# Natural Flea Prevention



## BearCubby (Apr 24, 2009)

I hope that I am asking this in the correct forum. I figured it would fit either here or the health forum......

Anyway, everyone knows that we are now getting into flea season. I had been using Frontline Plus, but have been looking into more natural type flea prevention because the more I read, the more I hesitate to use chemicals on my dogs (and cats). I am of the frame of mind that the less chemicals I use around the house the better, especially with my kids and all of my animals.

I have read about DeFlea shampoo, but couldn't really find out too much about the active ingredients, just a bunch of really scientific stuff that I don't understand. I am guessing that by the manufacturers name, their products are based off of natural ingredients? Anyone know of any adverse reactions by animals to their products? Does anyone have any experience with them and do they work well?

I was also reading on another site about lab owners that use a garlic powder supplement in their dog's food to help with the fleas. I was also wondering if anyone here does this? Are there any adverse reactions to adding garlic to a dog's diet? Does it really help with preventing fleas? And (possibly a silly question) does the dog end up with a garlic smell to them? Or would it be fairly unnoticeable? 

We are also going to treat the yard with diatomacious (sp???) earth. This has really helped us in keeping bugs at bay. 

Are there any other better methods of natural flea prevention out there? I am really wanting to go more natural, but my GSD mix gets bad flea allergy dermatitis, so that is also something for me to keep in mind. Thank you for any responses and suggestions!! Sorry if this was a little long!!


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I have heard wonder stories about garlic. I also have clients with 3 airedales, that travel weekly to obedience shows, etc. and they have sworn by feeding garlic for years. They never have had fleas since doing this, and swear it works like a charm. I don't know how much they give their dogs...but yes..they reek of garlic....especially their breath. I always thought that garlic was toxic to dogs...but apparently not? as I see garlic powder supplements, etc. IMO, any shampoo is not going to be effective. The lasting effects are going to be extremely minimal...and you would have to be using is every other day or something crazy. I would look into the garlic if you want as natural as possible..there really is something to it.


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## echo8287 (Jul 5, 2007)

There are garlic sprays that you can spray your yard with. They are said to keep mosquitos, ticks and fleas away from your yard. I used some last year with mixed results as my yard is 2 acres. David


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

Garlic is great... I know a couple that takes garlic pill year round and they have never once been bitten by any blood feeding insect.


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

We us diatomaceous earth


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

BearCubby said:


> We are also going to treat the yard with diatomacious (sp???) earth. This has really helped us in keeping bugs at bay.


In addition to treating your yard, you can also rub some on your dog and even feed it (it's also a great natural wormer). Make sure you get FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth, however. http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html

You can also use Pure Neem Oil to make a natural spray and shampoo: http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-for-dogs.html

Neem Leaf Powder/Capsules can be fed.

I'm using a combination of the three for natural flea/tick prevention. We live in an area with a lot of ticks and Lyme Disease.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

You may have heard about this before, but I used to use Frontline Plus until one of my dogs had somewhat of a reaction to it. So, I now use a natural supplement from Springtime, Inc. called Bug-off Garlic. I use the chews, but it also comes in powder form. My dogs do not smell like garlic at all! Their breath may smell for a short period of time right after they take their tablet, but it doesn't last long. I give it every day. I do give a slightly reduced dose as my 3 don't really go outside all that much. The dosage is easy to follow. IMO, it does work! At least for us. Here's the website....
www.springtimeinc.com

They have other supplements as well (I use the joint-health chews and I've used the fresh factors and stress-free calmplex). They also have supplements for humans and horses. My husband uses the joint-health capsules.


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/asse...58/detail.html

Watch this if anyone has questions on flea and tick products...

What kills insects? Pesticides..

What has been known to kill countless humans and animals? Pesticides..

Why on Earth, would anyone knowingly put a fatal poison on there animals?


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## BearCubby (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the posts!! I really appreciate all of your feedback and links that y'all posted. I will definitely take a look at all of them!

I have read about the Bug-Off Garlic, I am looking more into the powder form. It seems a bit easier to be able to just mix it into my boys' food. 

