Animal Related Tips

ALWAYS CONSULT A VET BEFORE ADMINISTERING REMEDIES

As I have started getting tips involving animals I have decided to start this page.

I was asked to find out if there was anything that would stop other people's dogs wetting on your lawn and as I did not have the answer I posed the question to all you good people.  Here are the replies I have received:-

Products

There is a product called "Bitters apples" which can be purchased at pet stores.  If you cannot find this product a squirt gun filled with water does the trick - if you have the time and energy to sit by all four windows 24 hours a day!!!

Thank you "Shady ...."

In the U.S. there are two products available at lawn and garden shops (and some pet stores) called "Get out of my garden" and the other "Boundary".  Both are applied to areas that you do not want animals to get into.  They both have to be reapplied after rain to maintain effect.

Thanks to "sacc..."]

"Get out of my garden" has also been recommended by Heather Frey who goes on to say it looks like a blue gel but when sprinkled around the perimeter of the yard other dogs stay away.  It lasts a long time and doesn't seem to harm the grass or other animals.

There is a product on the market called Pet Beverage that is ingested by animals by putting it in their water to reduce or eliminate odours from urine and feaces .

Also Millennium Lawns has a product called "Dog-on-it" that helps restore the condition of the lawns that have burns from urine and feaces.   "Keep Away" is another product used to keep pets off any surface.  

Scat at and Scarecrow are effective in keeping animals out of areas where you don't want them and these products are completely safe.

You may not be able to stop them from going on the lawn or inappropriate areas, but you can take care of it if they do.  For stains and odours we recommend Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover which used a live enzyme to neutralize the odors and it does not stain the surrounding area.

These products have been recommended by Jayne Laughlin of PetTalk America. I would like to stress I have no allegiance with these companies.

General Spray diluted mixture of ammonia and water (1 part ammonia to 2 parts water) around the perimeter of your lawn.  They usually won't cross the smelly barrier. (not so pleasant sitting in your garden maybe!!) Thanks to "Amy....." for this tip.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water add a large minced onion and minced garlic clove, some Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper.  Let it sit overnight and get a glass and pour over yard.  Trust me they will stay away.  This is also good for dogs that dig.

(So will your friends probably!!)

Amber sent in this idea - thankyou.

Scatter lime over lawn.                                                                      Thanks Nancy for this gem.

Use chilli powder around the spot you want to protect.    Thanks "Maidenwolf .."

Joe Tangonan says if you put large, sealed glass jars filled with water all over the lawn the dogs take one whiff of the jar and decide to do their business elsewhere.

Alan Jameson told me if you put two milk bottles or glass jars at either end of the lawn this also works. 

I must admit I went back to him when this message arrived as I thought he was winding me up - Sorry Alan.

I have been told it may be something to do with the animals seeing their own distorted reflections which does the trick.

Now for the extreme measure -

The male of the house can go around the borders of the lawn "marking" his territory.  I am assured this does work but best carried out at night for fear of embarrassing the neighbours or being arrested.

Thanks for this novel one Phil Miller

OTHER TIPS

Suggestion for cat repellent that is successful for me.

The back garden (pond and feeding birds) is served by the sonic device with the odd deposit being left but not repeated, but I'm referring to my smaller front area. The two cats from next door do love to hide beneath the concealing branches of my weeping birch (some 7 foot tall) presumably to attempt to catch birds that dare land above them. During moments of boredom they creep out from under and dump on my lawn. Presumably as they are having a whale of a time this also serves as a "keep off" marker. Once cleared up, vinegar becomes my marker, sprayed over the same spot. Keep the spray tight as it will kill the grass. You may also save on weed killer - I've yet to try it.

Terry Parker

Having received the above tip from Terry I was reminded of the following -

If you suffer with cat that damages your furniture or a dog that chews you favourite slippers a simple solution is to put half a cup of vinegar and one cup of water into a spray bottle, shake well.  When the animal offends a quick spurt will deter it.  The spray is harmless to the animal.  A little of the vinegar solution keeps the animals away.

I have received the following useful information from Helen (Tannenbaum):-

"When renewing your pets medication make certain that your pets weight is current.   I just got a renewal of my dog's medicine and found out that she lost 10 lbs. from the original prescription date (a year and a half ago).  The medicine dosage has been reduced from 75 milligrams down to 50 milligrams, also the purchase price went down.

The medicine had been renewed previously but the vet never suggested, and I never thought, to have my dog's weight checked.

I had my dog's weight checked now because she was breather heavily (panting a lot), thirsty all the time, drinking a lot of water and, of course, going out more often. "

So folks, be on the safe side, check that scale.

For the sake of your animal and your purse !                Thanks for this Helen.

If you have rodents in the house and need to find out where they are coming from, put some flour on the floor in front of place where you have seen evidence of their presence and in the morning you should find footprints indicating from which direction they came.

If you get ants inside your house try spraying insecticide outside around the window and door frame.

Bon

If you are troubled with slugs, cut large holes in the side of a yoghurt pot (or similar container), place pot in soil about an 1" deep, put some beer into the container.  The slugs will go through the holes in the sides into the beer.

If you are pestered by a wasp don't thrash your arms about as this will make it emit a chemical which will attract other wasps.  Stay as still as you can and it will go away.

To attract wasps away from your picnic put a some sweet liquid (Lemonade etc) or jam into a container together with a little washing up liquid.  The wasps will be drawn to this and will be unable to escape.

Should you find you have a bees nest in your chimney, light a small fire in the grate will be evict them safely and harmlessly.

To avoid bed mites multiplying, pull bedclothes back when you get up and leave bed open.  The mites are not so keen on a cool bed, they thrive on the the warmth which is retained when the bed is made straight away.  The best reason I know for not making your bed!