Ingredients
1 quart pure water (well water or bottled, not tap/city water)
2 lemons
1 orange
few sprigs fresh or dried rosemary &/or cloves. (please use organic or home-grown-non-pesticidal ingredients!)
Directions
Thinly slice orange & lemons, peel & all.
or use the peel only.
Add to water in a large saucepan/pot bring to a rolling boil.
Then cover & remove from heat. Allow to steep in the pot in the refrigerator overnight.
Strain with cheesecloth or something similar that will finely strain.
Pour into a clean spray bottle.
Spray dog all over, including undersides & feet, until DAMP.
Brush or rub in and allow dog to dry.
Repeat every week or two as needed.
Variations can include using: cedar oil, neem oil, lemongrass, citronella, lavender oil, Apple Cider Vinegar(organic with the “mother”), grapefruit peels.
I know this base recipe works for us, and I usually try some new addition every batch or two. I got this idea from Dr Pitcairn’s Lemon Dip for fleas but I needed something that worked well on ticks too. This has been very successful for us. You may need to use it more or less, or use more lemon, etc. to find the exact mixture that works for you. I currently have three 40-45 pound dogs that like to spend a lot of time outside. One batch lasts us about a month.
Here is a stupid question. I can leave this solution on the dog. Do you see any problems with flies or bugs hanging around the dogs?
Yes you should leave it on. Best applied with a spray bottle. it will repel fleas ticks & mosquitoes in my experiences.