And the Neem seems really interesting, I am going to have to read into it a little more, but I really appreciate this suggestion. 

I am wondering why it is that more people do not use the natural type remedies? More of a curiosity question really. Until I started reading more about it online, I have not known anyone that uses any of these methods. 

Are there any drawbacks to these? 
I am aware that a little more time and effort goes into using these products, but doesn't seem like anything major. I am also aware that things like the garlic take a bit of time to work. They also seem a bit more economical than Frontline.... 

I had just one more question. Do y'all use these methods year round, or just during flea season? 

Thanks again for all of the replies!!


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

The only topical I use on my dogs is NEEM oil shampoo, it works for any insect, mite or fungal infection. I've used it for fleas as well as for Demodex and it works VERY well, there is also a repellent spray with Neem oil in it that works great and I've used it on my dogs and on horses to keep away flies. Neem is safe for most mammals and can also be used as a natural insectide/miticide/antifungal on plants as delicate as orchids. I get my neem products from www.neemtreefarms.com


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

I've been diluting eucalyptus oil in a spray bottle of water and spraying it on everything. We'll see how it works. If I have any problems I'll be looking for neem oil.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Like I mentioned, the Bug-off Garlic does come in powder form. I do use the chewables year-round. I don't know why really, probably don't need to, but I feel there are other benefits to garlic that might help using it year-round. Good luck!


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## Riley&MayMom (Jan 22, 2008)

Carla, I was very excited to read your post and I did some research on the Neem oil and it is pretty interesting. I have been looking for a natural alternative to the chemicals that I have putting on my dogs and I think I may have found what I am looking for. Anyway, the product I have been using took care of fleas, ticks, heartworms and a few other things. Do you use something else for heartworms?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

I use a liquid Ivermectin solution from my vet for heartworm prevention. I know it's still a harsh chemical, but I KNOW it works and the liquid ivermectin is 1/10 the price of Heartgaurd (which is the same active ingredient). I just can't take chances with heartworm, I know Neem leaf is effective on intestinal parasites though.


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

Neem oil shampoos rock.. However beware because they smell hideous.. ha ha.. they are strong and nasty.. I haven't met one groomer yet that doesn't gag when they smell a neem shampoo.


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## Riley&MayMom (Jan 22, 2008)

So does the bad smell stay with the dogs and they smell like they need a bath? LOL I have some ordered, so I guess I will be finding out.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Raggs said:


> Neem oil shampoos rock.. However beware because they smell hideous.. ha ha.. they are strong and nasty.. I haven't met one groomer yet that doesn't gag when they smell a neem shampoo.


I wouldn't go THAT far. I certainly didn't gag! I added a generous portion of neem oil to a bit of oatmeal shampoo. It just has a nutty smell. And, no, my dog didn't smell bad afterwards.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

Cheetah said:


> I've been diluting eucalyptus oil in a spray bottle of water and spraying it on everything. We'll see how it works. If I have any problems I'll be looking for neem oil.


I'll be interesed to see if that works for you. I know that the Springer we had when I was growing up in East County San Diego never had a flea (and only one tick) until we moved away from that house. We had eucalyptus trees there and the dog would often roll in the leaves and generally slept in them also. I've often wondered if that kept the nasty bugs away.


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## BearCubby (Apr 24, 2009)

I would be interested in how the eucalyptus oil works for you too! 


Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone!! I really appreciate it. 

I'm waiting on my orders for garlic powder and neem oil. I'll be sure to let y'all know how things are working for me as well.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Pam,
the spray I use is called Sprouts Spray for people and pets, works great and smells REALLY good becasue it contains lavender and Ceder oils as well as the Neem, I think Neem Tree Farm has a shampoo that is similar in composition d=so the neem smell isn't as dominant. Here's their pet products page, http://neemtreefarms.com/pet-care-c-125.html


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## 4lilmunchkins (Feb 14, 2009)

cshellenberger said:


> Pam,
> the spray I use is called Sprouts Spray for people and pets, works great and smells REALLY good becasue it contains lavender and Ceder oils as well as the Neem, I think Neem Tree Farm has a shampoo that is similar in composition d=so the neem smell isn't as dominant. Here's their pet products page, http://neemtreefarms.com/pet-care-c-125.html


I've never heard of this "Sprouts Spray"
It sounds really interesting and I'm going to order some.
Thank you for sharing this information!!


