Dog Shampoo

I discovered this recipe after making this shampoo for myself and ending up with hair so dry and cleansed of natural oils that it felt like dog hair. So I used it up on Shirl and her coat looked amazing afterwards and she smelled gorgeous. I think she knew it too. Rosemary is a very old treatment for hair and is very antiseptic, as is lavender. People used to strew bunches of these herbs all over their floors to deter fleas and vermin, so there is a high chance this shampoo will keep fleas away, but I'm not claiming it will get rid of them altogether! It also contains glycerine, another wonderful old-fashioned moisturiser which I use in a lot of my recipes.

Get enough fresh rosemary stalks to stuff an old Agee jar. (Always cut your rosemary from the bottom of the stalk, not half way up, for the sake of the plant)

Water - I used rainwater

30ml liquid detergent - you can use dishwashing detergent, but I like to use a liquid castile soap like Dr Bronners, which you can get on my Shop Now page.

1 tsp glycerine (available at pharmacies and some supermarkets)

1/4 tsp lavender essential oil

Pack the jar tight with rosemary and pour in boiling water. Seal and leave to steep overnight. Pour 300 ml into a bottle, and then add the detergent, glycerine and lavender oil and give it a good shake. Pour liberally over your wet dog, lather up and rinse off. Happy dog, happy you, fewer fleas, nice smell!

Dog Itch Salve

If your dog likes to nibble away and has some sores which won't heal try using this. Sulphur is very healing and the smell stops the dog from nibbling. You can get it a chemists, just ask for sulphur powder

2Tbs petroleum jelly

1 tsp sulphur powder

Mix together and apply to the wound.  

Cider Vinegar

This remarkable substance has been used for centuries as an antibiotic, an antiseptic and a healing elixir – and you can buy it on your supermarket shelf! Add 1 Tbsp to your pet’s water bowl to aid digestion, keep them in top condition, and some people believe it also helps deter fleas. You can also use normal brown vinegar or cider vinegar as a final rinse for your dog to get rid of smells and fleas. Dilute 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 warm water and pour over the dog. Do not rinse out.  

For a bad case of fleas spray neat cider vinegar on your dog until the coat and skin are wet. Leave for 20 minutes ( I take Shirl for a walk) then rinse off.

Garlic

Put a garlic clove in your pet’s water you can help deter pests such as mites and fleas.

De-Flea Powder

There is this amazing substance call diatomaceous earth which you can get at health stores and some garden centres. It is a naturally occurring chalk-like rock which is harmless to us but attaches itself to the flea’s waxy coating and causes it to dehydrate within 48 hours. You can rub this into your pet’s fur, I use it on my chickens and my dog and it does have an effect. Also sprinkle it around your pet’s bedding, in the cracks or your floorboards, in your carpet or anywhere else you think fleas might be hiding. You can also use it on your garden to kill slugs and snails. 

Garlic/Yeast powder for cat food.

I make this up by the jar load and sprinkle it in with the cat biscuits when I pour them into their container. It attaches itself to the slightly sticky outer coating and then the cats eat it no problem. The theory behind this powder is that fleas hate the taste of yeast and garlic in their blood so will hop off and look elsewhere. I sometimes wonder if the whole family shouldn’t be eating this mix so that the fleas don’t decide to eat us instead!

 De-Flea Powder

100gms Brewer’s Yeast

30gms garlic powder (not garlic salt!)

1 Tbs bran

1 Tbs wheatgerm

Whizz together in a food processor and feed 1 tsp per day per cat. I just throw about half a cup in with a box of biscuits and give it a good shake up.

Doggy De-Flea Treats

My dog Shirl absolutely loves these biscuits and they have lots of other goodies in them too such as wheatgerm for vitamin E and linseed for omega 3 fatty acids. Do keep them in an air-tight container as one batch I made went mouldy after a week. Not that Shirl seemed to mind!

3 tsp Maggi beef stock powder (or dissolve 2 tsp Marmite or Vegemite in the hot water below)

3 1/2 cups wholemeal flour

½ cup wheatgerm

½ cup bran

½ cup linseed

2/3 cup Brewer’s Yeast

2 Tbs garlic granules (in spice dept of your local supermarket)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups hot water

Mix all the ingredients together except the eggs and water. Mix in the eggs then slowly add the hot water stirring all the time until you have a workable dough (stickier the better). Roll out, cut into shapes and place on a greased tray. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes, and then turn off the oven and leave to harden overnight or at least a few hours.

For large dogs (like my Shirl) give 2 to 3 a day, smaller dogs 1 or 2.