Fleas!

I do choose some classy topics to write about, don’t I? Don’t worry, it’s not my Milly-dog — or me —  that has fleas. It’s a fictional dog that has just wandered into the book I’m currently writing.

It’s not the first time a dog has declared he’s part of the story, and this one is a scruffy little street dog that befriends the heroine. He’s full of personality, but rather lacking in the personal hygiene department. Though he is, miraculously, house trained. <g>

The rosemary in my garden

And being a street dog that’s about to become an indoor dog, he’ll need to be de-fleaed. So I dived down a rabbit hole to find out what easily obtainable things in the 19th century could help keep fleas away from a dog.

Turns out, apple cider vinegar and rosemary will help. So after a good bath and a trimming of  the fur, this little dog will be smelling of rosemary. And faintly of apple cider vinegar.

They won’t kill fleas, but they will repel them.  As well, apple cider vinegar is a mild antiseptic, so it will help heal  any bites and scratches the dog acquired from living rough in the streets of London.

My heroine will be making a rinse of fresh rosemary steeped in boiling water and allowed to cool. Then she  will strain the liquid, throw away the remaining leaves, and add it to a bucket of warm water and use it for the final rinse of the dog’s coat. I found this remedy —and more suggestions — here. 

And as any dog-owner knows, worms can also be a problem. I found some more natural remedies here, though I probably won’t go into that much detail in the book.  But it’s heartening to know that there were useful, obtainable 19th century  remedies for my heroine and her dog. 

I might try the rosemary rinse on Milly. She’s flea-free, but it might smell nice. We’ll see.