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## HuggaPug (Oct 21, 2008)

I use a product called Flea Treats and it has worked for me for over a year. It is a B vitamin type liver flavored tablet that repels fleas and ticks. I live in South Carolina where fleas are immune to everything and my dogs go to the shop with me everyday. Believe me I was very surprised that they worked. The only drawback is you have to give them twice a day but its healthy and no chemicals. They have a website - I don't know if I can post it but its easy to figure out.


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## BearCubby (Apr 24, 2009)

The sprout's spray sounds like it would smell really good, I may have to order some of that as well. When you use it though, does it dry up nice or does it stay a bit oily? I am just curious because of the cats in my house. I think if it dries up then I would be okay, but if it stays kinda oily then I might have to skip it.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

It's not oily at all and yes, it smells VERY good and clean.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

You asked why more people don't use natural products, and I think that the reason is convenience. It does take a little more time to keep fleas and ticks away naturally, but I think it's worth it. The best approach is multi-dimensional. You can give your dog garlic supplements and put a little apple cider vinegar in her/his drinking water. Also use shampoos with neem oil, coupled with neem oil spray when s/he is going to be in an area with other dogs. You can also use essential oils, like a mix of cedar, citronella, eucalyptus, sage, lavender, rosemary, and tea tree -- just be sure to dilute it in a mild, skin safe oil like almond oil or jojoba oil, and don't use too much at a time. Just a little on ears and legs. Then if you get fleas you should have diatomaceous earth on hand, which you can sprinkle in the yard and directly on your carpets. Then vacuum up all the dead critters three days later. There are also some pet grade diatomaceous earth products that you can put directly on your pet.
The most important things, in my opinion, are the neem oil shampoo and the garlic supplements.
The best website I've found for these products is below.
http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?page=GRID&category|category_root|3=Flea+/+Tick+Control


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

A word of caution when using essential oils, they need to be diluted to 15% of the total ingredients and NO MORE, many can cause neurological damage if used on the body in greater amounts, and NEVER give them orally. 

Also, out in the the yard, you can stop fleas and ticks from ever infesting your house by using nematodes. They are a biological control, microscopic worms that eat flea larvae. You can get them at nurseries or online.


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

No, the neem smell doesn't stay with the dogs.. I love the shampoo, but I have to wear a mask when I use it.. Of course I am more sensitive to smells than other people. I can't use perfume or anything, because it makes me nauseous.


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## Dinovite (Jun 15, 2009)

I use neem oil on my plants outside, but can't stand the smell. DogOsuds is an olive oil, coconut oil and jojoba based shampoo, with added therapeutic grade essential oils that are natural flea and tick deterrents. And, this will kill the fleas on the dog as well.

The two varieties that work best are the peppermint/tea tree or the essential oil blend variety. 

I also use garlic and DE (use only food grade NEVER the pool filter stuff that can kill a dog!)


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Wow, I had no idea that so many people were using natural flea/tick prevention for their pets!! With 3 large dogs, Frontline Plus is really expensive, and I don't really like using a harsh pesticide every month. Do you guys find the natural remedies to be less expensive? (I have 3 60 - 80 lbs dogs; I imagine the cost savings are higher, the bigger the dog?)

We don't even have many ticks here at all - it's mostly the fleas that I worry about. We do use DE already in the chicken coop and around the barn, so sprinkling some around the kennel wouldn't be a big problem. We also planted mint, lemon balm, and thyme around the kennel to hopefully repel bugs too. And, all 3 are on Sentinel for heartworm, which sterilizes any fleas that bite the dog... so that ought to help too, right?

Is there any reason, besides convenience, that I would NOT want to switch from Frontline to natural methods? Are there any drawbacks that any of you have seen? 

