Flea Preventative - Pets

Recipe Rating:	1 Rating5
Categories:	For Pets, Healthy
Keywords:	apple, dogs, cider, vinegar, mint, rosemary, Lavender, yeast, herbs, treatment, Flea, brewers, cats, pennyroyal
Serves:	Dogs and Cats
Prep Time:	5 Min
Cook Time:	25 Min

Ingredients

ROSEMARY
	fresh rosemary sprigs if possible, or dried rosemary
ENGLISH LAVENDER
	fresh lavender sprigs from your garden
ADDITIONAL PREVENTATIVE IN FOOD:
	garlic - either oil, powder, finely minced - and/or dried rosemary leaves, in very small amounts daily.
	fresh garlic cloves: 1 per 30lb dog or less. 2 cloves 30lb+ per day
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Vicki H

Well Seasoned

elkton, MD (pop. 15,443)

imvlh

Member Since Jan 2013

Vicki's Notes:

I found a way to prevent my little darlings from getting fleas - after an adverse affect that my one Chihuahuas had with those liquid chemical ones that gets squirted between the shoulder blades.

I've been doing this for four years and neither dog had fleas!

Directions

After you give your dog a bath, rinse him/her with the Rosemary or Lavender Tea. Leave it on to dry. Double and Triple this recipe for a supply.

On your stove - in a 2 quart saucepan - fill with water.
Place a handful of fresh Rosemary sprigs or Lavender sprigs into the water.

If you use dried rosemary - approximately 3 Tbsp. would be sufficient for the 2 qrt pot.

Cover your pot. Bring to a simmer, for about 20 minutes.

What you will be doing is brewing a Tea.

After 20 minutes, keep covered - remove from heat and let cool. Strain into a container.

After you give your pets a bath, rinse with the Tea. You can also rinse them with this Tea without giving them a bath - if you suspect fleas on them.

TIP: Warm the tea before rinsing your pet...they will thank you for that!

If your dog is a light to white color - the rosemary tea may stain her fur a little. My white dog is tinted brown a little afterward, but it disappears after a while.

GARLIC: Small amounts of garlic - A sprinkle of powder, grated clove, or garlic oil in their food each day.

Works great for my dogs.

LAVENDER TEA or FRESH SPRIGS are also good for relaxation for your pet...and it smells good. Spray their beds and blankets with the Lavender tea to promote relaxation. My dogs like it.

Also lavender blooms can be dried, placed in sachets and positioned around your home to work as a flea deterrent. You can also use lavender essential oils directly on your dog.

CATNIP is also effective at repelling fleas. One option is to grow the plant and dry the leaves. The dry leaves can be crushed and sprinkled directly on your dog. You can also purchase catnip extracts at pet stores. Add the extracts to your dog's shampoo when you give it a bath or rub the extract into your dog's fur.

PENNYROYAL (a mint) is an effective repellent of insects, such as fleas. It is a small herb with a strong aroma. Growing pennyroyal will naturally repel fleas, and you can also use the leaves to make a cleaning solution for your floor. If you want to apply a treatment directly to your dog, you can rub the leaves into its fur. If you prefer not to grow pennyroyal, you can purchase a pennyroyal essential oil and apply a few drops directly on your dog.

CATS: pennyroyal is not safe for use around cats, so if you have one in your home, do not employ this method for your dog.

BREWERS YEAST: can be added to your dogs food daily. very little, and it may take up to a month to have results for flea repellent. 1 TBS /day for large dogs.

Sprinkling Brewers Yeast on your dog, can also act as a flea powder repellent, if he licks his fur, this will not harm him.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: 1 tsp in dogs water daily. if they don't like this, you can add to their food.

Comments

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Vicki H imvlh

Vicki H [imvlh] has shared this recipe with discussion group:
Happy Homesteading

Vicki H imvlh

I tried this recipe and say it's Family Tested & Approved!

Lori Harbin-Combs 4dogslori

Jan 30, 2013

have a foster home for dogs!!!!! will try, thanks sooooo much!

Vicki H imvlh

Jan 30, 2013

Hi Lori, its funny how we find ways to overcome! My little ones cannot handle the store bought, vet flea remedies. These tricks had worked great for my doggies.

Risa Benedict RBenedict

Jan 31, 2013

Hey Vicki H, Can this be used on cat's too by chance? We live in an area where we are in a constant fight against sand fleas (which are much more vicious than the fleas found in common grass covered yards from what I've discovered and been told by both vets and our Tractor Supply folk) Anyway, our poor cats who are indoor cats too but still being attacked by the sand fleas because of our dogs who go in and out. We've tried everything from vet products to OTC products with little to no luck. Bombing the house, spraying the yard(what little grass there is *laugh*) but nothing helps at all sadly. Both our cats and dogs are developing skin allergies and we just really don't wish to have to keep the pets on any kind of allergy medications for the rest of their lives you know? I'd much rather use all natural products than harsh chemicals after all.

Vicki H imvlh

Jan 31, 2013

I'm sure it would work on cats...fleas are fleas...

Only thing is, in addition to the rosemary tea rinses, I make my dogs food and always put garlic and/or rosemary in it, which the fleas do not like - since it is in the dog's blood, and when the fleas take a "taste", they go to another restaurant...

My cat, I put the regular once a month flea stuff on her. Only, because she eats dry kibble exclusively. She doesn't like anything else. I do rinse her in the rosemary tea as well, when I give her a bath...but usually in the summer. Rosemary Tea will not harm any animal. The Sand Fleas I'm not familure with. Only thing I can say is try it. If your kitties don't take bathing - put some of the tea in a spray bottle and work it into their fur.
The garlic and rosemary in food actually deters the fleas/ticks, but the rosemary tea kills them if the pets already have them. If you keep the tea on them daily, I would expect it would deter the fleas too. Give it a try. Let me know how that works out.

Vicki H imvlh

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Vicki H imvlh

I shared a photo of this recipe.

Vicki H imvlh

I shared a photo of this recipe.

Nancy Skipper Nancy_Skipper

Feb 1, 2013

I've always heard that Garlic & onions were toxic to dogs....as are DARK chocolate & alcohol. Grapes & raisins will shut down their kidneys.

Vicki H imvlh

Feb 1, 2013

Garlic is not toxic for dogs. Onions, grapes, rasins, chocolate, white potatoes are.

Safe: apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary are fine.

Vicki H imvlh