Best Essential Oils For Dogs - Fool Proof Method

A lot of people struggle...

A lot of people struggle when it comes to using essential oils with their pets. And it's no surprise when you look at all of the unsafe information out there. I've seen recommendations for dropping essential oils into your pet's food, rubbing them into your dog's fur without diluting, and brushing your puppy's teeth with them. It makes me cringe. None of us want to see our puppy suffering from adverse reactions that could be avoided - if we weren't misinformed.

As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, I know the benefits of essential oils as well as the safety. And in this episode, I'm sharing the fool-proof way to select the best essential oils for your dog in four easy steps. And I promise you don't need to know any chemistry to do this.

...and I'll tell you what to do in case your dog accidentally licks, and therefore eats, the essential oil remedy.

Not following this process can leave your dog still suffering with the same issue - or worse - having new reactions due to essential oil misuse. So let's make sure that doesn't happen to you.

Lea Jacobson

Certified Clinical Aromatherapist

Author of Using Essential Oils Safely with DOGS

How to Select the Best Essential Oils for Your Dog (Fool-Proof Method!)

When we use essential oils with humans, there are safety considerations to factor in. And with pets... there's another set of guidelines.

You can't possibly know without proper training if the info you're Googling is safe or not. And that's not your fault. It really isn't. There's no regulation in the industry. Therefore, anyone who reps essential oils can post about the different ways to use them. And that's when you see unsafe essential oil information in your feed.

The good news is now that you know there is a safe way to use them, you can make better choices moving forward.

Today, we're talking about a fool-proof way to select the best essential oils for your dog in four easy steps without knowing any chemistry. And what to do if your dog accidentally licks or consumes the essential oil remedy.

Let's start by introducing a word you probably haven't heard before - and one that I'd like to get out of the way since it's a long one: zoopharmacognosy. It's a word coined by Carolyn Ingraham, and it's otherwise known as the "let your dog choose their own essential oil" approach.

Let me explain it in her words: "Applied zoopharmacognosy enables self-medicative behavior in domesticated or captive animals by offering plant extracts that would contain the same or similar constituents to those found in an animal's natural environment. The practice encourages and allows an animal to guide its own health. Since unlike their wild counterparts, captive and domesticated animals rarely have the opportunity to forage on medical plants. The extracts offered include a variety of essential oils, absolutes, plant extracts, macerated oils, tubers, clays, algae, seaweeds, and minerals. Once the animal has selected its remedy, it will then guide the session by inhaling it, taking it orally, or by rubbing a part of its body into it." Carolyn Ingraham.

It's all about letting your dog self-select the best remedy. But we're also going to give them some help. So let's talk about what that looks like in four simple steps.

Step one of the fool-proof way to select the best essential oils for your dog is to pre-select three to five essential oils.

I know you're thinking, "Lea, you just said that I didn't have to know any chemistry. How am I going to do that?" And you're right. I did it for you, so you don't have to.

10 years ago, I began the tedious process of going through over 270 essential oils looking at their constituents, or chemical components, and the therapeutic properties attributed to them. Without boring you, the end result was an amazing database that boils down to "Which essential oils are good for what issue?" It's the foundation for how I create recipes inside the Recipes Lab™ for humans. And it's how I determined the essential oils effective as a remedy for dogs as well.

For example, if you are looking for allergy relief, you'll want essential oils with anti-histamine therapeutic properties. Since there are several essential oils containing high amounts of anti-histamines, you'll most likely have at least one or two available for your dog's approval. So you pre-select then give them the final, say. But not until step two.
Step two of the fool-proof way to select the best essential oils for your dog: offer the essential oils as closed bottles.

If you remember from my last episode, Are Essential Oils Safe for Dogs? a dog's nose is a hundred thousand times more sensitive than humans. So they'll be able to smell the essential oil just fine. ( If you put the bottle up to your own nose, you can probably smell it!).

So allow your dog to sniff the closed bottle and gauge their reaction. You know your pet best and can pick up on the nuances that communicate what your dog likes and doesn't like. Once you know the ones your dog prefers, you can move on to step three.
Step three of the foolproof way to select the best essential oils for your dog is...Dilute dilute, dilute!

If you didn't hear my last episode, you would've missed my "one crazy thing that you must do." And it was this: always dilute the essential oils before offering as a remedy, even before your dog inhales them.

Exactly how much you'll dilute will depend on the issue that you are addressing, but it will never be more than 3% for inhalation and 0.5% for topical use
The fourth and final step of the foolproof way to select the best essential oils for your dog is: offer the diluted remedy.

Depending on the situation, this will look like applying topically, or offering for them to inhale. Aromatherapy vet Nayana Morag shows in her video course offering her hand to her dog with a diluted remedy on her hand. The dog can inhale from there.

So there you have it! You now know the foolproof way to select the best essential oils for your dog in four easy steps.

Now for what to do if your dog accidentally licks or consumes the remedy you want them to only inhale...

First, I suggest you do everything possible to prevent your dog from licking the remedy. But if they do, don't panic.

While I do not encourage or recommend ingestion as a remedy option, animal aromatherapy expert Nayana Morag says when it comes to dogs "they are more likely to want the oils orally if they have a physical problem, or one that is not very deeply rooted. The sense of smell and taste function together, and most essential oil taken in the mouth will be absorbed into the olfactory cavity." She continues, "if your animal tries to lick the bottle or behaves very orally, dab a small amount of diluted oil on your hand, or on a saucer or bucket if they do not want to lick from your hand and allow him to lick it off. While the animal is looking, keep the open bottle of oil in range of his nostrils so he is also inhaling the essential oil."

I factored in known safety issues for essential oils in my book, Using Essential Oils Safely With Dogs. It's very important that you adhere to the safety guidelines in that book to make sure your pet stays safe. If you go over the recommended dilution included with each recipe, you could expose your pet to adverse reactions.

To learn more about resources mentioned, visit our Dog Resources page.

These tips are just the beginning...go deeper with my book Using Essential Oils Safely with DOGS!

In upcoming episodes we'll continue to explore using essential oils safely with your dog and other pets, buuuuut if you don't want to wait you can grab my book, Using Essential Oils Safely With DOGS.

In this book, I've included safety profiles for 250 essential oils clearly marked, so you know which essential oils are safe to use with your dog and which ones to avoid.

You'll also find recipes designed specifically for use with dogs with the same detailed information I include inside Recipes Lab™ for humans, the essential oils best to use for the health issue, specific dilution, exactly how to use, and more...

I'm ready to order the BOOK now!

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DISCLAIMER: You may have a serious health issue that requires medical attention. The information provided is for educational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking care because of something you have read here. Read full disclaimer here.

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