I'm 100% for organic, natural methods of pest control in all my other pursuits (farm and garden), so I guess I'm baffling myself here wondering why I didn't apply that thinking to my dogs.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

Thank you, everyone, for all the great brand suggestions. I'm definitely going to buy some new things because I heard about them here.



nekomi said:


> Is there any reason, besides convenience, that I would NOT want to switch from Frontline to natural methods? Are there any drawbacks that any of you have seen?
> 
> I'm 100% for organic, natural methods of pest control in all my other pursuits (farm and garden), so I guess I'm baffling myself here wondering why I didn't apply that thinking to my dogs.


Convenience is the biggest reason. But I think the extra time and effort is worth it. And it's really not that much extra work. You just have to take a multi-dimensional approach for the best results.
The only other reason is that a lot of the natural methods are flea deterrents rather than killers. This means that it is possible to get fleas, and once you have them it's harder to get rid of them with all-natural methods.

But I must say that I've had very good results. On average I've had one outbreak a year. And there were some years when I didn't ever get fleas. I just keep frontline handy for when it happens. (I'm thinking about trying revolution next time instead, though.)

I think garlic is the biggest help (I use a ton of garlic treats, which my dogs have loved), along with the shampoos, diatomaceous earth (pet-grade, applied to carpets, pet beds, outside, and even directly on your pet), and copious amounts of essential oil spray blends (with neem if you don't mind the smell) for whenever your dog is going to be around other dogs. Plus cshellenberger recommended nematodes, which I looked into and they sound really great. I also like using essential oils around the feet, ears, and collar; but as s/he said, great care must be taken. So the layperson should probably just buy a pre-mixed essential oil bottle instead of making their own.

Cost-wise, I think it's cheaper than frontline etc., especially if you have a lot of animals. On another thread about where to get cheap frontline etc., someone posted this website: http://www.deadfleaz.com/ They have the cheapest prices I've ever seen.


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## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

I know this post is a little bit old, but I was reading about neem oil capsules. Are anybody giving their dogs the capsules to prevent fleas?

I was going to give my dog the capsules and also use the aveeno shampoo I've been using and mix it with neem oil. 

I was reading that some believe the capsules can prevent fleas and possibly heartworm, but I heard that garlic does not work with fleas at all, but I still read people posting that it does, so I'm not sure what to think.


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## dieterherzog (Sep 28, 2009)

I live in Seattle so heartworm isn't really a problem here but if I were living in the South, I really wouldn't take the risk despite some people having luck with natural treatment for heartworm. 

I would suggest looking at a neem oil shampoo instead of mixing your own. I personally use "Doggie Sudz" which has neem oil and lavender (both help fight parasites) and uses jojoba oil and wheat germ oil for coat health. Halo and Ark Naturals also have good shampoos with neem but shouldn't be used to often because I find that they don't contain enough of the moisturizing kind of oils. 

As to your garlic comment, I've been feeding 1/2 a tsp of Garlic and Brewers Yeast (from PetGuard) mixed in to food and the fleas haven't struck at all. 

There's a holistic, organic dog supplement company called The Flying Basset which has a formula called Parasite Relief that supposedly prevents heartworm and any kind of wormy thing and you should use the formula once every six months. I love The Flying Basset, I personally use their No Fleas! spray combined with the Ark Naturals Neem Protect Spray when I need more protection especially when my dog goes out to play with other dogs. 

And also since I'm an overzealous cleaner, I vacuum 3 times a week with baking soda and my own propriety disinfectant of tea tree oil and lavender with vinegar spray. No fleas so far! In fact even scratching and allergies have been down to a minimum!


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## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

dieterherzog said:


> I live in Seattle so heartworm isn't really a problem here but if I were living in the South, I really wouldn't take the risk despite some people having luck with natural treatment for heartworm.
> 
> I would suggest looking at a neem oil shampoo instead of mixing your own. I personally use "Doggie Sudz" which has neem oil and lavender (both help fight parasites) and uses jojoba oil and wheat germ oil for coat health. Halo and Ark Naturals also have good shampoos with neem but shouldn't be used to often because I find that they don't contain enough of the moisturizing kind of oils.
> 
> ...


