This is one of the age-old questions in Essential oil land. Now I can only speak from the land called Young Living as it is the only oils I use. Please do not take any of this advice and use it with an oil you bought off eBay…I can pretty much guarantee it will be toxic!
Our pets are everything to us and we want to take care of them as we take care of each other. They go through the same ups and downs as us humans. Physical health issues as well as emotional problems, and wouldn’t we rather give them something natural and gentle as well as strong? I know you cannot ask them but I’m sure they would say YES!!
The problem is, they cannot talk, I know it is a shocker! So, the first rule with pets is to dilute and start on external areas. This will be easy for us to see if it has irritated them in anyway. As a general rule for small animals dilute in a 9:1 ratio, and for medium pets 4:1. They are just like us in that certain oils may need to be very diluted and others they will be fine to have neat. Again, like us humans, avoid the eyes and ear cavity. Just use common sense if you are first starting out and if you cannot find the information you need just send a message through the website and ill help as much as I can.
In my research cats seem to be a bit more sensitive than dogs, topping the sensitivity scale are birds and fish, so again just research, ask advice. There is always someone who added lavender to their fish tank and ended up with a fish with 2 heads! (kidding!)
So, give me specifics Jen, ok!
Animals go through anxiety in a lot of different ways, whether this be from trauma to them in puppy years or even just a strange visitor or fireworks at that time of year. There are oils that can help with this, even just diffusing them in the air or a few drops on their bed. It does not need to be applied directly onto their bodies. And a lot of these you will probably know as they have the same effects on us as they do on our pets. Lavender is a nice gentle one to start with. For relaxation Roman Chamomile is also good, ylang ylang is another.
Tree Oils like frankincense and Cedarwood have great results in helping our pets sleep, the scent is very mild and can be great oils to start with. Coriander Seed and Valarian are great oils for helping our pets feel safe and secure. Hyssop is a great oil for helping them overcome memories of abuse and neglect. I could go on and on with the benefits these oils can have with our animals.
I know people who use Tea tree on their horse’s feet to help with fungal infections, a lady who uses Thieves blend when tending her cats. There are just so many natural ways to do things!
Are these oils safe for our pets? In my opinion, yes. Just ease them into it, speak to other pet owners and please only use this advice with Young Living oils. I’m not saying that’s the only good brand of oil out there, but I am saying that’s the only one I know anything about. Get a bit of orange and lavender in your diffuser and help your wee baby feel safe and secure, you will feel the difference too! (that blend also works on crazy kids, trust me)
