Essential Oil Safety - How To Use Essential Oils Safely Around Your Pets

The hot topic of the moment in the Aromatherapy industry is the safe use of essential oils.

Essential oils are highly concentrated and should not be applied directly to the skin. They should be diluted in a cold pressed vegetable or seed-based oil (carrier oils).

Pets are very sensitive to essential oils and if you are into diffusing your oils, you need to be careful around your furry children as more than 20 minutes per day can cause liver and kidney toxicity.

Our Sid in the lemongrass!

Safe Oils for Cats:
There aren’t any safe essential oils for cats. Some hydrosols are safe however you do need to look at the chemical constituents to make sure there are no ketones or phenols and monoterpene hydrocarbons as cats can’t metabolise them. The safest hydrosols are those that are rich in monoterpene alcohols as they are the gentlest.

Safe Oils for Dogs: There are 20 essential oils that are considered safe for dogs however they should always be blended with an oil or butter.

Safe Oils for small pets (Birds, Fish, Rats, etc): Like cats, there are not any safe oils to use around your teeniest family members, and diffusing them in their vicinity can kill them.

If you are using a diffuser around your pets, 1 drop is all that should be added to your diffuser.

For more information on using your essential oils safely with your pets, please read the book Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals by Kristen Leigh Bell, which is a very informative resource.

For more information on using your essential oils safely, please go to www.AromaSafety.com

Originally published in Summer 2020/2021 Newsletter

Animal Pile Image by TeeFarm from Pixabay

Dog Image by jeremy8 from Pixabay

Rabbit Image by StockSnap from Pixabay