I was thinking on using the neem leaf capsules since I keep reading great things about it, but not to replace heartworm treatment, but for fleas and my puppy has red manage, which I'm reading people are using to treat as well.

I was going to purchase neem oil by itself already, because I want to use it to treat the manage and was hoping I could use it straight as some people do or mix it with a product called nu-stock, which I am currently mixing it with baby oil right now, so I figured using neem oil people seem to love and if I already have the neem oil I can mix it with the shampoos I'm already using for my dog.

It seems really inexpensive at swansonvitamins
The neem oil is 5.29 for 1 fl oz
The neem leaf capsules at 500 mg 100 Caps is 2.99


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

jboboxer said:


> I know this post is a little bit old, but I was reading about neem oil capsules. Are anybody giving their dogs the capsules to prevent fleas?
> 
> I was going to give my dog the capsules and also use the aveeno shampoo I've been using and mix it with neem oil.
> 
> I was reading that some believe the capsules can prevent fleas and possibly heartworm, but I heard that garlic does not work with fleas at all, but I still read people posting that it does, so I'm not sure what to think.


What do you mean, capsules? Like oral capsules? I've never heard of this before. Where did you come across this? I don't know how well this would work for fleas. I'd imagine it would be better for internal parasites. But I'm not sure, maybe it would be great.

They have neem oil at the health food store I go to, but it's really expensive and sort of thick and cloudy. I've never bought it before because I'm not sure how long it's been sitting there, and whether it would mix well with shampoo and sprays. But I totally would buy it if it looked like the other essential oils (clear, thinner texture) and use it to mix.

Oh, and garlic totally works. It works for humans, too. It's great because it discourages all parasites, not just fleas. By itself I don't think you could get rid of fleas that you already have, but in conjunction with other methods it works great as a preventative.

I've been using commercial shampoos like doc ackerman's citronella shampoo and ark natural's neem shampoo. Then I have a bunch of essential oils for making sprays and oil drops. (NOTE: don't use essential oils on cats.) I have citronella, lemongrass, tea tree, lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, cedarwood, geranium, and sweet orange. I think people would be fine with just the first three or the first five of those. I don't have a dog right now, but I'm going to adopt soon.

When I do, I'll mix the oils in a spray bottle with water and vodka. I'm going to use 1/10 essential oils, 1/10 vodka, and 8/10 water. I think I used to use too much EOs in the mix, and too little water, but I've read more about it since then and I think these would be okay proportions. What do you guys think about this ratio? Essential oils can be really dangerous, even deadly, so I want to be more careful.

For oil drops, I'm going to mix the oils with vodka and jojoba oil. It'll be 1/10 essential oils, 4/10 vodka, 5/10 jojoba oil. Does this sound safe?

Any advice will be appreciated.


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## dieterherzog (Sep 28, 2009)

canteloupe said:


> When I do, I'll mix the oils in a spray bottle with water and vodka. I'm going to use 1/10 essential oils, 1/10 vodka, and 8/10 water. I think I used to use too much EOs in the mix, and too little water, but I've read more about it since then and I think these would be okay proportions. What do you guys think about this ratio? Essential oils can be really dangerous, even deadly, so I want to be more careful.
> 
> For oil drops, I'm going to mix the oils with vodka and jojoba oil. It'll be 1/10 essential oils, 4/10 vodka, 5/10 jojoba oil. Does this sound safe?
> 
> Any advice will be appreciated.


I was wondering what the vodka is for - is it supposed to act to as some form of alcohol which acts as a antiseptic? I personally would not use alcohol in the spray. I only use isopropyl alcohol as to evaporate the homemade antibacterial spray I make. Alcohol may cause your dog's skin to dry out. 

I think water, jojoba oil (or wheat germ oil or even olive oil!) and a combination of essential oils should be sufficient. If you add water to the spray, it helps dilute the concoction and you don't end up with something quite so oily. 

A good rule of thumb is to add 10 drops of essential oil to 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup oil. So for example, your spray would be made up of 10 drops equally of citronella, neem oil, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and tea trea oil, 1 cup water and 1/4 cup oil. Fill that in a 3 oz. spray bottle and that should last you approximately 6 weeks with sprays 2 - 3 times a week. 

