Using Essential Oils with Your Pets

photo from The Daily Puppy

Guest Post by Catherine Von Hatten
 

One of my first experiences with essential oils was actually with my buddy, Louie. He is a wild man who likes nothing better than a romp through the bushes, which is great fun unless the bushes are wild orchids…the Caribbean’s version of poison oak for many dogs. The stems break as dogs run through and the oozing sap is highly allergenic for some canines. I tried everything from home remedies to medicines from the vet to help ease Louie’s discomfort. My daughter suggested dabbing tea tree oil on the affected areas. It worked…soothed the itching belly and helped the rash heal. That was enough to convince me and I started using tea tree oil on a rash of my own!

Since then, I’ve found several other uses for oils with Louie and his friend, Lily, who also lives with us. I am very careful to use only Young Living oils because I know they are therapeutic grade and will give me the results I am looking for.

·      Our dogs travel with us and airplane rides can be quite stressful. I put a few dabs of Peace and Calming on their collars before we fly and I am amazed at how much it helps to ease their anxiety. Used it today to help them relax before they got their teeth cleaned.

·      As much as I love my dogs, I don’t always love their breath. A drop of peppermint oil on their food or a snack or even on my finger helps freshen their breath all day.

·      Lily had a small, harmless cyst on her head that the vet wanted to remove surgically. I rubbed lavender, purification, and thieves on it alternately and the cyst has disappeared.

·      My daughter’s Golden Retriever, Charlie, tends to get stinky ears, as Goldens are prone to do. She mixes lavender and tea tree oils in olive oil and swabs the inside of the ear flaps with the solution on a cotton ball.

If you are interested in reading more about using essential oils with your pets, Sara Kenney’s book, Natural Health Care for Your Four-Legged Friends is a great resource. It can be found on Amazon (www.amazon.com) or the Abundant Health websites (www.abundanthealth4u.com).