Essential Oils for Pets

BY KAREN ASP

Using essential oils for pets might sound like little more than snake oil, but they can actually have profound effects on pets’ health, as long as they’re used correctly and carefully.

WHY USE ESSENTIAL OILS ON PETS?

Essential oils, which have been used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes throughout history, are highly concentrated extracts from plants. Although they’re well known for making things smell good, their benefits extend beyond that. “They’re becoming a necessity for optimal health, whether in people or pets,” says Hope Gillerman, founder of H. Gillerman Organics and author of Essential Oils Every Day (HarperCollins, 2016).

Unlike traditional medications which focus on a specific problem, essential oils work on multiple facets of wellbeing. “ They provide not only physical support but also emotional support, so while you’re treating a physical ailment, you’ll also see improvements in emotional well-being,” says Melissa Shelton, D.V.M., founder and CEO of animalEO Essential Oils for Animals, which is distributed through Crow River Animal Hospital in Howard Lake, Minnesota.

Diseases and emotional stress create inflammation in the body, after all, and essential oils carry anti-inflammatory properties. What’s more, Shelton says, “most people find that essential oils can reduce or eliminate their need for chronic use of medications and rarely, if ever, see side effects associated with them.”

Essential oils, when used correctly, can aid almost every animal — from bees to fish and elephants to dogs.  There has been some controversy about using essential oils with cats, namely because of toxicity concerns, but Shelton believes they’re safe. “Most toxicity reports are a result of dramatic overuse of oils,” she says. According to her, the only pets who should avoid them are those who have experienced an odd reaction or event during use.

Physical ailments that might benefit from essential oils run the gamut from digestive and joint issues, especially arthritis, to infections and dry skin. Meanwhile, emotional and cognitive issues might include separation anxiety and noise phobia. Animals who are stressed by major changes in life can gain from essential oils as well, Gillerman says. Or just using essential oils when you need animals to be calm is another good use — Shelton has used them to help kittens get used to nail trimming.

A BASIC GUIDE TO USING ESSENTIAL OILS

Before you use essential oils with your pet, check with your veterinarian, although that can be difficult as not every vet is well-versed in this area. You may then have to veer to an integrative or holistic vet. Either way, make sure you read instructions for any oil you buy, Gillerman says. The tricky part is the actual purchase, as not all oils are created equal. “It’s difficult to evaluate what you’re getting in an essential oil,” Gillerman says. Just as you don’t know how long a food has been sitting on a grocery store shelf, neither do you know how long an oil has been stored. How an oil is processed also matters.

One way to make sure you’re getting a quality oil is to buy organic, which will ensure it doesn’t contain toxic insecticides, Gillerman says. You should also ask about the company’s experience and qualifications.

Once you find a quality oil — popular ones for pets include lavender, clary sage, and chamomile — you can use it a number of different ways, either alone or blended. You can diffuse oils, which adds odor control to your animal-friendly house, Shelton says.  They can also be used topically, perhaps misted onto your pets or administered in drops and massaged into their fur. Just make sure your pet likes the scent of any oil before you use it.

“Animals have such a sharp sense of smell that they may not like a particular oil,” Gillerman says. To find out if your pet likes an oil, open a bottle and hold it a foot or two from your pet’s nose (or place a small amount on a rag). If they like it, they may move their nose closer or turn their head slightly to the side. If they don’t like it, they’ll abruptly turn away. Ironically, once they get used to one fragrance, they might start enjoying others they previously didn’t like, Gillerman says.

The unsurprising upshot of using essential oils? Your emotional well-being may even improve, making this a win-win for your whole house.