After my cost-benefit analysis, I find that it's cheaper to just buy the No Fleas! spray from The Flying Basset since essential oils can get quite expensive. 

Note: I know these from researching homemade products and my own dog, in case you were wondering. 

I also don't know the effects of pure neem capsules on dogs because most of the research talks about feeding dogs neem leaf which is less potent that pure neem oil. Remember that neem in excessive amounts can be toxic, so I would be careful with that. A topical application coupled with garlic and brewers yeast and garlic and a healthy diet should suffice for fleas if you're not in an area that gets tremendously humid and hot.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

dieterherzog said:


> I was wondering what the vodka is for - is it supposed to act to as some form of alcohol which acts as a antiseptic? I personally would not use alcohol in the spray. I only use isopropyl alcohol as to evaporate the homemade antibacterial spray I make. Alcohol may cause your dog's skin to dry out.
> 
> I think water, jojoba oil (or wheat germ oil or even olive oil!) and a combination of essential oils should be sufficient. If you add water to the spray, it helps dilute the concoction and you don't end up with something quite so oily.


In the past I just used water for sprays, and just oil for drops. But from looking at a bunch of different aromatherapy websites lately, it seems like vodka is added to a lot of blends to make them lighter, and to make them dry faster.

For the spray, I'm actually not sure that I want to add vodka. Maybe just water is fine. But for the drops I definitely want to add vodka. From everything I've read, basically a one-to-one ratio of vodka and carrier oil is best. For small, localized topical applications, this will make the mixture disappear faster without leaving an oily residue, like it used to when I just used oil.

About the choice of carrier oil -- I've used all different thing in the past, including my kitchen olive oil. I recently bought jojoba though, because I wanted something lighter with a long shelf life.



> A good rule of thumb is to add 10 drops of essential oil to 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup oil. So for example, your spray would be made up of 10 drops equally of citronella, neem oil, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and tea trea oil, 1 cup water and 1/4 cup oil. Fill that in a 3 oz. spray bottle and that should last you approximately 6 weeks with sprays 2 - 3 times a week.


About the recipe you provided, do you really use oil in a spray? And this doesn't make the sprayer clog? I've never done that before.

Also, what do you think the proportions are in your recipe? Like, I was talking about using 1/10 essential oils, 9/10 carrier proportions. What are yours?

Are there any other aromatherapy people out there, who can comment on the use of vodka (or any alcohol) in blends?


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## dieterherzog (Sep 28, 2009)

Hi, sorry not 1/4 cup, my sincerest apologies. That would definitely make the sprayer clog  That was for vinegar. 

I meant 1 oz. carrier oil. So let me reiterate: 8oz pure water, 1oz. carrier oil and 10 drops each of citronella, neem oil, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree oil. Jojoba oil as the carrier oil is really the best I would reckon, it's so versatile. 

Also, regarding the vodka or alcohol in the mix, yes the main reason to use it is fast evaporation. But because it evaporates really fast, it can dry out the skin. I'm not sure if it would act any differently in a topical solution except as an antiseptic. I don't know why you would want to use a topical solution when you have the spray though, unless if it was to address mange or mite issues.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

With my last dog, I used a topical treatment in addition to a spray. I used the drops behind the ears and lower down on the neck (and I also put it directly on the collar), on the stomach, and on the legs. I found it tended to linger longer than the spray, so while I used sprays pretty often I didn't use the drops nearly as much. Using drops was mostly just a way to double the power of the EO's, without having to completely soak the dog. Also, with the spray I avoided the neck and head because I didn't want to get it in his eyes, so using drops was how I got EO's on his neck.

From thinking about it more, I think I will follow your advice and not use vodka in the spray. I use it enough that it could possibly dry out the skin. But I do want to use it in the oil drops to cut back on oily residue.


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## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

There's actually a lot of research I've seen on the capsules that prevent fleas, ticks, mange and I believe it says it works on everything except tapeworm. I searched here and you'll find some people on the board are using the neem leaf powder capsules. 
They are 3 dollars for 100 capsules from the place i order all my vitamins.

