All dogs and their owners hate fleas and ticks! These insects feed on your furry friend’s blood and make their life miserable, causing excessive scratching, allergic reactions, and many other problems. There are many flea and tick repellents you can find in the market, but many pet owners avoid using them because they contain toxic chemicals that may affect your pet’s health.

So, your safest option is to use these effective natural remedies to get rid of fleas and ticks.

1. Essential oils
Let’s start with one of the most effective natural remedies for fleas and ticks in your pet — essential oils. Oils such as lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, cedar, citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree, and rosemary are well-known as natural flea repellents. However, don’t forget to dilute the oil with water or a carrier oil like olive oil. Pour this diluted solution into a spray bottle and spray all over your dog’s coat. You need not saturate the coat — spray once or twice at any given area.

2. Garlic
Fleas and ticks do not like the smell of garlic. If you feed garlic to your dog every day, these insects will stay away from them. Depending on your dog’s size, you can safely feed them half a clove to two cloves of garlic daily. It’s generally recommended that you feed half a clove of garlic per twenty pounds of weight per day. However, even if your dog is very heavy, don’t feed them more than 2 cloves of garlic a day as it can cause anemia.

3. Lemon
A lemon spray is a great way to keep fleas and ticks at bay. To make this spray, boil a sliced lemon in water and let it stay overnight. Then pour this solution into a spray bottle and spray all over your dog’s coat. Spray a little extra on areas where these insects tend to settle more, such as the belly, tails, legs, and ears. It’s a budget and natural solution, so you can use this every time you take your dog outside.

4. Flea comb
This natural remedy might be ancient, but it still is one of the most effective ways to remove fleas and ticks. Teeth in a flea comb lie close together, making it easier to pull these insects and their eggs out as you comb through your dog’s fur. Pay special attention to areas such as the neck and tail. If your dog is already infested with fleas, it’s recommended that you run a flea comb through their fur before trying other natural remedies.

5. Apple cider vinegar
Using apple cider vinegar is one of the easiest ways to repel these parasites. All you need to do is stir in two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your dog’s drinking water. However, before you do this, make sure that your pet is not allergic to apple cider vinegar. You can easily test this by adding a drop or two of vinegar to your dog’s tongue and see if they respond negatively. If all looks fine, you can go ahead with this remedy.