Beat Lyme with this Homemade Tick Repellent
Summer is almost officially here, which means no school, sunshine, outdoor fun and TICKS.
I know I really just killed the summer mood, but with Lyme cases still on the rise, Lyme Disease is a real fear. Although only about 30,00 cases of Lyme Disease are reported to the CDC each year, the actual numbers are thought to much higher (1). This is often because Lyme disease is misdiagnosed or people simply do not go in to get checked.
According to the CDC more like 300,000 people get Lyme each year. Yeah, I know that is crazy (2).
The symptoms of Lyme include but are not limited to (3):
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Bulls-eye rash
- Stiffness in joints
- Nerve pain
Did you know that your dog can also contract Lyme Disease? My German Shepherd was diagnosed with Lyme a few years ago. Even with her monthly tick repellent (you know the one you put between their shoulder blades) we still constantly pulled ticks off of her. She had to go through a large round of antibiotics before she started feeling better.
The symptoms for dogs with Lyme include, but are not limited to (4):
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Joint swelling
- Stiffness
Lyme Disease can be dangerous, especially when it goes untreated. So, what are we supposed to do in the summer and fall when ticks are hiding in the grass? I found out early, most bug sprays don’t help and many repellents used on dogs require the tick to actually bite them.
The solution?
I went online to do some research and stumbled across some information about essential oils, specifically rose geranium being excellent at repelling ticks. I already had some faith in essential oils, peppermint oil spray has kept ants and spiders out of the house for years, but I wondered if it would work with ticks.
I found a simple tick repellant recipe on Primally Inspired and it is very similar to several recipes I found on the internet. Sometimes the vodka was replaced with vinegar, but for the most part it stayed the same. I gathered all the ingredients, pretended I was in potions class at Hogwarts and guess what? It works! It works on people and dogs, don’t put on cats though.
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Here is the easy recipe and where I got all the ingredients:
- 40 drops Rose geranium
- 1/3 cup Distilled Water (local store)
- Glass containers
- 1 tablespoon Vodka (local store)
So this summer, let’s run, jump, play and not worry about ticks as much. Try it out and let me know how it works for you!