I know there's a book about giving dogs natural stuff and it talks about neem leaf capsules, but here's a PDF

www.holisticforpets.com/pdf/TheNeemTree.pdf

It's not a very good pdf, I can't find the few studies I saw before. But if you go to kvvet.com and type in neem, you'll see kvvet.com even sells it. I use them more than dr. foster to order and this is what they say about the neem capsules

Perhaps no other plant comes closer to a panacea, a true cure-all, than neem - a tropical evergreen native to India. It has a far wider array of uses than any other herb.

• A lack of side effects accompanies this incredible array of healing properties. The bark, seeds, leaves, fruit, gum and oil of the neem tree contain compounds which offer impressive therapeutic qualities. These compounds are:
- Antiviral
- Antimicrobial
- Antifungal
- Antibacterial
- Antipyretic
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-tumor
- Analgesic
- Anti-anxiety
- Alterative
- Anthelmintic
- Immune Stimulant


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## SandyPuppy (Aug 8, 2009)

Cheetah said:


> I've been diluting eucalyptus oil in a spray bottle of water and spraying it on everything. We'll see how it works. If I have any problems I'll be looking for neem oil.


I was going to use neem oil, I bought some, but it smells REALLY bad!!! I can't stand it.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

I ordered the Bug-off Garlic Powder, and I've been using it for about a week now. Obviously, it's not exactly flea season up here in NE Ohio, and it's only been a week. I probably won't really know how well it works until spring. BUT, I can say that the dogs actually seem to like the taste, and although the smell is overpowering when I'm adding it to thier bowl, the dogs don't reek of garlic. 

Just a little info for those interested.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Yes, Neem leaf powder is excellent for prevention of internal parasites as well as systemic treatment of parasites suchas fleas, ticks and mange mites. It's also an immune system booster.


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## canteloupe (Apr 30, 2009)

SandyPuppy said:


> I was going to use neem oil, I bought some, but it smells REALLY bad!!! I can't stand it.


I've never smelled neem by itself, so I'm not really sure what it smells like. In the sprays and shampoos that I've used that have neem, the other ingredients (like citronella oils and eucalyptus) have overpowered it so they're all I smell. Maybe if you combine eucalyptus and neem you'll have good results without the smell. Eucalyptus is pretty powerful smelling and could cover it up.


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## jboboxer (Jul 9, 2009)

SandyPuppy said:


> I was going to use neem oil, I bought some, but it smells REALLY bad!!! I can't stand it.


They actually tell you not to use straight pure neem on your dog, unless you are trying to treat something like manage. 
I agree the smell is pretty bad, but it's supposed to be diluted as it's really strong stuff. I mix it with the shampoo I use and let it sit in the skin for about 5 minutes before washing it off.

I saw a few posting somewhere else that people make sprays out of them. They mix neem oil with maybe white vinegar and water and instead of giving your dog a bath so often, they spray the dog really quick to keep the fleas at bay.

Thera Neem Pet Shampoo that even sells at amazon I hear is really great. I haven't used it myself, but some people seem to think you should also add neem oil to the shampoo yourself. I've read that it looses it's strength in time, so if you do add neem oil to the shampoo that you should do just a little bit and shake it up really well each time.


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## Terrie (Sep 11, 2009)

cshellenberger said:


> Yes, Neem leaf powder is excellent for prevention of internal parasites as well as systemic treatment of parasites suchas fleas, ticks and mange mites. It's also an immune system booster.


Where do you get the neem leaf powder? From the same website you posted earlier?

Thanks


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## Youme Webark (Mar 14, 2010)

i have 3 neem trees in my yard! can I extract the oil myself? although my dogs don't have flea and tick problems but I can send them to you!

(I was once told by a buddhist monk up on the high mountain somewhere close to Burma, that the best way to cure flea and tick for dogs is the pick them off the dogs by hand one by one like monkeys do. The bugs can sense the caring and loving I have for my dogs and would leave the dogs alone in peace ... somehow, it works, weird)


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