Want to make your own economical Doggy Shampoo + Insect Repellent?

The ingredients you will need are purchased from a health food store or on line. Price info below.

An empty clean shampoo bottle

1/2 Cup Castile Soap (the mildest of human soaps. I used a scented  one)

1/2 Cup Vegetable Glycerine (human moisturizer)

1 Cup Water

10 to 20 Drops Essential Cedar Oil (or your choice-see below)

10 to 20 Drops Essential Geranium (Geranium Rose) Oil (or your choice)

Using a funnel, measure and pour Castile, Glycerine and water into the empty shampoo bottle. Add drops of Essential Oils (your discretion as to how much) directly into shampoo bottle.  Turn bottle upside down slowly a few times before each use. Keep out of eyes during use.

For a rinse: mix 1/4^th cup apple cider vinegar (not other vinegars) to 1 quart of water.  Vinegar is also an insect repellent!   Organic vinegar from the health food store is the best as it contains  live enzymes, but grocery store vinegar will work too! Keep out of eyes during use.

Popular Doggy Shampoo runs about $13 for 16 ounces

Castile Soap: 32 Ounces – approx. $14

Vegetable Glycerine: 32 Ounces – approx. $18

That’s $32 for 64 ounces!

The essential oils are about $15/per .5 oz. bottle for mid ranged price. Inexpensive ones do not have strong properties. You would only use approximately 15 drops per 16 ounce mixture AND in-between baths you can put a few drops of the essential oils on your dogs’ collar  once or twice per week to repel insects!

Here are the essential oils that repel insects:

Geranium      Cedarwood         Citronella

Lavender       Lemon Grass      Lemon

Rosemary      Eucalyptus         Tea Tree

Niaouli          Cinnamon           Yarrow

Catnip           Peppermint

UNBELIEVABLE!  Champion, the company that produces Orijen and Acana has sold out to a capital company (Bedford Capital) that acquires businesses! Along with their recent purchase of Champion was a maple syrup company and an architecture firm.  Why can’t the good companies get their acts together???

Peter Muhlanfeld and his brother apparently could not get their act together after their father retired and turned over the company to them! http://www.bedfordcapital.ca/investment.html

Now the director of Champion is Tim Bowman, and he was the previous director of……wait for it…….ELMER’S GLUE! Guess where glue comes from??? Tim Bowman: Executive Profile & Biography – Businessweek.

Even though the sons are still active in the business, it is never a good sign when someone else takes over.  They begin to look at the bottom dollar and start cuts somewhere!

I hope the integrity of the ingredients stay the same, but time will tell!

Just in case some of the AT family missed this from a November posting, I think it is worth repeating.  These are from my dog food reviews but if they use it in their kibble, they are probably using it in their treats too!

• Solid Gold: Taurine in their food comes from China
• Chicken Soup For The Soul: Some vitamins and minerals from China
• Earthborn Holistic’s: Some Vitamins B’s, and Glucosamine from China
• Arthemis: Vitamins and minerals from China
• Castor & Pollux Organics: Vitamins from China
• Holistic Select: Vitamins and Glucosamine from China
• Nature’s Recipe: vitamins and minerals sourced from “other countries” (which could be China)
•  Weruva: ALL ingredients sourced “overseas” (which can mean China)
• Eukanuba: Ingredients sourced from “world suppliers” (which could be China)
• Iams: Ingredients sourced from “world suppliers” (which could be China)
• Natural Planet’s Organics: Vitamin/Mineral premix from Asia (which can mean China)
• PureVita: Vitamin/Mineral premix from Asia (which can mean China)
• NutriSource: Vitamin/Mineral premix from Asia (which can mean China)
• Nutro’s: Some Vitamins and minerals from China
• Innova:  Vitamins pre-mix component sourced from Europe
• California Naturals: Vitamins pre-mix component sourced from Europe
• Evo: Vitamins pre-mix component sourced from Europe
• Nature’s Variety: Rabbit comes from China
• Wellness: 6% of ingredients are purchased internationally ??????

•  Blue Buffalo: Some vitamins/minerals from reputable foreign suppliers (which can mean China)
• Science Diet: Ingredients sourced from USA and other countries which could mean China
  

• Petcurean: 1/100th of one percent of  total finished diets are sourced from Asia (which can mean China)
• Pup-Peroni: Ingredients sourced from U.S. and global suppliers (which can mean China)
• Eagle Pack: Some Vitamins B’s and Glucosamine sourced from China

*Some brands are inconclusive. They will not give a statement as to a location outside of the USA where they source from.

Let me know if you’d like me to check out another brand you might be using.

FINALLY!!!!!  They are starting to reveal the names of the deadly treats!

Here is the whole article from MSNBC 3/13/12.

Waggin’ Train Wholesome Chicken Jerky Tenders were among 13 Nestle Purina brand treats listed among 22 complaints being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration. The treats, made in China, have been tied to reports of illnesses and deaths in dogs.

By JoNel Aleccia

Stumped by mysterious illnesses in at least 600 dogs in the U.S., federal health officials have turned to consumers for help investigating problems possibly tied to chicken jerky pet treats made in China.

