One of the basics of responsible dog care is protecting your pet from parasites like fleas, ticks and mosquitoes.
These pest can cause a host of health problems for your pet, including Lyme Disease, tick paralysis, West Nile virus, heartworms and tapeworms.
But many of the products available today to protect your dog from these pests contain harmful chemicals that could actually cause their own host of problems.
Pet owners need to know that there are many eco-friendly dog alternatives to the traditional toxic bug repellents.
As more people are becoming aware of the ecological damage and health effects of pesticides and other synthetic chemicals, an increasing number of pet owners are searching for environmentally friendly alternatives to the standard chemical repellents.
Here are a few all-natural solutions you can add to your dog care routine to repel pests.
Simple Citrus Spray Take one whole lemon, cut it into wedges, and put it in a jar or other container.
Cover the lemon with one pint of boiling water, and cover the container.
Let the lemon steep overnight, and strain off the liquid into a clean spray bottle.
Spray your dog as needed with the citrus water to not only repel pests, but also leave your dog smelling fresh.
Take care not to spray the solution in your pet's eyes or on other sensitive areas, as this could cause mild irritation.
Essential Oils You can make a simple flea collar by adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil, citronella, geranium, lavender or Tea Tree oil into your dogs bandana or cloth collar.
Our favorite is rosemary.
Or you can mix approximately 10 drops of lavender oil and 5 drops of cedarwood oil in a base of 10 ml.
of sweet almond oil.
Rub a couple of drops of this mixture over your dog's skin and coat 2-3 times per week.
You can also add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil or rosemary to the rinse cycle of your dogs bedding to not only repel pests, but kill dust mites as well.
Herbal Baths You can make your own herbal flea and tick dip by covering two cups of fresh-chopped rosemary with two pints of boiling water and steeping for about 30 minutes.
Strain the concentrate, and add enough water to make one gallon of the herbal solution.
Saturate your dog with this solution, and allow the coat to dry naturally.
Internal Repellents Garlic and brewer's yeast can both be added to your dog's diet to repel fleas and ticks.
These foods excrete chemicals through your dogs skin that make your pet much less attractive to pests.
You can also add a desert spoonful of raw apple cider vinegar to your dogs water each day.
This makes the skin slightly more acidic and, once again, less attractive to pests.
There are a number of other natural alternatives to flea collars and pesticides that can help you keep your dog flea-free and healthy.
It's a good idea to spot-test even natural remedies on a small area of your dogs skin before using to make sure your dog doesn't have an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients.
This is rare, but it can happen.
For more information on natural dog care, consult a holistic veterinarian or other homeopathic professional.