Summer Essentials Pet Post

I love any and all animals. My house is full of them, 3 dogs, 4 cats, and a horse. Okay, the horse doesn’t stay in the house but I would totally let her if she could.

Now that it is hot outside (happy dance) those lovely little pests are out. Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and flies lots and lots of flies. I think the flies may be the worst. Now I know many of you are probably thinking ‘what flies the worst?’ Well if you have never had a horse then you will probably not know all the flies of the biting stinging variety. There are horse flies, and deer flies. Then there are bot flies and sweat bees (not a fly I know). I could keep going on but I will stop here. Needless to stay anything with wings is pretty much guaranteed to be on my S list. I don’t know anyone who likes pests? They can just cause a lot of trouble by entering your house and finding accommodation on your plants and your food. My friend seems to have a really bad time with them and has tried everything in the book to try and get rid of them. It was only recently that she decided to get in touch with this Nebraska Terminx company in her area who were finally able to get rid of them for her. And the good news is that she hasn’t seen them since. Luckily, it hasn’t got this far with me yet, but I have to say, I wish they would hurry up and leave.

If you are like me you have a problem using all those nasty chemical flea and tick repellents and fly sprays. Because really if it is dangerous to get on your own skin why would you want to be putting it on your pets (which are pretty much like family/kids)?

The number one thing to do with an animal that is infested with pests, especially fleas, is to check their nutrition and health. Pests do not thrive on healthy pets, sure they may have the occasional flea or tick but they will not be covered in them. I recommend talking to both your vet and a certified animal nutritionist to build a healthy diet for your pet and see if they can recommend any medication, oils or even CBD for Cats and other pets to see if your furry friends can benefit from health and wellness products made especially for animals. It’s also important to keep the area your animals are living in as clean as possible, as this could contribute to an unhealthy pet. For example, if your pets are living or sleeping inside (like my dogs and cats) and have fleas, then the fleas can live in your carpets and soft furnishings as well. I understand this isn’t always easy – my pets are often outside and then come inside and bring muck and dirt with them. They also tend to shed a lot. I work hard at keeping my house clean, to the point of even having some washable pee pads for the dogs for when they don’t want to go out but still need to relieve themselves, but I also take some short cuts… I found a roomba helped a lot with my dirty floors and also saved me a lot of time. If you are interested in the sound of these then check out these reviews of the best roombas for pet hair.

Now if you are just looking for something you can buy and use on your pets for fleas and ticks, I love Only Natural Pet products I love their diaotomaceous earth product and cedar spray.

Now for a few DIY pet spray recipes.

For Dogs and Horses

32 oz Witch Hazel

15 drops Lavender EO

15 drops Citronella EO

15 Drops Lemongrass EO

15 Drops Peppermint EO

15 Drops Geranium EO

Mix it all up in a spray bottle and mist your pets with this mixture once every couple of days.

For Cats

When using essential oils on cats please watch for any changes in their behavior and stop use immediately if something changes.

14 oz Witch Hazel

5 Drops Lavender EO

5 Drops Geranium EO

5 Drops Rosemary EO

5 Drops Cedar Wood EO

Mix all this up and mist your cat only when necessary.

Be sure and get good quality essential oils. I get mine from Young Living You can find out more about them here and how to save 24% on all your oily purchases.

If you try out one of these sprays let me know how it works for you!

Do you have any insect repelling tricks that you use on your pets?

Watch out for my next Summer Essentials post, bug spray for humans & a giveaway! Also coming soon will be my soap recipe series! Let me know if there are any soap recipes you would really like to have.