TICKS

[HEIDI AND BOB "RILEY"]

HAVING A PROBLEM WITH TICKS. ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR KEEPING THEM AWAY FROM OUR DOODLES? ALSO, HAS ANYONE USED A PET SAFE PESTICIDE FOR THE YARD THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND?

[Nancy Greenberg]

I'm using Revolution on Duffy. It's supposed to take care of fleas, ticks, heart worm. So far no problems here in SW Florida. Wouldn't recommend anything to put on the yard because it gets on their paws, then they lick their paws....not a good situation. Nancy

[Vickie Barter and Nikita]

Are you using the prevent tick collar that you can get for free when you buy Revolution? Revolution is not labeled for ticks..when treating dogs. ( I am a LVT) But if it working then great; it may be an off label benefit. I use Senitinel for heartworm, fleas, roundworms, hookworms,whipworms and then I use Frontline for additional flea protection and tick protection.

[Nancy Cavanaugh]

I put together an essential oil spray - lemon, peppermint, eucalyputs - organic - i mix it with water and have a great spray. It work very well - and I am not putting chemicals on my dogs day after day.
I don't have one for the yard.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Here are some suggestions I saw on another forum.

Fleas
Natural Ways for Getting Rid of Dog Fleas
If you're leery of using chemical products on your dog or home, there are a number of plant-, vitamin-, and herbal-based natural flea treatments available. Adding garlic or brewer's yeast to a dog's food has long been thought to help keep fleas from alighting and biting. Since both are ordinary food products and not harmful to dogs, there's really nothing to lose by giving them a try. Herbal flea collars and powders are also popular and widely available.

Eucalyptus, fennel, rosemary, rue, wormwood, and yellow dock all seem to act as flea repellents. To make your own herbal flea powder, combine equal amounts of these herbs and mix them well. Sprinkle a small amount of the powder on your dog's coat and massage it in thoroughly, making sure to work it all the way down to the skin. You can also use a drop or two of the essential oils of eucalyptus and rosemary on a plain canvas or fabric-covered collar.

As with any flea collar, though, watch for signs of hair loss or skin irritation around the neck, and be careful that the dog doesn't chew on the collar. You can also buy ready-made herbal flea collars at pet supply and natural food stores.

MORE Fleas>
Flea, fly ,mosquito repellant
Natural Repellent Recipe
Repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and also makes the van/car smell great. Spray dogs and blankets. Use before going into the show ring instead of those other sprays; no chemical smell spray. Stuff smells great. Dogs look great and gives an additional shine to their coat.
Ingredients are full strength oils:
Tea Tree Oil
Rosemary Oil
Sage Oil
Cedarwood Oil
Peppermint Oil
Orange Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Citronella Oil
Pine Needle Oil
DIRECTIONS:
Mix 4-6 drops of each with 32 oz of any natural shampoo and now you have a natural flea shampoo
OR Mix 2-3 drops each with 16 oz Water in a spray bottle. Shake before each application and spray light over entire body. Health food stores in your area sell the oils or you can purchase online


you can use Rose Geranium, by putting a few drops—no more!—on
dogs’ collars, to see if it would repel ticks. The second best essential oil for
repelling ticks is American Pennyroyal (also called tickweed).

Recipe 2
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil (almond oil contains sulfur, a repellent
in its own right)
10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend.
Make: 2 tablespoons with a shelf life of about six months.
Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing, making sure to avoid eyes.
Caution:
Skip the Pennyroyal if there is anyone pregnant (including pets) in the home,
as it can induce miscarriage. And as always, use essential oils with caution
as they can burn the skin and harm eyes. Don’t use these essential oils around cats.

Kills fleas instantly. Dawn dish washing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Goodbye fleas.

Homemade Doggie Flea and Mosquito Collar - 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 Essential Oil , Tea Tree Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil or Geranium Essential Oil. Don't forget to refresh weekly. This collar and the herbal Heartworm Prevention Program will give you a safer option for your dog to avoid heartworm's. .

CITRUS REPELLANT: 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 repellant 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 armpits.

AROMATHERAPY REPELLANT. 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 bandanna: 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.
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.
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 tablespoon 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.

[HEIDI AND BOB "RILEY"]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL THIS WONDERFULD INFORMATION. I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS OUT FOR US.

HEIDI AND RILEY

[Marcy, Girls and Ruby]

These are lots of great ideas. I am going to try some. Pretty inexpensive too. My helpful hint is for if a tick is already attached...dab it with q-tip saturated with straight lavendar oil. Tick pulls out immediately. I've used on both dogs and kids. You can use olive oil in a pinch but it took a little longer for tick to release.

[03pilqobzlvp7]

I like this idea. Where do you get lavender oil? We recently found 2 ticks on Duff so I did a bunch of research about the best way to remove them. I was always taught that you put vaseline or bag balm on them to cut off their air supply and they will pull out; however all the websites I checked advised against this (perhaps afraid of the tick dying before it pulls out). They recommend tweezers as close to the head as possible. I think the lavendar oil sounds like a good idea though.

We have been using Revolution on Duff, but since I just found 2 ticks on him, I'm switching him this week to Advantix and a seperate heartworm preventative.

[HEIDI AND BOB "RILEY"]

HI MARCY,
I WILL ALSO TRY THE LAVENDAR OIL. WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR, WE FIND THE TICKS VERY QUICKLY SO THEY HAVE BEEN EASY TO REMOVE. THANKS YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!

HEIDI AND RILEY

[Kim]

I just got an email about it being spring time & tick time... I will share - it's pretty interesting.

TICK REMOVAL

Spring is here and the ticks will be showing their heads.

Here is a good way to get them off you, your children, or your pets.

Give it a try.

Please forward to anyone with children... Or hunters or dogs, or anyone who
even steps outside in summer!!
A School Nurse has written the info below-- good enough to share --And it
really works!!

I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a
tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's sometimes
difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of
dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball, cover the tick with the
soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will
come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and
it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.

Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in
any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one
stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method
and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!"

Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful hint.

[Kathy]

Check out Best Yet by CedarCide.  It's made out of cedar oil, smells good and is non-toxic.  You can spray your dog before you go out in the woods and you can also pump spray the yard.  I also use it as a tick killer if I find one on the dogs - spray it on, the bug dies and falls off naturally - no digging or pulling.

[Marianne K]

Is your dog an outside doodle  or just picks up the ticks on walks. Do you use any type of monthly pill to prevent? Do you groom everyday? Just a few questions as our three year old has never once had a tick problem.

[Florence & Lola]

Wow, great information!!! Lola is outside in the woods a lot. These Doodles are so lucky to have such informative owners.  Thanks for all the info. :-]