Always keep in mind that what is a pleasant smell
for us can be an overwhelming smell for your pet.
If you see it squinting, drooling excessively pawing
at its face, excessively scratching or vomiting, stop
using the oils. Remember that the smaller a pet is,
the more diluted your oil mixture needs to be.
Bottom line: Always check with your veterinarian
before using any essential oils.
Once you know an oil is safe for your pet, a good
indicator if it will help them is to allow them to sniff
the bottle and watch their reactions. If they want to
lick it and respond favorably, it’s a good sign that it
can be beneficial to the animal. If they back away
from it and leave the room, it could be too strong
or they might be allergic.
The best oils for use in dogs are:
• Cedarwood: Helps to repel pests, expectorant
for kennel cough, stimulates circulation and good
for stiffness in joints
• Lavendar: South to the central nervous system,
ease anxiety, slow hyperactivity.
• Lemongrass: Repel insects, improve skin.
• Citronella: Repels insects (make sure to use
pure essential oil only, and use in small amounts).
• Frankincense: Eases anxiety, bladder health.
• Spearmint: Supports weight loss, helps with
diarrhea and colic, stimulates bladder.
• Cardamom: Digestive and respiratory benefits.
Ingestion in small amounts only, works well with a
diffuser for dogs.
Remember, cat owners need to be doubly
careful when using essential oils. Thoroughly
research any essential oil you use, as cats are
more prone to problems with them.
There are also particular oils that can be toxic
to dogs, including melaleuca (a.k.a. tea tree
oil), black cohosh, pennyroyal, oil of
wintergreen and pine oils. Using these oils in a
diffuser probably won’t hurt your dog (unless it
is in a very small room or enclosure with the
diffuser or have breathing problems), but topical
or oral applications can be fatal. Do not use those
oils on your dog for any reason!
In addition, cinnamon, citrus, clove, peppermint
and eucalyptus oil, as well as oil of sweet
birth and the oils listed above, are poisonous to
cats, so be very careful around them. Cats lack
an enzyme in their liver that is important in the
breakdown of many chemicals that can be
ingested.
Some oils can lower the seizure threshold in
prone animals, so if you have a pet that has
seizures, it’s best to avoid basil, black pepper,
camphor, eucalyptus, fennel, hyssop, sage,
rosemary and wintergreen.
Some of the most common uses of essential
oils for dogs include for skin allergies, ear
infections, open sores, fungi, bacterial infections,
neoplasia and for emotional purposes. Thunderstorm
fears, a move to a new place, general
anxiety – essential oils may benefit your pet in
those situations.
The most common applications of essential
oils in pets include dermal and oral. A couple of
drops of the right concoction in a pet’s water can
help relieve anxiety or help a bad stomach.
Applying diluted oils to paw pads or ear tips is
common (be careful with dosage to make sure
you are applying nonpoisonous oils to pets), you
can even add a little into some coconut oil and
give them a good overall rubdown.
ESSENTIAL
OILS
For Pets