Fleas & Ticks

One-Eyed Tiger
One-Eyed Tiger

Greyhounds, and all sighthounds, are VERY sensitive to many medications. They have a low percentage of body fat, so medications can travel through their systems faster and with more potency. Traditional flea medications (Advantix, Frontline, BioSpot, Adams, Revolution etc.) are toxins and sighthounds have had severe reactions (seizures, head tremors etc). Be very careful in what you choose to use on your hound for flea and tick prevention. This article by Dr. Becker is a must read about flea/tick products causing strong adverse reactions in two-thirds of the test study. 

I’ve found many natural methods to help with flea and tick prevention. And prevention is a good thing. I like using Organic Neem Oil spray for when I travel. When I lived in Florida I used natural essential oil sprays around the yard, house and animals. I also used Diatomaceous Earth. Fabulous stuff to put on the dog directly, put in food and put everywhere in your home – rugs, baseboards etc. – to help destroy the nasty critters, naturally.  It’s also a natural wormer when given daily in food for a month. One tablespoon – FOOD GRADE only.

And of course, there’s always checking for fleas and ticks daily. They are easy to find on most sighthounds. Look in crevices on their body – between and around toes, in the anal area, around the tail to body area, behind and in ears, in arm pits etc.

Here’s some more ideas for natural flea protection.

NATURAL FLEA & TICK REPELLANTS

1. Neem…. Neem products  work well. It’s an herb. You can spray it directly on the dog (nontoxic if eaten), you can shampoo w/ the shampoo or add a few drops neem oil to regular shampoo, you can mix neem oil & water & spray around the house, you can attach it to the garden hose for the yard. You can also put neem oil on the back of the neck like you would frontline, but you have to reapply weekly.

2. Lemon/Rosemary: Recipe: Take one lemon and slice it. Place it in a large bowl add a few sprigs of rosemary to the bowl.
Pour a kettle of boiling water over it. Cover with a towel. let steep overnight. Strain into a squirt bottle. spray liberally over your dog each time you go out. Can spray on your feet  too. I refrigerate mine and discard after one week and make a new batch.

3. You can make a tea out of Eucalyptus leaves to spray the house and yard. Take a bunch of Eucalyptus leaves and pour boiling water over them & cover the pot. Let them steep and cool and then strain and put in a sprayer & spray the whole house & yard.

4. You can also use diatomacous earth sprinkled inside & outside the house. It punctures the fleas shell and dehydrates them & is totally safe. Just don’t inhale it when you apply it because it is a dusty substance. It is safe to let the dog on it right after you apply it. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth can be given to dogs as a natural wormer.

5. Beneficial Nematodes……these can be purchased from an organic gardening store. You put them in the yard and they eat the flea larvae.

6. LymeDyp for Ticks…..For a particularly heavy infestation. The dog can be dipped in lymdyp, a natural dip made form Sulferated Lyme.

7. Garlic….adding a little garlic to the food is said to keep away parasites. Please check w/ your vet re: safe amounts of Garlic to feed for flea control.

8. Apple Cider Vinegar – put in dog’s food and water. 

8. Most importantly, keeping your dog healthy and on a good diet will make him/her much less attractive to fleas & ticks.

Natural FLEA Dog WASH – Add 40 to 60 drops of Eucalyptus Oil to soapy washing water and wash dog – reputedly rids fleas.
To stop the cycle of eggs (usually in carpets) ….. Sprinkling Borax Powder over carpet area in house and dog and cat beds, shake out, and vacuum carpets within a few minutes of coating carpet. Put some Borax in the Vacuum bag also. Repeat as often as needed to stop eggs/fleas.

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Various Recipes for Bug Repellent using Avon Skin So Soft

Skin So Soft is not sold by Avon as a Bug Repellent.  These recipes were provided by Avon Customers and are not approved by Avon Products Inc.

Customer says:
We don’t generally have a bug problem here, but for my horses (and I’m sure it would be safe for greyhounds too) I use the following bug spray:

  • 1 cup Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 5 cc citronella oil (this is from the health food store, an essential oil – NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away)

Mix it in a spray bottle.  Straight SSS works great on mosquitoes too.

Have tried a mixture of l/4 Skin So Soft, fill the mister w/water, add 20 drops each of pennyroyal, eucalyptus and citronella (this is from the health food store, an essential oil – NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away).  Shake up. Spray.  Me and the dogs.  This *worked* for mosquitoes and black flies

This recipe was posted years ago on the Greyhound-l list:

All Natural Insect Repellent (safe for sighthounds and non-toxic)

  • 1  Cup Avon Skin So Soft
  • 2 Cups White Vinegar
  • 1-3 Cups of Water* (depending on strength needed)  *In the woods, use 1 Cup Water, in the backyard use 2-3 Cups
  • 1 Tbsp. Herbal Repellent “Shoo” OR Citronella (this is from the health food store, an essential oil – NOT the citronella oil that you burn in lanterns to keep bugs away)   OR Eucalyptus Oil.  Mix together, put in a misting bottle, and spray dogs as needed.