Top 10 Tips for Itchy Dogs Before You Call the Vet Part 5/10: Homemade Spray if Your Dog Won’t Stop Itching…

If your dog won’t stop itching, this simple homemade spritz is sure to provide some instant relief to your poor dog…

OK, so by now you’re following the advice in Itchy Dogs Part 1 and are working away in the background trying to get his exclusion diet right. You then picked up a few of the natural dietary additions recommended in Part 2. But all this takes a little time and meanwhile, your poor little dog won’t stop itching. For immediate, albeit temporary (30-1hr) relief of itch I recommend you make up this simple but highly effective skin spritz.

For this you will need:

• A Bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar. We recommend Braggs ACV as it has the mother in it (the floaty bits on the bottom. Find Braggs ACV on Amazon). Studies show ACV has a range of established benefits, including a top-notch probiotic of humans, improves digestion and boosts immune function. It is also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal (which is great if their skin conditions was because of one of these critters). ACV is even proven effective in the fight against cancer. For more on the established benefits of ACV check out this literature review!

• Some Good Quality Green AND Peppermint Tea. Thanks to the relatively unique array of polyphenols and alkaloids it contains, green tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory and it is greedily absorbed by the skin, hitting the troubled spots directly. Studies actually show green tea polyphenols help protect against skin cancer by securing skin free radicals and reducing inflammation. Peppermint is used as it has a cooling effect on the skin. Simply pick up some good quality green tea bags in your local shop as we’ll be making tea out of them!

• Raw Aloe Vera. It is THE skin supplement. Simply unbelievable at healing the skin (I’m not going to even bother dredging up some supportive studies here, there’s too many to chose from). Simply pick up a nice, juicy plant in your local store.

• Calendula extract. Whilst a touch harder to source, you want a Calendula extract here (in oil form). Calendula is a potent anti-inflammatory of this skin but the tea isn’t strong enough, the oil really packs a punch. They don’t call it the skin healer for nothing. Find Calendula oil here on Amazon.

How to make a great homemade spray if your dog won’t stop itching…

• Make up a cup of very strong green and peppermint tea (use 2 of each bags, add some hot water and allow to stew while cooling) .
• Add half a cup of ACV to half a cup of cold tea.
• Chop off a few aloe vera leaves and squeeze their sticky contents into the above mixture. Mix thoroughly, it will break down eventually.
• Add in a good dash of your calendula oil
• Shake up your mix in a big spray bottle and store in the fridge. Spray on affected areas when and where needed and watch the dog that’s won’t stop itching settle and be calm. But don’t rest on your laurel, you have work to do in the background while you try find out what is causing that itch. This is not a long term strategy.

Tip: If you’re on Amazon getting a few of the bits above, pick up a handy little atomiser spray bottle while you’re there, one that creates a mist, like the one below, otherwise you’ll be running around looking at one, asking yourself is it a good idea to empty the contents of your anti-bacterial surface spray and use that bottle for the moment (no, it is not!). The glass ones are just as cheap as the plastic, last longer and are better for the environment!

Your spray didn’t work and still your dog won’t stop itching?

If the above spritz failed one of the most popular natural spritz type products for itchy dogs is probably the Irish-made Botanica. You can find it on Amazon from the US, UK or Ireland. Highly popular as a wound healer, skin salve, anti-fungal and anti-itch remedy of horses and dogs. Those reviews don’t lie. Worth a go.

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More from the Itchy Dog series…

Itchy dogs part 1: Why is my dog itching?

Itchy dogs part 2: The best diet for itchy dogs.

Itchy dogs part 3: Is it parasites? Here’s how to check.

Itchy dogs part 4: Best home remedies for itchy dogs.

Itchy dogs part 5: Homemade spray to relieve their itch.

Itchy dogs part 6: If you have to buy products, I strongly recommend these…

Itchy dogs part 7: Best shampoo ideas for itchy dogs

Itchy dogs part 8: Try some salt therapy!

Itchy dogs part 9: Might this be a yeast infection?

Itchy dogs part 10: Is your dog stressed?!