The Dog's Days of Summer.

It's HOT HOT HOT!! Here in the south we've been seeing triple digit heat since April. Not that triple digits are unknown for us, but we normally don't start seeing them until atleast June. I've been posting DIY stuff for humans and almost forgot about our four legged friends (and in my case four legged children).

I have a Labrador/American Bulldog mix that the heat affects horribly. The poor thing, every year as soon as it starts even hinting at getting hot he starts scratching. And he scratches and scratches and scratches and scratches (you get the point) until he starts losing his hair and gets these nasty looking sore spots. I've taken him to the vet and have been told it is Demodectic Mange (for those of you with dogs and don't know what Demodex is...it's a genetic mange...99% of dogs have this mange it just doesn't always show up and is not contagious like Sarcoptic Mange). Keep in mind I came to own Dozer when he was only 3 days old because his mother died, so I raised him and 2 of his siblings on a bottle. (Wanna talk about a rotten dog with a capital R?) Apparently his immune system isn't the greatest and the heat stresses him out which causes the Demodex to flare up. I've been purchasing a flea medication that also treats Demodex but at almost $20 a vial it's getting to the point where I just can't afford it. I got in touch with a couple of vets online and this recipe was the general consensus on a homemade treatment for Demodex and the dry skin that accompanies it.

           Demodex Treatment

2 Tbsp Calendula

2 Tbsp Lavender

2 Tbsp Licorice Root

2 Tbsp Yarrow

Water

Apple Cider Vinegar

Tea Tree Oil

Spray Bottle

Combine the Calendula, Lavender, Licorice Root and Yarrow in a glass pot or bowl. (You may want to grind the Licorice Root a bit before adding it to the concoction.) Cover the herbs with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water. Boil for 10 minutes either on the stove or in the microwave. Once boiled remove from the stove or microwave and cover and let it steep overnight. (If your house isn't generally cool you may want to put this in the fridge.) The next morning take out of the fridge and strain out the solid material. Get your spray bottle and before adding the liquid put 10-20 drops of tea tree oil in the bottle. (Start on the low end of the spectrum with Tea Tree as it can be an irritant on certain skin types) Next pour in the herb liquid. Then add 1/2 to 1 cup apple cider vinegar depending on the size of your bottle. (I used a small spray bottle that you might see in a beauty salon. Got mine for $1 at Family Dollar). Finally add 1 to 2 cups of water, again the amount depends on the size of your bottle. Once you've got all of that mixed shake it and then spray the affected areas on your dog. Do this once a day for awhile and you should notice a gradual disappearance of the rough spots and hair should start growing back in.

*DO NOT USE THIS MIXTURE ON CATS. Also be sure to SHAKE the bottle before every use.*

*This mixture worked very well on my dog but keep in mind it may NOT work for yours. For one, I KNOW my dog has demodectic mange where as if you haven't had a skin scraping done on your pet that resulted in a diagnosis of demodectic mange, the condition your loved one is suffering from may not be demodex at all but a bacterial or fungal infection or even the sarcoptic form of mange. I highly recommend taking your animal to the vet before you try ANY KIND of at home treatment. PnP cannot and will not be held responsible for the results others get from this recipe. This is for general and informational purposes only and the results found herein may not be typical. Again I reiterate, TAKE YOUR ANIMAL TO THE VET BEFORE TRYING ANY AT HOME REMEDY.*

Happy DIYing Everyone!!!