Unfortunately
most commercially produced products (oral and topical preventatives) - designed
to repel Mosquitos from your dog contain powerful chemical-based pesticides
and other toxic / carcinogenic ingredients that are very harmful to your dog’s
well being.
If you are in a zone in which you must
use heartworm pills due to high-incidence of infection (such as New Orleans, or Florida) I suggest that you off-set the harmful side effects of
heartworm pills by introducing foods into your dog’s diet that will help
protect against the toxins and carcinogens found in heartworm pills. See 3.0 further below for more on using diet to offset the harmful ingredients in
heartworm pills.
If you are not
in a high-incident zone for heartworm infection you can try using the following lemon-based alternatives to repel
mosquitoes and subsequently the infestation of heartworms…
As an
alternative you can use fresh lemon to discourage mosquitoes from ‘visiting’
your dog. Even better, use organic fresh lemons!
Use Lemon in Two Ways to Help Repel Mosquitoes…
One - Topical Application;
Two - Ingested as
part of your dog’s daily diet.
Read on below
to find out how lemon can be your dog’s best friend…
1.0 Topical
Applications
Lemon when
applied topically can be used to repel insects and parasites.
Mosquitos do
not like the scent of citrus…
1.1 Fresh Lemon Spot
on Treatment
- Cut a fresh lemon, (lime, orange, or grapefruit) in half and rub the cut fruit onto your dog’s fur.
- Avoid the area immediately around your dog’s eyes and do not apply to open wounds/cuts - citrus stings!
- Make sure you pay special attention to vulnerable (to insect) areas like ears, nose, under the tail and tummy.
- Lemon is non-toxic to dogs so, unlike most commercially manufactured mosquito repellents – your dog will not be harmed by licking and ingesting the lemon juice!
1.2 Fresh Lemon Spray Recipe
What you will
need…
- 6 lemons, or you can use a mix of citrus
- 1 quart of water (.95 litre)
- 1 pot
- 1 spray bottle
Preparation
- Cut the lemons and/or other citrus fruit in half;
- Place the cut fruit and 1 quart of water in a pot;
- Bring to a boil and then allow too steep for two hours;
- Allow the resulting liquid to cool;
- Once cool, strain the liquid to remove any pulp;
- Pour the resulting liquid into a spray bottle;
- Spritz your dog’s fur - remember to protect your dog’s eye from the spray;
- To apply the spray to your dog’s face:
- Spray the palm of your hand with the solution;
- Rub your hands gently over your dog’s nose, around their eyes, behind the ears, around the base of the tail, under your dog’s legs, etc.
- If your dog is going to be outside for a good portion of the day - repeat the spray application every 2 to 3 hours.
- Store the spray in the refrigerator.
1.3 Mosquito
Repelling Collar Drops
You can put a
few drops of lemon-oil or 1 drop of essential lemon-oil on your dog’s collar to
further discourage misquotes.
To make your
own lemon-oil…
You will
need…
- 2 lemons,
- 1 cup olive oil
Preparation
- Peel the rind from the lemons;
- Place oil and lemon rinds in a sauce pan;
- Place on very low heat for 20 minutes;
- Allow to cool;
- Strain and pour into a bottle.
2.0 Ingested
Treatment
Adding fresh lemon to your dog’s daily diet is simple…
- Freeze a whole lemon and grate a little over your dog’s food;
- Add fresh lemon juice to your dog’s water bowl – remember to change the lemon water on a daily basis.
- Add fresh-finely minced lemon to your dog’s food.
- Peel the lemon and slice it into 4 to 6 pieces;
- Remove the seeds;
- Finely chop/mince the sections of lemon - I use a food processor to do this;
- Add the finely minced lemon to your dogs’ food once a day;
- Store any remaining minced lemon in an air tight glass container (in the refrigerator) for several days.
- Start by using the half the recommended lowest dosage in your dog's size range - see 'Daily Dosage' below;
- Over the space of a week to 10 days gradually increase the amount of lemon to the lowest recommended dosage for your dog's size range;
- You can then increase to the higher dosage in your dog's range if you would like to do so.
- X-Small dogs - 1/16 to 1/4 tsp/day
- Small dogs - 1/4 to 1 tsp/day
- Medium dogs - 1 to 2 tsp/day
- Large dogs - 2 to 3 tsp/day
- X-Large dogs 3 to 4 tsp/day
If you would
like to know more about the health benefits of lemon for your dog – the
benefits are numerous...you can read more here ᵔᴥᵔ
If you would like to look at additional DIY options for repelling mosquitoes you can take a look at this article.
If you would like to look at additional DIY options for repelling mosquitoes you can take a look at this article.
