Is Diffusing Essential Oils Safe For Pets?

Essential oil diffusers have been gaining popularity in recent years because of their great effect. Essential oils have proven natural therapeutic benefits to both the mind and the body.

Their beneficial effect is truly powerful so it’s no wonder that businesses and companies are starting to use essential oil diffusers for their business.

When you are choosing essential oils for your home or business, you should consider the level of safety of the essential oils you are about to use.

Essential oils can be harmful to your pet’s health not only when they are ingested or applied directly to your pet’s skin but also when they are dispersed into the air.

If you are a pet owner, you are probably wondering whether essential oils are safe to use at a property where kids and pets live. You should always make sure you are using essential oils in a safe way.

Although they are considered safe substances, they should be used in moderation and in a careful way to avoid health problems for you and your pet.

Essential oils are generally considered safe for kids and pets. However there are certain types of essential oils that can cause harm to the health of your pet. Some essential oils are more harmful than others and their effect solely depends on the way you are using them.

If you are a pet owner and want to incorporate essential oils into your home environment, you should proceed to this with caution. When it comes to using essential oils at a spot where pets live, you should be responsible and extra careful.

Essential oils of good quality are made of natural ingredients.

They contain plant substances that are highly concentrated. Because of their natural origin they provide you with a great therapeutic effect no matter if you are using them inside a business or home building.

Each type of essential oil has not only a characteristic smell but also specific benefits to your mind and body as well as to the well-being of your pet.

Research shows evidence that essential oils offer many benefits not only to humans, but also to pets too. So there is no wonder that holistic veterinarians include the use of essential oils into their medical practice.

One of the interesting facts about essential oils is that their molecules are highly reactive with the compounds that the human and the animal bodies contain. Their effect happens thanks to this reaction.

Otherwise they won’t have any effect if their molecules don’t come into a reaction with the compounds in our bodies. But this is also the reason why some essential oils are not suitable for use at homes where pets live.

Essential oils of natural origin can cure health conditions such as skin problems and they also offer tick and flea prevention for your pet. They also have a beneficial effect for anxiety and stress symptoms.

Although more evidence is needed to prove whether or not essential oils have a direct healing effect on diseases in dogs and cats, the idea of using essential oils seems attractive for most pet owners.

Even though essential oils are considered safe substances, they bring certain health risks for both humans and pets when used improperly. For this reason you should be careful when you are getting essential oils.

Essential oils can be toxic and even poisonous for animals as the reactions they create interfere with the natural body chemistry of animals.

So, if you have a pet and you really want to use essential oils in your home or business place, you should talk with your vet first. As you know every dog or cat breed is different and every animal body is unique. If you have more than one pet at your home for example, they may have a different reaction to one and the same essential oil.

If you have a pet and want to use essential oils in your home or business, you should make sure you are using essential oil diffusers in a correct way to guarantee safety for you and your pets.

What are the safest essential oils to use if you have a pet?

Some of you may already know that essential oils consist of chemicals that are rapidly absorbed by the body’s system. They have a strong smell and their effect is immediate. Essential oils are absorbed into the skin when applied topically and metabolized by the liver when received orally.

As you know animals can sense more smells than us as their noses are very sensitive. This means they feel the intense effect from essential oils too. Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways. They can be either directly applied on the skin or used with aroma diffusers.

HVAC scent systems using cold air diffuser are probably one of the best ways to get all of the great therapeutic benefits of natural essential oils. Their aroma delivery technology is safe and advanced which guarantees an effective scent diffusion at any type of place.

You should know that although essential oils have numerous great benefits to the mind and the body, they can be really dangerous to animal health. Essential oils can be dangerous to your pet’s health even if you are not using them directly. They react with your pet’s health in many ways.

But this should not be a reason to stop using essential oils altogether, if you have a pet. You just need to place your scent diffuser at a place that is far away from your pet. Some types of essential oils pose no harm to your pet’s health when used in small dosages.

If you use a certain type of essential oil in an aroma diffuser, you still risk affecting the health of your pet. Essential oils are considered to be safe when used in small quantities.

Essential oils can be especially harmful for:

• puppies and kittens, young dogs and cats

• elderly dogs

• cats

• animals suffering from a liver disease

The same counts for pregnant or nursing pets and also pets with a certain medical condition. Some types of essential oils are considered potentially harmful to pets while others are especially toxic.

Avoid the use of essential oils, if you have dogs or cats that are not older than 8 weeks. High-phenol oils such as thyme, oregano, clove, wintergreen and mountain savory are harmful for both cats and dogs, so avoid using them.

When you put essential oils on the fur or skin of your pet, it can get a gastrointestinal upset in case, if it licks the essential oil. If you find out that your pet has accidentally ingested an essential oil, immediately contact a veterinarian or poison control.

