Posted by admin | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 10-09-2011
Tags: garden, insect, organic, organic insect repellent for plants, plants, repellent
Using Essential Oils as a Dog Insect Repellent
Many dog owners are aware of essential oils, although perhaps some may be confused a little with the name. Essential oils are those oils which normally are derived from vegetables, fruits and flowers and represent a concentration of that plant’s oil. Essential here refers to the “essence” of a particular plant. There are many types of essential oils that are suitable for dogs. However, a word of caution, others may be harmful. This article deals with the application of essential oils within the context of their usage as a dog insect repellent and/or insecticide.
Using Safe Essential Oils within the Context of Dog Pet Supplies
The following are a few essential oils that are safe for use on your dog:
Bergamot, Carrot Seed, Cedarwood, Chamomile, German Chamomile, Roman Clary, Sage, Eucalyptus, Radiata, Geranium, Ginger, Helichrysum, Lavender, Marjoram, Sweet Niaouli, Peppermint, Orange, Valerian.
The ones that are in highlight: cedar wood, lavender and orange are all very pleasant smelling and are useful for either killing insects (orange oil) or repelling them (Cedar and lavender). These should be an essential part of one’s dog grooming products supply cabinet.
Use of Essential Oils
One of the obvious difficulties in utilizing essential oils is the fact that because they are oils, they are a bit difficult to use on a dog in a cost effective manner. Essential oils are quite expensive, typically sold in health stores starting from $4.00 per ½ ounce vial and up. Another and important issue with essential oils is the fact that they also evaporate relatively quickly. Another problem with their usage is the fact that many are flammable.
The key benefit attributed to some of the essential oils and particularly the three mentioned above, is that they kill and repel insects (especially fleas). This is a critical benefit for pet owners. Fleas and tics to an extent cause major problems within a home. The best way to control them is to kill the insects and repel them, obviously before they might enter your home.
Is this Really a Practical Solution?
The alternative to going the natural route for flea control is to use systemic approaches which are absorbed into your pet’s blood stream and may cause health problems down the road. The best way to use an essential oil is to combine it with an organic, inert surfactant. A surfactant is a type of chemical, some of which are naturally derived, that allows an oil to mix with a liquid, typically, alcohol or purified water.
The properties of the essential oils are maintained, while the loss resulting from evaporation is minimized. Most consumers can not readily find an organic surfactant, although several exist within the chemical industry. If a consumer is trying to use an essential oil in a cost effective way and trying to blend in a surfactant, it is a little unwieldy. However, there are a very few makers and formulators of essential oil preparations that are productized, in such a ways as to be very practical for use in pet care. Also, whenever considering a natural flea preparation, try to avoid any which use essential oils combined with alcohol. The alcohol evaporates quickly, as well and the alcohol may irritate the skin of your dog.
Locating a Manufacturer
There are three products made by a vendor in Canada with offices in Florida that uses orange d-limonene, which is a strong deodorizer as well as being able to kill insects. In addition there are two other products with surfacted cedar oil and surfacted lavender oil. These products have been used and have been on the market for some time. They are both safe and effective. You can find all of them on the following web site: www.orangedogproducts.com
About the Author
Al Fleming is a noted environmentalist and manufacturer of natural and green remedies for insect control as well as other natural products that are safe for the household and environment. He can be contacted at stacfleming@shaw.ca His web site http://www.orangedogproducts.com also contains many useful appraches to pet care.
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