General Question Mosquitoes ....

[Bullymommy62]

Hey there,

is there such thing as a bug spray for bulldogs? I know if people eat garlic that keeps them away. I feel bad for him bc they really bother him when he just goes out to use the bathroom. I caught one near his ear buzzing away. And I couldn't figure out why he kept shaking his head and flicking his ear. Thankfully no redness, goofy stuff but you can tell he is getting annoyed every time he goes out.

Stupid mosquitoes!

 

[Mia Amor]

Awww poor thing. Hope someone comes up with some solution for you for this. My mom always tells me about home remedies for people maybe one of those would work for your dog. Not sure but hope he gets some help I know that he must be annoyed.

Sent from Mia's s4 (Mia Amor)

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi Minah, I haven't heard of any mosquito sprays for pets, and I would be very careful and even say don't use any sprays on your dog, as they contain Deet, and other chemicals, which can be absorbed through the skin, and also dogs will lick it off and this could be toxic or poisonous.


Lemon – A Safe, Natural Mosquito Repellent for Dogs:




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.


If you are not in a high-incident zone for heartworm infection you can try using the following lemon-based alternatives to repeal 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 Spot 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 favourite/vulnerable spots 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/ingesting the lemon juice!


1.2 Spray Application


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.


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…






Preparing the Lemon


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.
Adding The Lemon to The Daily Diet
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.
Daily Dosage (non-therapeutic)


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






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

 

[2BullyMama]

Never thought of it for the pups... but Monica listed some good suggestions

 

[Manydogs]

[MENTION=11946]Bullymommy62[/MENTION] Avon Skin so Soft bath oil is a good thing to keep flys and "skeeters" off. Mix about 1/3 SSS, 2/3 water. Just mix enough for a couple of days. I've used that for my horses,too.

 

[Bullymommy62]

Thanks guys! So after a couple days of freaking out about redness and itching I took Fat Louie to the vet. Turns out no infections but he is getting allergies from outside. the teeny gnats in my back yard are on full eat mode. I know it's that because today when I was on poop patrol and noticed that I was beyond itchy everywhere on my arms, legs etc. I looked at my arm closely and saw the annoying lil bugs. My vet advised on treating my backyard. I know usually I have a bug guy come and spray but won't that affect Fat Louie with him being sensitive? But I'm still on the hunt for the avon product and will be buying lemons tomorrow. Def sucks I made a visit to the Dr to get landscaping advice

 

[Manydogs]

I would be very careful about using any chemicals on your property. Your dog could have a bad reaction to it.

 

[ChrisRN]

Minah, it's tough--especially in Texas, where the biting bugs are ravenous! We're having a horrible time with mosquitos here this year and we live in a wooded area where they're really thick. I worry so much about heart worm because the treatment is so awful! I think you've gotten some good advice here, though!