Surprises me how many people dislike the smell of Tea Tree oil. I love it and often use it in a water/oil burner when I have a head cold.

My favorite reference book on essential oils for personal use is:

Essential Energy, by Nikki Goldstein

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Energy-Guide-Aromatherapy-Oils/dp/0446912093

So we have been using the oils for months with no problem but now that fall is here the dogs seem to be picking up fleas like crazy! I don't understand why because they've been getting the oils like usual and just this week they got a flea bath and I put a couple extra drops of the lavender oil on their collars right after but a few days later they have fleas again! We are going to flea bomb the house but I still want to know why the oils seem to have stopped working.

DON"T BOMB -

Get a bag of Diatomaceous Earth and spread it aorund your house. Then, give them comfortis. Voila! It will be gone...

Just don't bomb, its bad for you and your dogs.

Have you changed Faolans diet? That can be why it stopped working.

As much as I like the smell of the oils within 3-4 days I notice both Adobo & Biko itching in the collar area. Tossed collars in laundry no more oil no more itching. Just something to keep in mind.

Len, did you apply the oils to the outside of the collar (facing out away from the dog)? Oils do cause skin irritation so you don't want it coming into contact with the skin.

Mine soak through the collar - I apply them in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, just a drop - the olive oil acts as a carrier oil, to dilute it enough to be safe against skin, but doesn't stifle scent at all.

Hmm, I rub the drop along the outside of the collar so it doesn't have a chance to soak through since it's so spread out.

mheath0429 wrote:

DON"T BOMB -

Get a bag of Diatomaceous Earth and spread it aorund your house. Then, give them comfortis. Voila! It will be gone...

Just don't bomb, its bad for you and your dogs.

Have you changed Faolans diet? That can be why it stopped working.

I just realized Flea bombs are an actual thing. That's not what I meant, I meant we are just going to spray everywhere with flea killer stuff. I'll try the diatomaceous earth too, thanks.

The only change in Faolan's diet is he went from eating only kibble to having a raw meal every third meal. Legend, my papillon, has been switched entirely to raw.

Hey I know its been a while with this thread but I have been having an issue finding essential oils. The only health food type store in my town doesn't know what grade there oils are and I can't find it on the box or bottle. I want to make sure to get therapeutic grade as that is what I have read is safe for dogs. But I can't seam to find it and the websites I check also don't say what grade the oils are. Does anyone have a website they suggest? I have looked at the ones on this post already and can't find the grade either. Also I have heard about mixing the oil with the dogs shampoo to have the bath help repel the bugs as well does anyone have suggestions on that? Such as how much to use or how to mix it. As always thank you for all the help.

I get all of my oils off Amazon. Super cheap and fast shipping. Don't worry if you can't find one with a dropper in it; I just use a q-tip instead . For amazon, you just have to type the oil in (expample:lavender oil) and it will bring up a TON of different ones. Like always, just make sure it is 100% .

I'm not sure how much the mixing goes; I haven't personally mixed my oils with my shampoo; but I know most people just mix a couple drops of Tea Tree Oil in with either the shampoo or the water, I'm not 100% sure. I know Lani mixes her oil during baths, so hopefully she will comment . All you have

Saide's and Wash's Mom wrote:

Hey I know its been a while with this thread but I have been having an issue finding essential oils. The only health food type store in my  town doesn't know what grade there oils are and I can't find it on the box or bottle. I want to make sure to get therapeutic grade as that is what I have read is safe for dogs. But I can't seam to find it and the websites I check also don't say what grade the oils are. Does anyone have a website they suggest? I have looked at the ones on this post already and can't find the grade either. Also I have heard about mixing the oil with the dogs shampoo to have the bath help repel the bugs as well does anyone have suggestions on that? Such as how much to use or how to mix it. As always thank you for all the help.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

I get all of my oils off Amazon. Super cheap and fast shipping. Don't worry if you can't find one with a dropper in it; I just use a q-tip instead . For amazon, you just have to type the oil in (example:lavender oil) and it will bring up a TON of different ones. Like always, just make sure it is 100% .

Yup, what Kelsey said. I never knew about the q-tip thing so you can either use that or I went to Kroger (or a local grocery store) and found a pack of two droppers for $0.99. Also the brand on amazon I use is 'greenals', I looked around for the cheaper ones with free shipping. Some are outrageous for no reason, like $10 for less than .5oz, so I looked around until I found the decent ones, I paid $5.65 for 2oz of rose geranium and $3.59 for 1oz lavender. Also pay attention to shipping, some have shipping prices and some don't depending on where they come from.

First, all you need to really look for is a label that is 100% ___ oil. Doesn't need to be a special therapeutic grade, just make sure you get a pure oil that is not a mix. The label will list all ingredients, so make sure there is only one. Also, try looking online, I buy all my oils online and for very cheap with no need to run all over town looking for them.

Second, I personally would not mix the oils in with your dog shampoo. Essential oils can irritate the skin which is why we don't put them directly on the dogs skin, or our own for that matter, so I prefer to play things on the 'better safe than sorry' side. Could you mix oils in with a shampoo, I'm sure you could but I just wouldn't do it on my own. If you really want the smell in your shampoo to repel pests then I would buy a shampoo that already contains the oils that you want, for example you could use Earthbath's Tea Tree & Aloe dog shampoo which I have used and highly recommend.

I use therapeutic grade, as I found that works better for ticks in my area. I don't even use the q tip, just dab it on the collar.

Val, I believe if a carrier oil is in the shampoo it neutralizes it. Argan, Moroccan, even vegetable oils should neutralize any effects.

In response to some people asking about the essentials oils and cats. Tea Tree oil is in fact toxic to cats, so please keep this in mind.

Here's a link that I found that might be useful for husky owners with cats, apparently if you dilute the oils enough it's safe to use on cats too, but only certain oils. http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/essential-oils-for-cats.html

This is the link on the same website for how to use the oils on dogs http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/home-remedies-for-dogs.html

I hope this helps!  

I am so glad we have this thread. I am a little spoiled that we don't really get fleas or tick in area between the dry climate, the long cold winter and the short summers. Also that its a desert like condition they just don't do well here. Most of the vets don't even suggest flea or tick meds. But I am planning a camping trip in sawtooth national park area and with all the forests and stuff I wanted to be extra safe.

And I am guessing a little on my pants might work on keeping them off me as well? I really don't like ticks.