Natural Protection against Ticks

Recently, I started to avoid chemical agents at home and replace them with natural products. That’s why I started to look for information on natural antiparasitic agents. Last year, I made my own homemade repellent for us, humans, and it worked great, this year, it’s time to try some natural antiparasitic agent for dogs.

Let’s first explore how it works. Natural protection against fleas and ticks is secured by certain essential oils. These include rosemary, thyme, lemon grass, geranium and lavender. The new natural parasitic agents you can buy in a vet shop are based on these. And you can use them to make a homemade repellent.

For example, you can try this recipe. It is the one I tried on us, the two-legged members of the family, in higher concentration last year. Before making it, remember it needs to be stored in a fridge and it can be used for about 2 weeks. Therefore, plan the amount accordingly.

Steps:

Make water boil, then turn off and pour a pack of dried rosemary to the pot and let it brew. When it cools down, strain it, add one spoon of white vinegar and fill it in a bottle with a sprinkler. Protect your dog’s eyes and nose when applying the agent.

When making the homemade repellent for dogs, you need to be more careful than when you make it for yourself. Lower concentrations are usually used for kids and dogs. It is necessary to use it every time you go outside, therefore it is more suitable for dogs living inside,  in a city. If a dog lives in a garden or spends most of its time there, this is not the best solution. You would have to spray the repellent to the animal each couple of hours which is not very practical and sometimes even possible.

However, there are natural variants of antiparasitic agents for these dogs as well. For example, you can buy them a natural collar. It contains natural extracts preserved in a way it ensures the protection against ticks and insects for several months. Other options include natural shampoos with repellent effects. There are also sera which contain essential oils dissolved in oil. They are applied the same way as pipettes but it is necessary to repeat the application much more often, every day at first, then at least two times a week.

As you can see, while the advantages of these products are its natural contents, the fact they are not toxic and irritant, their greatest disadvantages are its frequent application which might prevent many people from using them. However, I will definitely try it. This year, I’ll try one serum against fleas and ticks. Many people around me say it’s great so I believe I won’t make a mistake with it.

What about you, have you tried any natural antiparasitic agents? Do you have a well-established recipe or product?