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. Mix ½ apple cider vinegar to ½ water and mix before spraying your dog's coat.
Vinegar. 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.
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.
Flea and/or tick preventative pills for dogs include: Isooxazoline ingredient products: Bravecto, NexGard, Credelio, and Simparica Trio. The active ingredient in these products kills fleas and ticks once they bite your dog, by attacking the parasite's nervous system.
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.
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.
Dogs generally get ticks because they're out in that environment, walking through the woods or high grass, and these ticks undergo what's called questing, where they crawl up on these low shrubs or grass, generally 18 to 24 inches off the ground and they basically hang out.
Bathing your dog with a shampoo that contains medicated ingredients will generally kill ticks on contact. This can be an inexpensive (though labor-intensive) method of protecting your dog during the peak tick season.
No discussion about acidity would be complete without a mention of citrus! Combine equal parts lemon juice and water and spritz your dog (and yourself) to combat fleas and ticks. Don't use this blend on cats – they tend to not like lemon.
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.
Eucalyptus Oil
It can also repel fleas and ticks and relieve muscle and joint pain. Dilute a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a carrier oil and apply it to your dog's chest or back, or use it in a diffuser.
Dental floss, fishing line or thin thread work in a pinch to remove a tick. Simply take your fishing line, floss or thread and, getting as close to the skin as possible, loop it around the head of the tick. Tighten the loop and carefully and firmly pull your floss or string upward.
Baking Soda - Mix together half a tablespoon of baking soda and salt. Then combine this with 4 ounces of apple cider vinegar and pour it in a spray bottle to spray directly on your pet.
After You Come Indoors
Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors.
A dog can become the unwilling host to a mommy tick who lays her eggs in the soft, warm fur. You'll be able to spot these eggs easily. Look for a cluster of small translucent brown or red eggs. Removing these eggs is easy – use gloves to protect yourself from disease and pull the nest off.
Tick bites cause irritation and skin wounds. These wounds can become infected with other bacterial infections and screwworm infestations. In some cases, anemia from ticks can be so severe that it can ultimately lead to death. If your dog has been infested with ticks, it requires immediate medical attention.
NexGard protects against fleas, ticks and mites. For protection against other parasites, such as heartworm or intestinal worms, NexGard may be included in a treatment program with HeartGard30 PLUS or ParaGard for Dogs.
Make Yourself Less Tick-Friendly
A diet high in garlic, onions and sources of vitamin B1 (thiamin), such as tuna, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, asparagus and leafy greens, for example, can alter your body chemistry in a way that ticks don't appreciate, so they aren't as likely to bite.
A pleasant-smelling oil, eucalyptus can be used to repel ticks and pests. Be sure to dilute with a carrier oil or purchase a spray solution that has already been thinned with water.
Scientists have determined that type A blood is the most appealing to ticks, followed by type O and type AB, and type B blood is the least attractive to ticks. In a recent study, 36 percent of the ticks gravitated to type A blood, with only 15 percent being drawn to the type B sample.
When you exhale, you are going to release carbon dioxide into the air. This compound is one of the most common smells that will attract ticks. Ticks are going to find their hosts by sniffing out this carbon dioxide. Some ticks will also pick up some other scents, for example, ammonia.
This homemade tick repellent recipe uses equal parts water and white vinegar, and about 10 drops each of eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil. I've been using it for a couple of years and it really works well, plus these ingredients should not stain your clothing. I use an old Windex bottle to really spray my kids good!