Doggie with buggs

Question
Have a small dog, 8-9 years old.
Looking for something to get the bugs off
him.  He hangs around in the house
most of the time, resting a lot between
naps.  Outside his favorite stuff is long
grass and apparently picking up all kinda
bugs.  I'd like something "natural" stuff I
might already have around the house.
Not crazy about the commercial
products, don't seem to work well in the
first place and costly.  

Answer
Hi Don;
Yep, natural is best.
Pennyroyal smothers fleas and ticks.
go to a health food store and get a bottle of pennyroyap oil.
no, you want the 100% oil, not the pennyroyal in a bottle with a dropper that you take or give by mouth.
the bottle will cost around 6 to 9 dollars for a tiny bottle, but this amount will last a long time.
You can order it online cheaper, but it takes awhile to get it tp you.
Put a couple of drops in your hand and rub your palms together, then apply it to the dog's coat, like you were applyiny a hair oil or dressing.
You just want the smell of it on the dog.
You don't want to put the oil directly on the skin by drops, because a concentration of it can cause a rash.
Pennyroyal acts on adult fleas and ticks and the larvae, like if you put a plastic bag over your head and tied it shut.
they die pretty quick, so they will avoid it like the plague.
You can get some epsom Salts, put it in a blender or food processor and whirr it till it is very fine, put it in a glass jar, and drop in a few drops of pennyroyal oil. shake it up well, and close the jar lid tight. Leave it for a few hours, at least 5 or 6, and then dust it in your carpet, and on upholstered furniture where the dog has been.
If flea eggs fell off the dog, or the flea left eggs on furniture or carpet, when they hatch, the pennyroyal will kill them. that will chase them out of your house, off the dogs, and kep them off.
If you vacuumn, or bathe the dog, you will need to reapply.
Keep the carpet dust on the carpet for at least 7 days, 9 would be better still.
The life cycle of a flea is 7 days.
As soon as the eggs hatch, the larvae will die very soon, but you don't know when they eggs will hatch, so keep it treated for at least 7 or 9 days.
do the treatment on the dog before it goes outside to run.
Once a day should be enough.
Bathing with any dog shampoo will kill the fleas that are on the dog now. Get the shampoo worked up into a good suds, and massage that around through the hair for about 5 minutes. you will see all the drowned fleas when you rinse the dog.
Dry it iff well, and treat with pennyroyal oil.
You can buy pennyroyal plants in nurseries and grow it in your garden, yard or outdoor containers.
Growing round the yard will help keep the fleas and ticks out of the yard.
Cedar bark mulch sprinkled all over the yard will chase them, and also a lot of other unwanted insects.
You can also grow rosemary. lavender and basil, and chop the leaves in a food chopper and sprinkle it over the carpet, and furniture. work anything like that into the carpet fibers with a broom so it won't make the floor look dirty.
Thise herbs keep fleas, houseflies, cockroaches, ants, spiders, silver fish, and earwigs out of your house.
throw some rosemary under each appliance, on each cabinet and pantry shelf, any place roaches can come in or hide.
I have NO insects in my house, and I use no poisons.
the rosemary, basil, lavender and other herbs you grow, you can use for cooking.
they are better fresh than dried, and you can grow a lot of the herbs for a lot less than you pay for the dried herbs to cook with in the store.
When it is about time for things to go dormant in the fall, you can freeze the herbs, and they are like using fresh.
Write any time, if you need more info or any of this clarified.
Charlotte