The topical application of essential oils can cause skin irritations for humans and animals. That is why you should always get professional help when it comes to the direct application of essential oils on your dog or cat. A veterinarian can tell you most accurately what types of essential oils are safe to use for your pet.

There are some signs you can look for to see if your pet has a bad reaction to essential oils. After starting to use essential oils in a diffuser, you should keep an eye on your pet’s behavior and overall well-being.

If the essential oils you are using are unsuitable for your pet, you may see that your pet has changes in their behavior. Also check if you sense essential oils on your pet’s fur, skin, vomit or breath.

Other symptoms can appear too, so keep essential oils out of your pet’s reach. To guarantee your pet’s safety, store your essential oils in secure containers which your pet cannot reach and open.

What are the most common symptoms of essential oil poisoning in pets?

• Difficulty breathing

• Stumbling or difficulty walking

• Weakness

• Fatigue

• Vomiting

• Drooling

• Muscle tremors

• Redness on your pet’s skin, tongue, gums, lips

• Pawing at the face or the mouth

Avoid leaving essential oils in bottles at places inside your home or business facility where you think they will be able to reach them or come into contact with essential oils. Get expertly formulated products that contain animal-friendly essential oils.

Try essential oil acclimation first when using a new essential oil to see how your pet will react to it. Stop the use of essential oils if you notice uncommon behavior in your pet.

If you notice your pet is having some of the symptoms mentioned above or have found out that your pet has come into contact with an essential oil, immediately call a vet. The faster you act, the higher the chances for your pet to survive.

If your vet cannot offer an immediate medical treatment to your pet, you can take your pet to an animal emergency medical center.

While contacting a medical professional in situations like this is the best possible option, there are still some things you can do before the vet arrives. If there is an essential oil anywhere on your pet’s fur, quickly wash it. Don’t give your pet any medications before the vet checks its condition and tells you what to do.

When going to the vet’s office with your pet, don’t forget to get the bottle of the exact essential oil you are using. They need to know what type of essential oil has caused poisoning for your pet.

If you use essential oils in an incorrect way, you risk the health of your pet. Improperly used essential oils can lead to respiratory problems, affect your pet’s nervous system in a negative way which can cause behavioral changes.

Animals can get stressed out by different things. Sometimes pet owners need to calm their pet due to a stress-related travel, vet visits or fireworks, other stressful events. And they resort to the use of relaxing essential oils.

Lavender essential oil for example has a proven relaxing effect .You can pour a few drops of lavender essential oil onto your pet’s bedding to provide it with a relaxing effect.

• Peppermint
• Tea tree (also known as melaleuca)
• Cinnamon
• Citrus
• Pennyroyal
• Sweet birch
• Pine
• Wintergreen
• Ylang ylang

These essential oils are safe unless they are ingested or applied on the skin. They are toxic for animals when used improperly and can lead to some serious diseases.

For this reason you should always consult with your veterinarian when planning to use essential oils at the property where your pet lives.

Are essential oils good for flea and tick control?

There are different types of essential oils and each type has its certain physical and mental health benefits. They have a wide application in spa therapies and healing treatments for both humans and animals. Some pet owners apply essential oils on the skin of their pets as a form of preventative treatment for fleas and ticks.

If you have a pet, then you are likely to perform regular treatment against fleas and ticks. Essential oils are considered effective products for treating fleas and ticks in animals. However, there are toxicity cases as a result of improper use of essential oils. The result can be the appearance of flea and tick-borne diseases.

So more scientific data is needed to prove the effectiveness of essential oils for preventing the spread of ticks and fleas. Therefore, you should always consult with your vet whether or not it is safe to use essential oils for tick and flea prevention and exactly how to use them for your pet’s tick and flea treatment.

As you may already know, essential oils need to be diluted with carrier oils. So, your vet should be able to tell you what are the most suitable carrier oils to dilute animal-friendly essential oils in a proper way. They should also offer you information about the appropriate essential oil dosages to use if you have a pet at your property.

Essential oils that are harmful to dogs are :

• Cinnamon

• Citrus (d-limonene)

• Pennyroyal

• Peppermint

• Pine

• Sweet birch

• Tea tree (melaleuca)

• Wintergreen

• Ylang ylang

• Anise

• Clove

• Thyme

• Juniper

• Yarrow

• Garlic

Essential oils that are dangerous for cats are the following.

• Wintergreen

• Sweet birch

• Citrus (d-limonene)

• Pine

• Ylang ylang

• Peppermint

• Cinnamon

• Pennyroyal

• Clove

• Eucalyptus

• Tea tree (melaleuca)

• Thyme

• Oregano

• Lavender

If you want to use essential oils, do this only after consulting with a veterinarian. Make sure to get essential oils from reputable brands that guarantee their essential oils are pet-friendly.