Essential Oils for Dogs

There are two types of people in this world.

Those who love dogs and those who have no heart. I’m definitely a dog lover so obviously I am normal like all of you 😉

Today I’m talking about essential oils for dogs. Not only are essential oils a cheaper solution for Fido, they’re also safer and more effective. Yes, yes, and yes.

Let’s say you need to improve your dog’s ear health.

Essential oils to support healthy function in the ears are:

5 drops of Lavender – 45 cents
5 drops of Melaleuca – 40 cents
5 drops of Geranium – 55 cents

(Mix the above ingredients in 1 TBS. of coconut oil. After cleaning the ear with a natural cleaner, use a Q-tip to rub the essential oil mixture in the ear, being careful not to put the Q-tip in past where you can see it- Do this twice a day until you see healthy skin.)

TOTAL = $1.40

Essential oils for everyone (even the dog!)

I’ll admit, when I first purchased essential oils I didn’t know how to use them at all. I was all, “Er, this smells good. Let’s put the cap on that and keep it on the shelf another 3 months. Doop dee do…”

I seriously had no idea there were so many uses for essential oils. I originally bought a starter kit because I wanted to get bulk pricing, have a cool diffuser, essential oils oils for my back, and relaxing oils for my stress. Those worked great, and I reordered them each time I ran out. But once I REALLY understood how to use the other essential oils in my kit, my mind was blown!

Before we begin:

Before I dive into essential oils for dogs, let me take a minute and stress the importance of using HIGH QUALITY essential oils. They simply must be 100% pure to be the most effective. When I stumbled upon my favorite brand 2 years ago, I’ve never looked back. Their quality is simply the best.

If you are looking into essential oils, I’d highly recommend purchasing through the brand I trust. They have wholesale membership options, just like Costco. If you want to get started through me, I can offer you an extra level of support and guide you in using your new oils through my weekly classes and webinars! I even wrote an e-book on essential oils that I give to you for FREE for signing up under me! No matter where you purchase, just be sure to purchase the highest-quality, as other brands can be diluted or adulterated.

Okay, now back to the doggies.

Precautions with Dogs

I’ve talked to my vet about the precautions with essential oils and dogs and he told me that while there are definitely certain essential oils to avoid, it’s also wise to consider the life of the pet and what risk you should take to save their life. If I had a dog that needs help with respiratory health, I’d apply thyme or oregano, because I’d consider the risk worth it. The biggest thing to remember is to have common sense. Dogs are MUCH smaller than us, so be sure to apply MUCH less and always dilute. Here are my rules with dogs and essential oils…

• Always dilute the oils with a carrier oil like coconut oil or olive oil. BONUS FRUGAL POINTS: This also makes the oils stretch further.
• Avoid eyes, nose, anal area, and genital areas. Yeah, just don’t go there.
• Use cautiously with puppies under 10 weeks of age, very old dogs or pregnant dogs.
• Avoid these oils on dogs regularly: Wintergreen, thyme, clove, cassia, camphor, and oregano. These oils wouldn’t be good to use each day, but are good occasionally.

A Word about Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca):

I often get comments about tea tree oil being toxic to dogs. Tea tree oil has phenolic compounds that can be hard for a dog’s body to process, but only in high doses. The oral toxic dose of phenol in dogs is about 0.22 grams per pound of body weight. 0.22 grams is about 4 drops of tea tree oil. This would mean that a 1 pound dog would have toxicity symptoms if you applied 4 drops of tea tree oil.

However, most dogs are around 10-20 lbs. To hit toxic levels of phenols, you would have to apply 40 drops of tea tree oil to a 10 lb. dog at one time. This would be the same as if a 150 pound human applied 600 drops of tea tree oil to their body at one time. OF COURSE this would be ridiculous and toxic. Anybody (or any doggy) given a high amount of phenolic compounds would develop toxicity issues.

When applying essential oils, you need a good dose of common sense. As long as you understand that applying 1-3 drops at a time and diluting for children and pets is the best practice, you’ll be good!

NOTE: The phenolic toxicity level in cats is unknown, but we do know that cats are more sensitive than dogs. It’s advised to avoid Melaleuca altogether in cats.

How to apply Essential Oils to Dogs

Aromatically

For dogs, essential oils can be used aromatically by putting a drop of the essential oil on their collar or on their dog bed. You can also make a spray by adding a few essential oil drops to water and spraying the dog’s fur.

Topically

You can apply essential oils to the spine, ears, or even on the toes/pads of dogs. You can apply essential oils directly to the area pretty much anywhere on the body. But remember to avoid the eyes, nose, anal and genital areas.

