Natural Pet Health Blog

Ticks are starting to become a real problem in many areas as the weather gets warmer. All the recent rain in the Northeast has caused an especially bad tick population boom.

There are many kinds of ticks, but getting bit by deer ticks is no joke: they carry Lyme Disease and other Tick-Borne Diseases including a red blood cell parasite. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is spread by the American dog tick, the lone-star tick, and the wood tick. Best to keep ticks far, far away from you and your companion animals and loved ones!

This herbal spray is based on herbalist knowledge, and it is a great find as a healthy alternative to synthetic pesticides because it really works well as a repellent. The spray calls for one ingredient, besides water–you can’t get much simpler than that! Find out the formula here:

This spray is good to use on pet bedding.

You will need:

• 2 teaspoons Essential Oil of Rose Geranium or palmerosa
• 2 cups water
• 1 spray bottle

1. Combine ingredients in the spray bottle and shake well to blend.

2. Spray areas where pets sleep.

And here is some more information on using Rose Geranium and palmerosa oils on your skin and on pet collars:

Tick Repellant

I dug deep in my herbal formula books for this recipe out of desperation, given that I live in the epicenter of the tick-generated Lyme Disease epidemic. I tested the Essential Oil that is recommended for ticks, Rose Geranium, by putting a few drops—no more!— on our dogs’ Collars, to see if it would repel ticks. Lo and behold, we went from 20 ticks a day on each dog, to none. The second best Essential Oil for repelling ticks is American Pennyroyal (also called tickweed).

• 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.

Makes: 2 tablespoons Shelf Life: 6 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.

Helpful Hints

• Palmerosa is a sister Essential Oil to Rose Geranium, and also repels ticks. It is cheaper, and sometimes easier to find than Rose Geranium.

• Another good repellent that also worked on our dogs, is to eat Garlic pills (but don’t give Garlic to cats). A number of people have written me to say that they have had good luck with their dogs and themselves, by keeping to the Garlic pill eating regimen every day.

• The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) reported in their winter of 1996 Journal of Pesticide Reform that nymphal ticks are reduced from 72.7 to 100 percent when dead leaves are removed from the forest areas surrounding residential areas.

Rose Geranium For Ticks

After a blessed three month winter reprieve, our two dogs (Sammy and Cleo) are bringing home deer and dog ticks again. So far, just a few a day, but it will soon get a lot worse. Because the whole family has suffered from Lyme Disease, I have taken finding natural repellents very seriously.

Here are the easy and effective ways I’ve found for keeping ticks away without resorting to toxic chemicals.

After Digging deep in many old herbalist books I came across mention of Rose Geranium as being an excellent tick repellent. Palmerosa, a cousin of Rose Geranium, is also effective. I put just a drop or two–no more–of pure Essential Oil of Rose Geranium on each dog’s cloth Collar every week, and it really keeps the ticks away. Check with your vet before using Essential Oils on cats.

I’d still check the pets daily for ticks. Deer ticks are the size of poppy seeds and incredibly hard to spot at the nymph stage so common in the spring. One Essential Oil company that offers pure Rose Geranium is Aura Cacia from Frontier Natural Products.

Note: Pregnant women are advised to avoid Essential Oils.

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Last 5 posts in General Pet Articles

• Taking a Bite Out of Food Borne Illness - May 15th, 2008
• Tips for Preventing Dog & Cat Bites in Children - May 14th, 2008
• When Their Bark Isn’t Worse Than Their Bite - May 13th, 2008
• Natural Flea and Tick Control - May 10th, 2008
• What causes liver disease in dogs - May 7th, 2008

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