 2 weeks, up to a maximum of 6 weeks;


• After steeping period is over, strain the liquid from the herbs (discard the herbs);


• You can then store the liquid in the fridge;




• To Use:




• Do not use the liquid as a spray on fur and skin full strength…
  Fill a spray bottle half-full with the steeped liquid;


• Fill the remaining half of the bottle with distilled water;


• The spray is now ready for use;


• Shake well, and;


• Spritz your dog’s fur.

The original Four Thieves Vinegar Recipe – the one above is a variation, is a recipe from the 1600s.  The famous French aromatherapy doctor, Jean Valnet, has two recipes in his book. He claims corpse robbers who were caught red-handed in the area around Toulouse in 1628-1631 revealed the original recipe. His story is the more credible of the many one can find. Given the virulence and deadliness of the plague, the judges were astonished by the indifference of the thieves to contagion. Valnet quotes the archives of the Parliament of Toulouse…“During the Great Plague, four robbers were convicted of going to the houses of plague victims, strangling them in their beds and then looting their dwellings. For this, they were condemned to be burned at the stake, and in order to have their sentence mitigated, they revealed their secret preservative, after which they were hanged.”

2.0 Rubs to Kill Fleas 

2.1 Diatomaceous Earth Rub (for dogs and cats)

• Use food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE);




• Rub the DE into your dog’s or cat’s fur – within about 20 minutes the fleas will be dead;


• You may need to repeat the application the following day if the flea eggs have not been all eradicated with the first application;


• Wash your dog or cat within a couple of hours after applying DE;




• DE soaks up moisture, so leaving DE on your companion animals skin for a prolonged time can dry-out his, her skin;


•  You can use an herbal shampoo or herbal rinse to remove the DE – you can use of these recipes.

2.2 Organic ¹Neem Oil Rub (for dogs only)

• Mix 1 part neem oil with 10 parts almond oil;


• Place a few drops in your hand;


• Rub your palms together;


• The run your hands through your dog’s fur.

¹ Caution for Neem Oil:

• Neem oil breaks down after 8 hours, so only make enough spray  or rub for use within an 8 hour period, discard any unused spray and make more when required;


• Do not use Neem oil on cats;


• If you are using these Neem oil recipes on a dog that you breed or that is pregnant make sure that you make the recipes using the neem oil at half strength. 

3.0 Dips to Kill Fleas 

3.1 Rosemary Flea Dip (for cats and dogs)

• Steep 2 cups of fresh rosemary in 1 gallon of boiling water for 30 minutes;


• Allow the resulting infusion to cool-off until it is just warm;


• Strain the liquid, discard the rosemary;


• Pour the liquid over your dog’s fur until he/she is soaked,


• Allow your dog to dry naturally.

4.0 Rinse to Kill Fleas

4.1 Organic ACV, Tea Tree Oil and Aloe Vera Juice
      (fordogs only)

Parasites such as fleas, ticks mosquitoes and worms do not do well in an environment that is not supportive of their life and reproductive requirements. Such parasites do not like acidic environments. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is acidic and therefore not an attractive substance for these parasites. The following topical treatment kills adult fleas and is soothing for the dog’s skin…

You will need:

• An 8 oz bottle;


• Tea Tree Oil;


• 100% Aloe Vera Juice;
  


• Organic ACV;


• Fresh, clean water.

Preparation

• 
  Pour the shampoo into the 8 ounce bottle;


• Add 10 drops of tea tree oil;


• Add 1 tablespoon of aloa vera juice;


• Shake well.

 Treatment

• 
  Shampoo Your Dog;


• Wait 6 to 10 minutes.

Rinse Your Dog

• 
  Then rinse with ACV diluted in water – 1 tablespoon ACV for every pint of water.


• Allow your dog to shake the excess water off;

 After-Rinse Spray

• Then follow-up with a spray of equal parts ACV to water;  


• You can also add fresh squeezed lemon juice;


• Do not get the shampoo, rinse or spray in your dog’s eyes;


• The spray can be used on a daily basis and may be used several times a day.

5.0 Collar Drops and Spot-on Drops
(for cats and dogs)

See this article

6.0 Spot-on Drops
(for cats and dogs)

See this article

Cautions:

 

Caution When Spraying near Your Dog’s Eyes

• Remember to protect your dog’s eyes from the spray;

 To Apply the Spray to your Dog’s Face:

• Spray the palm of your hand with the solution;


• Rub your hands gently over your dog’s nose, around their eyes, behind the ears, etc.

 Daily Application of Sprays

• 
  Sprays should be re-applied 2-3 times a day when protection is required;


• If your dog goes swimming, gets wet in the rain etc. you will need to re-apply the spray.

 Essential Oils…

• For the recipes above that call for essential oils – use only 100% pure organic, therapeutic grade essential oils.

❀ᵔᴥᵔ❀

Related Articles

For related and additional articles on dog and cat, care, health, training, nutrition and animal advocacy go to thispage.

Feel free to leave a comment below – if your comment is polite, informative etc. I will publish it. If your comment is a quick question, I will answer it if time permits…

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