mosquito repellent?

I was wondering if there is a type of mosquito repellent, preferable natural, for our corgis. A couple of weeks ago we were at a cottage and at 7 am my poor Milly was trying to do her business and was covered in mosquitoes. Not to mention being distracted by my waving and dancing, lol. Even here at home, is there something other than "Off" or deet, maybe something that can be planted. I have pretty severe allergies and citronella sometimes triggers them. I had hear that lavender is a natural repellent and had one plant on the patio last year that did not help. Any suggestions? Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Sondra on May 31, 2011 at 12:08pm

check this link out...I may give one of thema try!

http://www.ehow.com/about_6609096_natural-mosquito-repellent-dogs.html

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on May 31, 2011 at 12:45pm

The only thing that really works in the mountains here for the flies, black flies, and mosquitoes (which can be literally maddening; I've seen people completely lose it) is 100% DEET, which I'd hesitate to put on a dog. I rarely resort to it, but I used 1/4 bottle on a summer weekend last year. It was bad below 5500'. But they were not bothering Gwynnie much -- the only place they could get through her fur was on her snout.

I don't think we can assume something is "better" because it is "natural". In addition to being ineffectual, citronella might be noisomely offensive to a dog (they'd prefer Eau de Dead Earthworm)

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Permalink Reply by Becky S on May 31, 2011 at 1:20pm

I agree with Al, many people think that "natural" means safe, one of the first ones listed there was to use Eucalyptus oil, however that can be unsafe when eaten and is actually a poison, Now, I'm not sure how much would need to be consumed, but dogs do lick themselves and so I don't think you could gaurantee that they wouldn't ingest some and boy I'd sure hate to find out the hard way just how much it takes to cause illness and possibly death.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on May 31, 2011 at 1:32pm

I believe tea tree oil can be toxic to dogs as well, and that was in the list on that site.

Cleanrun has this product which is from Neem trees, I haven't tried it myself but they are a pretty reputable place as far as dog products go.

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&pr...

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on May 31, 2011 at 1:45pm

The best way to reduce the mosquito population at your home is to make your property unfriendly to the little buggers. There are some plants that people swear by, as well, which may or may not be worth a try.

They need standing water for their eggs and larvae, so try to remove or drain anything that might be collecting water from rain and sprinklers. Try to attract their predators to your yard. Birds and amphibians are pretty to watch and lovely to listen to, plus they can help to gobble up those mosquitoes. You'll also want to make sure that you don't use chemicals on your lawn or garden that could harm those predators. You could even put up a bat box if you don't mind bats being near your home.

I do have a friend who swears by lemon grass and marigolds (she has them planted everywhere in her backyard), but there's no telling if it's her flowers or her yard in general keeping the mosquitoes down.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on May 31, 2011 at 7:37pm

Adding to Jen, the water in any birdbaths should be changed daily. Gutters with leaves in them can hold moisture and become breeding ground for mosquitoes. Time of day is a factor,mosquitoes are out more at dawn and dusk....