Essential oils are a great thing in that they can really help boost your mood, reduce stress, and improve the smell of a room. However, it’s important that you’re careful when it comes to using them on and around your pets. Humans and animals like dogs and cats respond to foods, smells, and fragrances differently, and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. What works for you may not work for your pet, and may even pose a threat of toxicity if swallowed or absorbed by a cat or dog’s skin.
Here’s a guide about handling essential oils in terms of pet toxicity:
1. Always consult a veterinarian
No one is likely to know better than a veterinarian about what to do and what not to do with oils and your pets. It’s possible, for example, that a certain amount of oil could be pushing into pet toxicity zones when it’s constantly emitting fragrance via diffuser. But, on the other hand, a smaller amount may be perfectly alright depending on the specific oil, your dog’s or cat’s size, and breed. You should also rely on the advice of a vet if your pet should happen to ingest or absorb an essential oil through the skin.
2. Do your research
It’s never a good idea to just pop oil into one of your diffusers while your pet is around without checking first to make sure that it’s definitely safe. The key is to read about each ingredient in order to make sure that they are all safe. Ideally, you would discuss this with your veterinarian so that you know that the oil is not only safe in general, but also specifically in the amounts that you’re giving to them. For example, wintergreen, peppermint, and tea tree oils are extremely toxic for cats in even small amounts.
3. Don’t leave oils unsupervised
Pets are notorious for being curious and attempting to eat just about anything that’s not put out of sight or behind closed doors. The thing about these oils is that it may be perfectly safe for a pet to pick up on the scent, or even have some rubbed into their skin, but it’s probably not safe for them to try to eat the oil, and they just might if they smell good. That’s why it’s important to be cautious and to always watch out for how a dog or cat might be able to get their paws on something they shouldn’t.
4. Stick with natural and therapeutic
You’re going to want to get natural oils that are deemed 100% safe for pets. It helps if you ask your vet about what oils are natural, safe, and therapeutic grade for use around and on cats and dogs. Get into specifics about your animal’s breed, size, and any underlying health issues.
5. Diluted oils
Since pets obviously respond much more sensitive to smells than humans do, it’s important to not only use essential oils deemed safe for use around pets, but also to dilute the oil in a water or carrier oil when using them in diffusers so that you don’t overwhelm their senses. You can even start with a heavier dilution to test their response before you attempt to use the oil undiluted.
