Garlic

I have decided to stop using frontline on them and go completely natural with garlic. At present, they only get garlic added into their liver cake. My question is... how much and how often should I add garlic to their food as a flea repellent?

I think Ella adds a clove a day to Chance & Harvey's food, but I'm sure she'll answer soon. She's our natural remedies queen!  

It depends on your dog's weight. Too much can cause harm, but the right amount can work wonders!

It's recommended that one clove is given each day for every 13/14kgs of body weight.

Just know they will stink!!! You can use odourless garlic tablets from your pharmacy or health store for exactly the same results but no disgusting breath in your face.

It does stink, but let's face it - garlic breath is better than fish breath, which is what Dempsey has.

I don't actually mind the smell of garlic!

The levels needed to cause a problem would be something along the lines of a whole bulb of garlic every day! One clove is no problem.

Eleanor wrote:It depends on your dog's weight. :)Too much can cause harm, but the right amount can work wonders!

It's recommended that one clove is given each day for every 13/14kgs of body weight.

Thanks for that!

Shisa wrote:Just know they will stink!!! You can use odourless garlic tablets from your pharmacy or health store for exactly the same results but no disgusting breath in your face.

I might try that!

Be careful, though, with the amount. I don't know how the capsules relate to the number of cloves, if you see what I mean?

Caryll wrote:Be careful, though, with the amount. I don't know how the capsules relate to the number of cloves, if you see what I mean?

Ella might know when she comes on.

Wendy wrote:

Caryll wrote:Be careful, though, with the amount. I don't know how the capsules relate to the number of cloves, if you see what I mean?

Ella might know when she comes on.

Yes, she probably will.

This is interesting...

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/

That is a very good article. I think the author talks a lot of sense and I think the slight risk of using garlic is less than the risk of using chemical flea repellents. I know somebody whose GR is always off colour after getting her frontline every three months and that's not good at all.

Dempsey's fine after his Milbemax, but I don't de-flea him unless there's a problem.

Frontline is a waste of money. I Advocate mine and have never had any issues.
I tried garlic for about 4/5 months fresh and in tablet form and it didn't keep the fleas off them or out of the environment anywhere near a effectively as treating them chemically.
Mind that at that stage I was living nextdoor to a flea mill.

Am here

I'm on my phone so remind me how much your dog weighs as it does make a difference to the amount?

Anyway I haven't used commercial flea treatments well forever now! And have no problems with fleas, what I do is spring/summer is give them fresh garlic cloves on their food about 3 times a week although it's not an exact science might be more might be less.... I tend to give Harv one smaller clove and chance one larger clove from the bulb and crush it over their food. I do also bake it into a couple of their treats too.

More in winter time all I tend to do is give the same amounts as above but just sporadically so perhaps one clove in a week then nothing for 3 weeks etc etc

Garlic is a deterrent, but not a 100% guaranteed fix. In most cases, it should work, but I should imagine having a flea mill next door would jeopardise your chances.

My first Dobe never got fleas and was never treated with anything.

My second Dobe got fleas and OMG they went everywhere. Frontline saw them off and regular applications kept them off.

Kuchar has monthly Advocate and has shown no sign of any parasites of any kind.

I love garlic and use it quite in bit in cooking, and if there any leftovers Kuchar yums them up. I don't mind garlic breath at all and let's face it there's a lot worse that a dog's breath can smell of!

As for garlic tablets/capsules all I can I say is I once had to work in very close proximity to a woman who took them. She didn't smell of garlic it is true (that I could have tolerated) but she had a very strange fusty smell about her which I found not pleasurable.

My tuppenceworth!

Dempsey's had two flea infestations in his life. One was a moderate one which was treated very quickly. The other was extremely mild - I was tickling his belly one morning, when one of the damn things suddenly crawled across, and then jumped on me.

I don't mind the smell of garlic on dogs. They're never going to smell like a spring garden anyway!

Touch wood the boys have never caught fleas, Harv came home with a couple as a pup but that's it!

Also I can't say I've ever noticed a garlic smell on them either, and they only get fresh garlic

Garlic is actually supposed to be quite good for the breath!

Eleanor wrote:Garlic is actually supposed to be quite good for the breath!

I thought it was chewing a bit of fresh parsley to freshen your breath! (OK if those around you like parsley-breath   )

good job i eat tons of garlic

I love parsley either way, so that'll be a good excuse for the future!

Can't stand garlic though!

Oooooh I love garlic I put it in almost everything!

I like it as well!