Internally

Before you ingest ANY essential oils or make your pets ingest them, you must understand that they must be the highest quality possible. The brand I use is 100% pure and of therapeutic grade. Learn more about my favorite brand of essential oils here. You can put the essential oils in an empty gel capsule or in your dog’s food if they don’t mind the flavor. It is recommended only administering one drop when allowing a dog to ingest internally.

 Get Your Guide!

Common Essential Oil Recommendations

As I mentioned before, you can get all of the following on a ‘cheat sheet’ guide I put together. I created that guide just for readers of this post. Just click here, and I’ll send it right over!

Skin Care

• • • Lavender: Clean the skin and reduce redness, itchiness, or discomfort by rubbing it on the skin with a cotton ball.

LAVENDER OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • Helichrysum: Stop bleeding and help close wounds by rubbing it on the skin with a cotton ball.

HELICHRYSUM OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • Frankincense: Protect the skin and minimize scarring by rubbing it on the skin with a cotton ball.

FRANKINCENSE OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Digestive Support

Sometimes digestive issues are caused from eating too much grass or eating bugs. Oils can help resolve the issue quickly.

• DigestZen: Ease a variety of digestive troubles by rubbing on the stomach. (the digestive blend is a blend of the essential oils ginger, peppermint, tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander, and anise)
  DIGESTZEN OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Respiratory Support

• • • Breathe: Open airways and ease breathing by applying to the chest. (the respiratory blend is a blend of the essential oils from laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, melaleuca, lemon, and ravensara)

BREATHE OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • On Guard: Boost immune response by applying to the bottom of paws. (the protective blend is a blend of the essential oils wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary)

ON GUARD OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • Lime: Energize and detox the system by applying to the bottom of paws or diffusing into the air.

LIME OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • Thyme: To give a boost of antioxidants & immune-supporting benefits, apply to the bottom of paws.

THYME OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Natural insect repellent

• • • Terrashield blend: Make a spray of Terrashield & water, then apply to the fur, reapplying every 5-6 hours. (the repellent blend has the essential oils of of skimmia laureola catnip plant, amyris bark,  african sandalwood, cabrueva balsam,  wild orange peel,  white fir needle, cedarwood, citronella, eucalyptus leaf/stem, hawaiian sandalwood, genet absolute, and rose flower.)

TERRASHIELD OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • • Lavender: For tick removal, apply Lavender, then continue to apply after tick is gone.

LAVENDER OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Ear Health

• • Lavender: To reduce itchiness and deter mites, apply lavender with a cotton ball to the ears.

LAVENDER OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • Basil: To sanitize ears from microorganisms, mix 5 drops of Lavender & 5 drops of Basil in 1 TBS. of coconut oil. After cleaning the ear with a natural cleaner, use a Q-tip to rub the essential oil mixture in the ear (being careful not to put the Q-tip in past where you can see it). Do this twice a day until the the ear no longer looks red or swollen.

BASIL OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Immune Support for Environmental & Seasonal Threats

• • Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint: To reduce reactions to pollens in the air, place 2 drops of each in 2 TBS. of coconut oil and rub on the paws.

LAVENDER OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)
LEMON OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)
PEPPERMINT OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• Because dogs are carnivores, their diet needs to be grain free-95% of allergies are caused by diet. I’ve found a homemade or raw food diet is best.

Joint and Muscle Support

• • Deep Blue Blend: To ease joints & muscles, apply 5 drops diluted in 1 tsp. coconut oil along the spine or problematic area. (the soothing blend contains the essential oils of wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, German chamomile, Helichrysum and Osmanthus.)

DEEP BLUE OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • On Guard Blend: Helps support a healthy immune response, especially in older dogs.

ON GUARD OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Brain and Mood Function

• • Serenity Blend: To help calm your dog down, apply this to the chest area. (the Serenity blend has a blend of the essential oils lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla bean.)

SERENTIY OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • Balance Blend: To help with behavior and focus during obedience training, apply this it to the back.  (the grounding blend is a blend of the essential oils spruce, Ho Wood, frankincense, and blue tansy.)

BALANCE OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • Vetiver Blend: To help a scared and submissive dog become more confident, apply to the paws.

VETIVER OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

• • Elevation Blend: To help uplift and energize a sluggish dog, apply elevation to the chest. (the elevation blend contains the essential oils of lavandin, tangerine, elemi, lemon myrtle, melissa, ylang ylang, osmanthus, and sandalwood.)

ELEVATION OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

Promoting healthy cell growth

• • Frankincense: To reduce growths on the body, apply 1 drop of Frankincense directly on the area, undiluted, 2 times per day.

FRANKINCENSE OIL   ADD TO CART (free shipping)

I think the thing I like most about using essential oils on my pets is that they usually respond beautifully to them. Also, I love the idea of saving money. Just the other day, my dog cut his paw and I was able to take care of it at home!

 
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