Woodticks Away

Tick season may be coming to an end and thank goodness, because our poor dogs have been plagued. Commercial tick repellents for pets are believed quite toxic, and they are not to be applied to elderly dogs either, so our old border collie girl has had to be hand-preened. She doesn't like to have anything sprayed on her fur, but we don't like "picking ticks," so we insist.

Homemade Tick Repellent

Put in spray bottle:

1 c water
2 c distilled white vinegar
2 tb vegetable or almond oil, or lemon juice, citrus oil or peppermint oil

Spray onto dog's dry coat, avoiding eyes, nose, mouth and genitals.

For outdoor pets, spray this on two or three times a day.

Rose geranium oil is another tick repellent; put two or three drops on your dog's collar.

It seems that nothing does the job 100%, but these measures do make some difference and are at least worth trying.