Hi, was going through the pet care archives and didn't see anything on this. (Was glad I went through them tho, forgot about garlic and brewer's yeast for fleas and ticks!) Used to use it on my Chow Chow years ago. Anyway, what about mosquitos? Is there anything to help keep them away? We have four dogs and I don't want them to get heartworm, but FOUR dogs and heartworm meds! Wow. Any ideas? Thanks, Becky

-- Becky Wright (Sbmsj@aol.com), April 16, 2001

Answers

I don't know how to keep mosquitos off your pets, but I do know you don't want your dog (or your cat, though cats have only about one tenth the odds of getting heart worms that dogs do) to get heart worms. They are very bad. Very. My son's a vet, and has told me more than I probably wanted to hear about the results of an infestation.

Just a very brief, and not too graphic synopsis: it's easy to prevent them, but if you have to cure them, you hope there aren't too many of them in your pet, because when they die, they tend to clog up the pipes, if you know what I mean, mostly right at the heart intake valves, I think he said.

But first, find out if you live in a region where there is even a heart worm PROBLEM. It does no good to prevent heart worm if there is not chance the animal can contract the parasitic little devils in the first place.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), April 16, 2001.

You could make a tea or a powder from crushed pennyroyal leaves. Also, Skin So Soft by Avon works on animals as well as people. There is a plant they advertise as a 'mosquito plant' which has citronella scented leaves that you could use the same as pennyroyal.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 16, 2001.