Does This Latest Trend Put Your Pet at Risk?

Using natural oils to treat common ailments such as headaches, anxiety and digestive support is not new. However, this age-old practice has rapidly increased in popularity over recent years. For many, this has raised the question of how it can impact our pets. Is it safe to use essential oils around them? What should owners be aware of? If you use or are thinking about using essential oils in your home, keep these safety tips in mind to help keep your pet healthy.

Is My Pet at Risk if I Use Essential Oils?
Concentrated oils can definitely be dangerous for your pet. It's important to keep essential oils in their concentrated forms out of your pet's reach. Pets that walk through oils, ingest them or have them applied directly to them are at risk.

Symptoms to watch for in these cases include:

• Unsteadiness
• Lethargy
• Low body temperature
• Nausea (excessive drooling)
• Vomiting
• Skin irritation (excessive pawing at face or mouth)

What should you do if your pet has been exposed?

• Contact your veterinarian or poison control as soon as possible
• If the oils are on your pet's skin or coat quickly wash it off with hand washing detergent
• Bring oil's packaging with you to the veterinary hospital

Photo by Mareefe from Pexels

Some oils are more potent than others. There potency can depend on the type of oil, the concentration and what the oil is mixed with. Certain oils can put your pet at more risk than others.

Here are a few oils that may put your pet at more risk:
(Note: Pets may react differently to certain oils; this list is not all-inclusive)

Dogs:

• Tea Tree
• Cinnamon
• Citrus
• Pennyroyal
• Pine
• Sweet Birch
• Wintergreen
• Ylang Ylang
• Clove
• Garlic
• Juniper
• Rosemary
• Thyme
  

Cats:

• Cassia
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Citrus
  
• Clove
  
• Eucalyptus
  
• Lemon
  
• Lavender
  
• Peppermint
  
• Spruce
  
• Tea Tree
  
• Thyme
  
• Ylang Ylang
  
• Pennyroyal
  

Photo by Dominic Buccilli from Pexels

Does that mean I can't use essential oils around my pet?

This doesn't necessarily mean that you can't use essential oils around your pet. Here are a few tips to minimize your pet's risk.

• Always dilute the oils before using them
• Do not add essential oils to your pet's food or drinking water
• Cat and dog noses are much more sensitive than ours and can be overwhelmed by diffusers.
• Diffusers shouldn't be left to run for long periods of time, and should be kept out of reach of your pet to avoid spills.
• Keep oils stored away from pets.
• These same concerns and safety tips should be kept in mind if you have other pets such as hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs.
• It is best not to use essential oil diffusers in your home if you have a bird. Birds have extremely sensitive respiratory systems and a diffuser could cause serious reactions.
  
• Ask your veterinarian before trying any essential oils on your pet.