Listerine for fleas add Apple Cider Vinegar

My original recipe was half apple cider vinegar and half Listerine mixed in
a  spray bottle. For the latter, I use generic amber-mouthwash from any
"Dollar  Store," or both from a discount grocery store. Then I
got the brilliant idea  that adding a large dash of baby oil would assist
in making a good grooming  spray for horses and dogs. (The scientific
discovery process awes me and I  realize this is how Madame Curie probably
started.) You don't want to use that  or any of the following on a cat,
since they lick themselves (including in  locations that embarrass us), or
you will have a  Tom-Sawyer-giving-the-cat-castor-oil experience.
[Blogger's note- I have used just apple cider vinegar with mixed results. 
Perhaps a low cost substitute of Listerine is the solution?]

Date:   9/21/2006 9:26:07 AM   ( 5 y ) ... viewed 15013 times

Dogs
cCopyright Jim Willis 2003

Several people have asked if I would share my recipe for a homemade 
anti-pest/grooming spray for dogs and horses. May they live to regret it.

My original recipe was half apple cider vinegar and half Listerine mixed in
a  spray bottle. For the latter, I use generic amber-mouthwash from any
"Dollar  Store," or both from a discount grocery store. Then I
got the brilliant idea  that adding a large dash of baby oil would assist
in making a good grooming  spray for horses and dogs. (The scientific
discovery process awes me and I  realize this is how Madame Curie probably
started.) You don't want to use that  or any of the following on a cat,
since they lick themselves (including in  locations that embarrass us), or
you will have a  Tom-Sawyer-giving-the-cat-castor-oil experience.

Eventually, I heard about the anti-pest properties of Avon
"Skin-So-Soft" bath  oil, and added a couple of ounces of that to
the mixture. True, it includes a  few chemical names I don't recognize (be
glad I'm not your pharmacist), but it  also includes carrot-seed oil. I
have a "to-do" list that dates back to 1973;  I am so impressed
that a company has time to squeeze oil from itty, bitty  carrot seeds. I am
even more impressed that unassuming carrots can scare  insects.

We all know about the anti-pest properties of citronella oil and I found 10
 oz. bottles of pure citronella oil through a mail-order equine supply
house.  Later, I discovered a citronella-based equine fly spray at the
local farm  supply by "Bronco" (sale price, usually under $6),
and simply divided that  among four spray bottles.

Then I found at my local pharmacy half-ounce bottles of essential oils for 
about $1.10 a bottle, including peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, lemon,
and  orange, and thought, "Why not?!" A little of this, a little
of that (somebody  at the FDA just fainted).

In the cold winter months, I stick to the vinegar/fake Listerine/couple of 
oils enough to make a dog smell good recipe. (You can also thoroughly spray
 the dog, rub him all over with an old towel, and it makes a good dry-bath 
spray.) In the warmer months, I use the whole arsenal.

I have a horse, "Cynnamon," and I use the spray on her daily; I
spray my dogs  with it two or three times a week (you don't want to get it
in their eyes, so  spray your hand and wipe some on the animal's face and
ears, and don't spray  anything located under a tail). I've noticed that
even on hikes with my dogs,  insects do a
"Matrix-Reloaded-dance-fight" to get out of our way. Before I 
ride my horse, I spray her and my clothes. My horse is a former dressage 
champion, not a cow pony, and she sees imaginary cougars in every tree,
ready  to pounce. A sweaty, prancing horse who rears and jumps creeks would
normally  be the ultimate attractant for biting flies the size of barn
owls. However, if  we ever pass you on a trail, among the first things
you'd notice is how  pest-free we are. The next thing you'd notice is that
your eyes are watering.  (I understand...there are few things more
beautiful than the sight of a  frightened man clinging to a horse -
symmetry in motion.)

I know that some scientific smart-aleck is going to write and ask if my
spray  recipe has been subjected to a double-blind, placebo-controlled
study. And I  will reply, "Dear Scientific Smart-Aleck. No, it has
not. I have at least ten  loads of pet laundry to do this weekend. But
thank you for writing and good  luck paying off your student loans by
working at a convenience store."

I'll admit, in a country where morbidly obese people sue fast food
restaurants  for making them morbidly obese, I am hesitant to share any of
my homemade  concoctions. If my spray takes the hair off your pig, don't
waste time trying  to sue me - about all you are going to get is a bunch of
animals to care for  
--- WWIVToss v.1.50