Articles - Aromatherapy for horses and dogs

Aromatherapy for pets is highly efficient however, although essential oils are natural products in essence, one cannot assume that they are all safe for pets. With many pets, you should avoid the use of essential oils altogether.

It takes good knowledge of animals and aromatherapy to know when and how to use essential oils with pets.

Birds especially are susceptible to severe reactions to essential oils.

You should not even diffuse essential oils in the air near birds.

They can have respiratory problems that can be deadly.

 

Cats are like birds; essential oils are harmful to them. There is much controversy over whether you can use essential oils with cats. I personally do not use aromatherapy on cats. Many pet care products for cats contain essential oils. Veterinarians, though, explain that essential oils do more harm than good to cats. Oils like Peppermint and Tea Tree are too "hot" for cats. Their sensitive skin will burn. Essential oils enter the bloodstream via hair (topical application on skin), through the digestive tract when ingested, or through the nostrils when particuls are breathed in. The body then must eliminate whatever it has taken in. This is done through the liver.

The problem is that a cat's liver is more delicate than a human's or that of other animals. It takes some forty eight hours for the cat's liver to process and expel the essential oils. This can lead to a build-up and finally to liver damage. Over dose of essential oils can be lethal to cats.

Dogs are more suited to the use of essential oils, but you should always dilute them before applying them. If you use a reasonable amount of caution, you can use essential oils to help dogs with many common problems. You can massage the essential oils mixed with carrier oils into the dog's skin. Preferably, use an area of the skin that is the least hairy.
You can massage the dog's paws with the oil blend. The tips of the ears and along the spine are suitable areas as well. You can also use a diffuser in a room twice a day and let your dog breathe the air from it. Since a dog's liver is hardier, this will not damage it. You can use a mist to spray around the areas where the dog stays, too. You should always be cautious not to spray or apply essential oils on genitals, near or in the eyes. Edible essential oils can be added to food as well.

Many dogs will develop arthritis as they get older. Sometimes owners will even euthanize their dogs just so they won't have to suffer with this ailment. However, there are essential oils that can help your dog live a more comfortable life.

Essential oils you can use to help arthritis sufferers are:

Detoxifying oils to remove toxic build ups associated with arthritis: Fennel, Cypress, Juniper and Lemon.
Analgesic essential oils: Lavender, Chamomile, Rosemary. Although Birch is a strong painkiller, anti-inflammatory and helps expel lactic acid, I recommend to be used with caution with animals. The main constituent of Birch is Methyl Salicylate which is known in its synthesized form as Aspirin. This means it carries all the pros and cons of the medication.

To improve circulation:

Black Pepper, Ginger and Marjoram.

For digestive upsets, you can use the following essential oils:

Tarragon, Peppermint. Cinnamon (bark or leaf) can be put in food. This oil is a skin irritant and must be highly diluted when used as massage oil. It is fine when ingested though.

Essential oils used as insect repellent against fleas and flies are:

Cajeput, Lavender, Niaouli, Tea Tree, Citronella, Patchouli, Peppermint, Eucalyptus. Here I would like to mention Neem oil, although it is not an essential oil but a carrier oil. This oil is highly efficient in keeping insects away. Its garlic scent may help but it is its taste that insects don't like. So once they had a bite, they don't come back.

Many ear problems in dogs can be helped with essential oils of:

Basil, Lavender, Niaouli and Chamomile.

Essential oils to treat Hot Spots are:

Lavender, Sage, Chamomile, Niaouli.

Horses are excellent candidates for aromatherapy. They are naturally attuned to plants and essential oils being derived from plants and flowers are no exception.
When a horse is presented with essential oils he likes, he will sniff it, curl his lips or even try to take the bottle of your hand. If he does not like it, he will turn his head or even walk away.
Horses instinctively know which essential oils they need at that very moment.

Essential oils listed above can be used with horses.

 

How to dilute essential oils

As mentioned earlier, with the exception of Lavender, Chamomile, essential oils must be diluted in carrier oil.
When working with animals, the dilutions that work best are between 1% to 2.5% max. For youngsters and geriatric animals, use 0.5% to 1% max.

So here is a little table for you to help you calculate the right dilution:

100ml of carrier oil at 1% dilution = 1ml (100 x 1%)
1ml of essential oil = 20 drops of essential oil

100ml of carrier oil at 2% dilution = 2ml
2ml of essential oil = 40 drops of essential oil

100ml of carrier oil at 2.5% dilution = 2.5ml
2.5ml of essential oil = 50 drops (2.5 x 20) of essential oil

100ml of carrier oil at 0.5% dilution = 0.5ml
0.5ml of essential oil = 10 drops (0.5 x 20)

30ml of carrier oil at 1% = 0.3ml
0.3ml = 6 drops (20 x 0.3)

30ml of carrier oil at 2% = 0.6ml
0.6ml = 12 drops

30ml of carrier oil at 2.5% = 0.75ml
0.75ml = 15 drops

And so on.

Quality of essential oils is important

One very important point is to ALWAYS buy, pure, natural essential oils. Although they are more expensive and we are using them on our pets, synthetic essential oils do not work and are processed with chemicals. A good example is Lavender, which is sold in supermarkets at a very low price. Lavender can be used undiluted on wounds and burns. It does not sting. On the contrary, it kills the pain straight away. However, if using cheap Lavender oil, it will sting and burn and your pet won't like it! The reason is that type of Lavender oil is steam distilled with Ester at a ratio of 40/42% (min). Same applies to Tea Tree.

Aromatherapy can provide serious help to your pet, even when traditional medicine has failed. As explained in this article, it can be dangerous as well, so care should be taken and you should consult an aromatherapist if in doubt. Don't forget that the delicate scents of essential oils bring well being to not only your pet, but to you as well!

Of course, always consult your vet when your pet is ill.

If you have any queries on how to use essential oils for your pets, feel free to contact me

You can find more resources on aromatherapy for pets on the Australian Nautral Health and Healing web site.