A log of complaints collected from pet owners and veterinarians contains references to at least three popular brands of jerky treats that may be associated with kidney failure and other serious ailments, according to internal Food and Drug Administration documents obtained by msnbc.com.

Of 22 “Priority 1” cases listed by the FDA late last year, 13 cited Waggin’ Train or Canyon Creek Ranch jerky treats or tenders, both produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., the records show. 

Another three listed Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, produced by the Del Monte Corp. The rest listed single brands or no brand.

Priority 1 cases are those in which the animal is aged 11 or younger and medical records that document illness are available, an FDA spokeswoman said. In many cases, samples of the suspect treats also are collected.

The report, obtained through a public records request, is the first agency indication of any brands linked to illnesses that have climbed since the FDA warned pet owners about jerky treats in November. That was the FDA’s third caution about the pet products since 2007.

Nestle Purina and Del Monte officials said their treats are safe and FDA regulators said repeated tests have shown no absolute tie to any brand or manufacturer.

“No specific products have been recalled because a definitive cause has not been determined,” FDA officials said in a statement.

The internal report, overseen by the FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak and Response Evaluation, or CORE, group, is one of several ongoing assignments in which FDA regulators are seeking jerky treat samples and medical records of dogs that may have developed kidney failure, liver disease or Fanconi syndrome, which can lead to serious illness and death.

The recent complaints were filed from October through December by people in cities from California to New York, but the agency will continue to accept them.

“We still invite owners and veterinarians to submit complaints and samples,” said Siobhan DeLancey, an FDA spokeswoman. “The more information we have, the more likely we can find a link.”

The move comes as the FDA is under growing pressure from consumers and lawmakers to address rising numbers of illnesses blamed on the China-made treats. Before the warning was issued in November, the agency had logged 70 reports of illnesses tied to the treats last year. Since then, more than 530 additional complaints of illnesses and some deaths have been filed, officials said.

Bella, a 2-year-old pug, died last fall after her owner, Robin Pierre, said she ate Waggin’ Train Chicken Jerky Treats.

Consumers who say their dogs were sickened or killed have launched at least three petitions demanding recalls of jerky pet treats made in China, including one begun in December that has more than 3,400 signatures from the U.S. and around the world.

“At the slightest doubt, these products should have been recalled, especially knowing there was a link or at the very least a caution/warning label put on the packaging warning the consumers,” said Robin Pierre, a co-founder of “Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China.”

Pierre, 49, of Pine Bush, N.Y., believes Waggin’ Train chicken jerky treats were responsible for the sudden death last fall of her previously health 2-year-old pug, Bella, who developed kidney failure.

“The last week of her life was nothing but misery and pain, separated from her family, she died all alone, in a cage, despite the fact that she had a family who loved her,” Pierre wrote in an email to msnbc.com. “She meant the world to me and my family.”

Ginger, a 14-year-old family dog, sparked one of three petitions after she developed kidney failure possibly tied to chicken jerky pet treats. Her owner, Susan Rhodes, 51, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., wants the treats pulled from the market.

More than 375 people have signed a petition launched last week by Susan Rhodes, 51, of Port St. Lucie, Fla. She believes her 14-year-old dog, Ginger, may have developed life-threatening kidney failure after eating chicken jerky treats. She was stunned to hear that consumer complaints alone can’t force the FDA — or a company – to recall potentially tainted products.

“That is just unreal. I am not happy with that,” Rhodes said.

For their part, FDA officials said the companies are free to enact a voluntary recall at any time.

Lawmakers call for action
Lawmakers, however, are demanding stronger FDA action. Ohio Democrats Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Dennis Kucinich in February called on the FDA to step up investigation of tainted pet treats.

In a response sent late last week, an FDA official told Brown the agency “continues to actively investigate” the reports and to pursue testing for chemical and microbiological contaminants.

On Monday, Brown called the agency’s response “inadequate” and urged prompt release of results of 153 pending tests on the Chinese-made treats.

“I will continue to press the FDA on this issue because Ohio consumers shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their pet’s food,” he said in a statement.

Since 2007, FDA scientists have analyzed jerky treats for evidence of dangerous toxins, including heavy metals, melamine, melamine analogs and diethylene glycol, chemicals used in plastics and resins.

So far, they’ve found nothing convincing, a point emphasized by Keith Schopp, director of communications for Nestle Purina.  He noted that FDA officials also suggest that illnesses may be a result of causes other than eating jerky treats.

“Our chicken jerky treats are safe to feed as directed,” said Schopp. “The safety of our products – and the pets who consume them – are our top priorities.”

The company has a comprehensive food safety program in place, he said, including at manufacturing plants in China.

Pierre, who lost her dog, has little faith in pet food manufacturers – or in the FDA.

“Actions speak louder than words and there has been no action from them up until now,” Pierre said. “Waggin’ Train has hid behind the technicality that the FDA cannot find the link and the FDA has let them.”

Consumers can report illnesses to the FDA’s pet food complaint site.

Related stories:

Chicken jerky treats linked to mysterious illness, deaths in dogs

More dogs sick as FDA steps up scrutiny of chicken jerky pet treats