It’s my favorite (not!) topic that never goes away! And it seems the problem gets worse every year. Even my puppy had a tick on her at just 13 weeks! So what’s a girl to do?
Lately I have been comparing notes with my friends on this exact subject. I would be curious to hear back from our fans to learn what is – and is not – working for them.
I am especially desperate for a few reasons: 1) I have really hairy dogs! And the odds of finding one on them in time are not in my favor. 2) I have decided I don’t want to apply any more pesticides on my dog (like the liquids applied to their skin monthly – not mentioning brand names). My breed just has too many health issues and I don’t want to add to them. 3) Ticks gross me out. Period.
On our recent camping trip I put a natural/herbal collar on both dogs and sprayed them each morning with a natural flea/tick/mosquito deterrent. Then when I brought them home I gave them a flea and tick bath deciding the harshness to their skin was outweighed by the nastiness of the ticks. I didn’t find any on them, but …
Since then, I have heard a few other tips that I may try:
- Spray a Deet insect repellent on a bandana and tie around their neck.
- Spray them with rose geranium essential oil diluted in water.
- Spray then with garlic oil diluted in water. (Will they smell like pasta?)
- Feed them garlic oil. (watch the amounts per their size!)
- Add brewer’s yeast with garlic to their food.
What are you doing to combat the beasts from hell?
Oh the excitement! This weekend we will pack up the cars and head to the mountains for our first camping adventure of the season. Overdue, perhaps, but don’t judge! We’ve been busy girls!
Times like this kindle my already flaming desire to shop! Surely I must need something, right? Well, realistically, probably not as over the years I have amassed quite the camping war chest.
So today we revisit a well-stocked “kitchen.” As you know, we OBH girls don’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or spaghetti when we are in the woods. No way! We love to try new recipes on the grill and see just how far we can push camp cooking. My only consistent request: S’mores. Yum!
We have created the attached checklist for you to get started building your “kitchen bin.” My bin stays packed year-round and I just pull it from its place in storage and into the car without worrying I have forgotten something. My bin is air-tight/water-tight so I don’t worry about anything getting dirty during transport or sitting around a dusty campsite.
If we forgot something, please let us know! I will run out and buy it immediately!