3.0 If You Must
Give Your Dog Heartworm Pills…
I recommend
that you expand your dog’s diet to help off-set the damage that the toxins and
carcinogens in heartworm pills can reek on your dog’s long-term health. Include
some simple, natural foodstuffs in your dog’s diet that boosts this/her immune
system, detoxifies the body and protects against cancer…
The following
foods can be added to your dog’s daily diet – simply top-off your dog’s
existing food (kibble, raw-food, or home-made cooked food) with the following once a day…
- Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) – organic, unpasteurized
- Small size dogs - 1 tsp
Medium size dogs – 1tbs - Large dogs – 1.5 to 2 tbs
- Cranberries - fresh/frozen finely chopped cranberries (no sugar added)
- Small size dogs - 1 tbs
Medium size dogs – 1.5 to 2 tbs tbs - Large dogs – 2 to 3 tbs
- Coconut Oil – read more about coconut oil here – benefits, dosage
- Garlic - fresh, chopped – read more about garlic here.
- Dosage for Garlic...
- 1 clove/1 tsp chopped garlic per every 30 lbs of body weight;
- Lemon - fresh, finely chopped
- Small size dogs - 1 tsp
- Medium size dogs - 1 tbs
- Large dogs - 1.5 to 2 tbs
- Yogurt -
plain, natural, no sugar, no artificial sweeteners, depending on the dog’s weight/body
type/metabolisim I use 2% fat for dog’s whose weight needs to be watched or 3% to 6% fat for leaner dogs, or kefir;
Dosage for yogurt: - Small size dogs - 1 tsp to 1 tbs
- Medium size dogs - 1 tbs to 2 tbs
- Large dogs – 2 tbs to 4 tbs
- Kefir – read
more about kefir (and/or sauerkraut) and how to introduce it to your dog’s diet
here. Kefir is a powerful probiotic and should be introduced
in small amounts, building up to the full dosage…
Dosage for kefir: - Small size dogs - 1 tsp
- Medium size dogs - 1 tbs
- Large dogs - 11/2 to 2 tbs
- Omega Fatty Acids – make sure your dog is getting the right balance of Omega fatty acids – I have yet to see a commercially made dog food that has the Omega 3:6 Fatty acids properly balanced. You will need to add some good-source Omega 3 fatty acids to your dog’s diet – read more here and choose the Omega 3 you want to use.
- Turmeric – read more about turmeric here - benefits, dosage
For items
such as cranberries and lemon…
- I chop (the finer the better) enough of the foodstuff in the food processor to last several days to a week;
- Then I put the chopped food in containers - plastic (BPA free) or glass;
- I leave the appropriate sized measuring spoon in the container – this little convenience makes it faster to prepare the meal at feeding time ᵔᴥᵔ
4.0 Holistic Support
Holistic Wellness Services and Holistic Behaviorist Services
Holistic Wellness and Behaviorist Services
Do you need holistic advice to support your companion animal's health and well being? Become a client. Book your consultation. My professional holistic nutrition, wellness and behavioral services are available to you:
🌿 Holistic Wellness Services for Dogs and Cats 🐕 🐈
🌿 Holistic Behaviorist Services for Dogs 🐕
My Holistic Client Services are Available Worldwide:
🇺🇸 USA
🇨🇦 Canada
🇬🇧 UK and other European countires
🇦🇺 Australia and other Oceania countires
🇭🇰 Hong Kong and other Asian countries
🇨🇷 Costa Rica and other Central American countries
🇪🇺 European countries
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and other South America countries
🇿🇦 South Africa and other African countries
🇸🇪 Sweden and other european countries
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Available Holistic Consultations and Sessions:
📱 FaceTime
📱 Facebook video or voice calling
💻 Skype
📞 Phone
🚶🏻♀️ In-Person
Menu of Holistic Wellness Services for Dogs and Cats 🐕🐈
For more information go here.
✅ Maintain Health, and;
✅ Address Health Issues and Conditions:
✓ Treatment and Remedy
✓ Pre-Surgery holistic support protocols
✓ Post-Surgery holistic healing protocols
✓ Pre-Vaccine holistic support protocols
✓ Post-Vaccine holistic support protocols
✓ Natural Insect and Parasite Prevention
✓ Natural Treatment for Insect, Parasite Infestation, Co-Infection, Disease
✅ Custom Designed Whole Food Diets - raw or gently cooked, and;
✅ Advice and Recommendation:
✓ Premade Diets - raw, dehydrated, freeze dried
✓ Supplemental Fresh Foods - raw, gently cooked
✓ Super foods
✓ Treats - raw, dehydrated, freeze dried, gently cooked
✓ Herbs
✓ Alternative Medicines
Menu of Holistic Behaviorist Services for Dogs 🐕
For more information go here.
In-person Sessions - available locally
Voice and Video Sessions - available worldwide
✓ Obedience Training
✓ Behavior Modification
✓ Psychological Rehabilitation
Affiliations to Companies
✓ None.
✓ I don't sell food or supplements.
✓ I'm not aligned with any companies.
✓ I choose to maintain my objectivity in selecting best-solutions for my individual client's needs.
Contact me
karen@ottawavalleydogwhisperer.ca
Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld
