Essential oils seem to be working

[Sam I Am]

So given how badly Rosie reacted to Advantix last year , I decided that there was no way I could ever again give her these kinds of medications.I received a bottle of Dr Mercola's flea and tick defence, sprayed her coat and lo and behold no mosquitos and such came near her.  Plus she smells like a Christmas cookie now.  Hopefully  this will keep off any nasty critters and on the plus side, my vet, given Rosie's reaction to tick medication, agrees with this strategy . In our part of the world less than 1% of ticks carry Lyme disease, so the chances are very good that she will be fine. Will keep you posted if I find any ticks on her.

[Sam I Am]

Rosie smells so sweet. Love the clove and cinnamon odors  that eminate from her coat. 

[Autumn & Lola]

I'm glad you found something effective for Rosie. My Mandy also had a very bad reaction to a flea and tick med (I honestly forget which one now). . It is an added bonus that Rosie smells so sweet. I'd want to kiss her all the time if she smells like a Christmas cookie.   I subscribe to Dr. Mecola's newsletter and there is a lot of sound advice in them. Keep us posted because I'm sure others would like this alternative if it is effective.

[hheldorfer]

Good to hear the Dr. Mecola's is working for you.   Given Rosie's bad reaction to Advantix, it's nice you found an alternative that appears to be effective.  Do you have to reapply if she gets wet?  Just wondering.

[Hillscreek]

I did try the oils once on a dog. I think I found they did have a tendency to repel bugs but not to kill them. Also had to be using them very frequently.

One just has to experiment and use what works in a particular situation for a particular dog. Advantix11 worked for us but was messy. Currently using Bravecto no mess and works for 3 months and for Angus anyway no side effects. So in bug infested N. PA mountains that's the way for us to go.

Will say Angus has the sweetest smelling fur of any dog I've ever owned. I find it hard to believe sometimes. Never "doggy' odor or any other. I just smell sweet health. Plus enough pine trees round here without having him smell like one too

Having said that it's good to stay away from his fishy breath after a meal There's three kinds of fish in his kibble and topper mixed with water.

[sanford]

4 hours ago, Hillscreek said:

Angus has the sweetest smelling fur of any dog I've ever owned. I find it hard to believe sometimes. Never "doggy' odor or any other. I just smell sweet health. 

It was true for Carrington and the same goes for Ruffy. It's one of the pleasures of having a cairn in my life... To be able to bury my face in the fur and inhale that "sweet health" as you so aptly put it. Aren't we cairn owners lucky?

(Apologies for this being off-topic)!

[hheldorfer]

Although I can't argue with the facts presented above regarding Dr. Mercola, I also can't argue with success.  If a remedy works for a dog, it works.  I think much of the success/failure of any type of treatment depends on the dog and the individual situation - in this case the the local climate and prevalence (or lack thereof) of ticks and fleas and the diseases they may carry.  

Chances are that Dr. Mercola - like many scientists/physicians/researchers - has developed some remedies that work and some that don't.  

[Sam I Am]

On 6/27/2016 at 10:32 AM, hheldorfer said:

Good to hear the Dr. Mecola's is working for you.   Given Rosie's bad reaction to Advantix, it's nice you found an alternative that appears to be effective.  Do you have to reapply if she gets wet?  Just wondering.

Rosie hasn't gotten wet yet (she hates the rain. A true Princess!) But amazingly enough if I spray her lightly, especially on her tummy, the biting insects in the yard seem to ignore her for days.  I refuse to use any deet products on myself  and  I have tried various recipes on Pintrest for uprights spray and it works pretty good.  We try to keep all chemicals, drugs and such to a minimum in our house. Not just for the dogs, but also for us.

[Lynn in TN]

Terrier lover I am very glad you found something that works on Rosie! I use essential oils myself for the same reason. Kelly had a bad reaction to the vet recommended Advantix. Frontline didn't work at all for us. It seems there are a lot of people moving away from those type of products for the same reason. I have met several pet owners that have had the same reaction on their pets. A lot of people in our area have stopped using those products.

[Sam I Am]

It's not only how some of these (  animals) react negatively when these products are applied, what really worries me is the long term health issues that arise from pesticides and also herbicides. And that goes for all of us. Cancer rates are soaring. In all species. And its not the fresh air , clean water and good food that's causing it! 

Just to heart breaking to lose these animals way beyond their time. We all have to do what feels right for each of us, for me less is way better. But then that's just my opinion.