A homemade spray solution of one part vinegar and one part water helps keep ticks and fleas away from your pets. Pour the solution in a spray bottle and spray directly onto your pets, but be careful not to get it in their eyes.
Apple cider vinegar is an easy-to-use natural tick repellant. You can add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar per quart of water to your dog's water bowl to keep ticks away from your dog. Apple cider vinegar can also be mixed with water to make a tick repellant spray.
For pets, add 1 cup of water to a spray bottle, followed by 2 cups of distilled white vinegar. Ticks hate the smell and taste of vinegar, and will be easily be repelled by this ingredient alone. Then, add two spoonfuls of vegetable or almond oil, which both contain sulfur (another natural tick repellent).
Combine 1 quart of water, 1 cup of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of baby shampoo or liquid dish soap. Use this mixture to bathe your dog once or twice a month. Vinegar kills fleas and ticks on contact and can prevent future infestations.
A homemade spray solution of one part vinegar and one part water helps keep ticks and fleas away from your pets. Pour the solution in a spray bottle and spray directly onto your pets, but be careful not to get it in their eyes.
Cedar Oil. Cedar oil kills and repels ticks by causing dehydration, inhibiting breathing, disrupting pheromones, and emulsifying body fats. You can find cedar oil spray at most garden stores, or you can also make it yourself. In a spray bottle, mix 1–2 teaspoons of cedarwood essential oil with 1 cup of water.
Ticks hate the smell of lemon, orange, cinnamon, lavender, peppermint, and rose geranium so they'll avoid latching on to anything that smells of those items. Any of these or a combination can be used in DIY sprays or added to almond oil and rubbed on exposed skin.
Repel Ticks With Lemon
However, you need to be careful in using lemon juice on your pets because the extract contains limonene which is dangerous. When limonene is ingested by your pets, it can cause skin irritation and can lead to damages to the liver.
Kurtz says vinegar is not strong enough to kill or even repel ticks.
Garlic, sage, mint, lavender, beautyberry, rosemary and marigolds are some of the most familiar and effective tick-repelling plants, and they are great to use in landscaping borders around decks, walkways, pet runs, patios and other areas to keep ticks away.
Vinegar can kill ticks and prevent infestations in the future, AKC Pet Insurance explains. Essential oils can also be used to repel ticks, but it's very important to know what oils are safe for your pet. Always have a conversation with your veterinarian before you try making a tick-deterring spray with essential oils.
Removal of Ticks on Dogs
Once a tick is located, use small tweezers to grab the tick at the base where it has burrowed into the skin and lift with steady, firm upward pressure. Once the tick mouth is removed from the skin, place this tick in a container or a plastic bag and contact your veterinarian.
Once a week, spray your dog's fur with the mixture. Although not scientifically proven to get rid of flea, the acidic taste of the vinegar may repel fleas and other parasites. If your dog dislikes being sprayed, dip a washcloth into the mixture and rub your dog's coat. There is no need to rinse your dog afterward.
Dr. Hutchinson has his own home remedy, "Nine parts Listerine and one part water, in a spray bottle, spray. Spray your dogs' coat and your lower body and the ticks hate the alcohol and will jump right off while you are out there."
The essential oil commonly used to repel ticks on dogs is lavender oil. It has a sweet, calming scent that is attractive to humans and dogs but loathed by bugs like fleas and ticks. Amazingly, lavender oil also prevents tick eggs from hatching.
Like the fruit, lemon juice and lemon oil contain substances that are harmful to dogs. Ingesting them can lead to serious or even life-threatening tummy trouble. Lemon juice or oil on a dog's skin can cause irritation, too. Even diffusing lemon essential oil for aromatherapy in your home can be unpleasant for pups.
Best overall tick repellent
The CDC — along with six experts I spoke with — recommends DEET as an effective tick repellent. “The EPA suggests that any product with DEET should have a concentration between 20 and 30 percent of the active ingredient,” says Molaei.
Bicarb soda creates an alkaline environment unfavourable to ticks, encouraging the larvae and nymphs to drop off. Bicarb soda is useful if you have a high incidence of infestations while spending time outdoors and being exposed to getting bitten on a regular basis.
*Oil of lemon eucalyptus is a synthetic concentration of para-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD), which repels some insects and ticks.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Salt
Using apple cider vinegar is a simple and natural way to create a space where ticks and fleas cannot survive. Applying the mixture of apple cider vinegar and salt changes the PH of your dog's skin and makes the ticks and fleas ward off.