Essential Oils: Safe Or Not For Pets?
Essential oils have recently gained popularity for having therapeutic effects on pets. This trend is getting rampant as the owners are becoming more experimental with the oils. Essential oils have proved to be quite beneficial in humans in curing ailments. However, the safety concerns are still associated with their usage on pets. Pets have strong smell sense and can be extremely sensitive to some of the fragrances, therefore, before using the oil on your furry pal you must ensure if it is safe or not for their species.
What Do You Need To Know?
Essential oils are concentrated constituents of plants that are distilled and cold pressed to keep the plant properties intact. They are generally used in aromatherapies, as an antibacterial in skin care products, flavorings and as insecticides too. Essential 6 for dogs are easily absorbed by the skin and thus are applied topically. They can also be easily absorbed by inhalation and ingestion as well, producing desired effects in the consumer. In pets, they can work as anxiety and depression reducers and bacteria and fungus fighting ointment. However, certain essential oils may also prove to adversely affect the pet’s health. They can be allergic to pets as they don’t have enzymes to combat the toxins some essential oils produce in the pet’s body.
How To Understand What Is Safe or Not?
There are many essential oils that provide therapeutic effects on pets by relieving anxiety and depression. They are being used in diffusers so they can be easily sniffed by pets. Although many of them actually work, if at all you see symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, seizures, excessive drooling, sores in mouth and paralysis, stop the use immediately. Oil which doesn’t suit your pet can elevate liver enzymes thereby increasing the toxicity levels subsequently causing damage to the liver. Thus, to help you comprehend which essential oils are safe and which ones are not, here are some oils enlisted under the safe and unsafe category.
Essential Oils That Are Safe For Pets
Safe for cats
- Cedarwood oil
- lemongrass oil
- Rosemary oil
Safe For Dogs
- Angelica Root
- Basil
- Caraway
- Cardamom
- Cedarwood
- Chamomile
- Cinnamon leaf
- Fennel
- Citronella
- Cajeput
- Black Pepper
- Nutmeg
- Spearmint
- Rose
- Niaouli
- Patchouli
- Vanilla
- Tangerine
- Vetiver
- Lemon
- Lemongrass
Essential Oils That Are Unsafe For Pets
Unsafe For Cats
- Clove Oil
- Cinnamon Oil
- Thyme Oil
- Lavender Oil
- Citrus oil
- Peppermint
- Tea tree
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Sweet birch
- Eucalyptus
Unsafe For Dogs
- Oregano
- Tea tree
- Thyme
- Wintergreen
How To Use Good Essential Oils Safely?
- Before using any essential oil that is safe for your pet, always dilute the concentrate with coconut or olive oil. This step is important because strong concentrate can cause issues in pets even if they are tagged as ‘safe to use’.
- Avoid applying it to their nose, eyes, genital and anal areas.
- Be careful with small dogs, pregnant dogs, and older dogs. They may be sensitive to essential oils.
- Use only a tiny amount of oil in pups or rather avoid if possible.
Conclusion
Essential oils are generally safe and do provide health benefits, however, before applying it to the pet’s body it is important to follow the minimal rule. Use only small amount and that too in a diluted form so that even the safe oils don’t become a reason for discomfort in pets.
