Pets & Essential Oils

If you've been wondering if essential oils can be used with most pets, the answer is yes.

However, I must CAUTION you should NOT use regular store-bought essential oils on your pets as they are not pure and could case great damage to your beloved companion. A reminder, when I refer to essential oils in my blog I ONLY refer to the Young Living oils, because they are AFNOR - ISO quality, in layman terms it means, you can't get any better. And remember, a little bit goes a very long way.

Here is an excerpt from one of Gary Young's books and his experiences using essential oils on his animals...

by Gary Young, N.D.
I have raised animals all my life and presently have several miniature horses as well as four teams of draft horses. I also have pygmy goats, barbadoes sheep and llamas at my ranch where I reside. On my 1300 acre herb farm at Whispering Springs in Mona, Utah, I have an animal petting zoo with Bactrian camels. zeeboos from Africa (miniature Bhramas), Watusi cows and bulls, Walleroos (miniature kangaroos), llamas, buffalos, miniature donkeys, as well as horses and goats. As you can see we have a wide variety of animals.

We have used the oils extensively on many of the animals and are continually making discoveries. The animals respond extremely well and we feel they have benefited greatly. In my experience, I have found that animals respond to essential oils much the same as humans. Animals are not as sensitive to the phenol and sesquiterpene constituents so they can be applied "neet" or full strength. One needs only to determine which oils are applicable to the situation and then apply a few drops 3-4 times daily.

Where and How Much to Apply

The amount for small animals, like cats and dogs is like the application for a child: 3-4 drops each time applied. For larger animals, like large dogs apply 6-7 drops, for horses, apply 15-20 drops.

After applying the oils, I have found it beneficial to cover the open wound with Rose ointment, which keeps the skin soft and helps promote the healing. I have applied the oils in the following ways.

Note: treating cats is different than other animals, be sure to avoid using the citrus oils on and around cats.

1. Apply on their paws where absorption is very fast.

2. On cloven hoofed animals, apply on the auricular points of the ears and/or spine or both.

3. Underneath the top lip on the gums and on the tongue.

4. Sprinkle a few drops on the spine and then massage into the skin, just like with humans.


Conditions and Oils Applied

For various problems I have experimented with the following oils and herbal/mineral products:

1. Strangle in horses, I used a combination of the oil blends Exodus II and Melrose together.(4 parts Exodus II to 1 part Melrose.)

2. Ear mites in cats and dogs - purification and peppermint.

3. Ticks and fleas - Tansy and tansy floral water.

4. Tumors- all animals - Frankincense and lavender mixed together, frankincense and clove mixed together.

5. Worms and parasites- all animals - Parafree and Di-tone.

6. Open wounds- all animals -Melrose, Helichrysum and gentle care Rose Ointment.

7. Trauma- all animals - Trauma Life, Valor, Peace & calming, Melissa, rosewood, lavender, valerian, and chamomile.

8. Bones- all animals - PanAway, birch or wintergreen, lemongrass and spruce.

9. Nervous anxiety with horses - Valor, Trauma Life, geranium, lavender and valerian.

10. Saddle sores- Melrose and Rose ointment.

11. Mineral deficiencies- Mineral Essence( liquid tincture, taken internally) may help meet the animals needs and when met, they will quit chewing on the furniture and engaging in other undesirable activities.

12. Tissue repair and healing directly on wound - Melrose.

13. May help with pain and stop bleeding - Helichrysum.

14. Healing of wounds and abrasions - Rose Ointment.

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SOME OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

I have a lovely dog. He's 6 or 7 years old now and sometimes is a bit gimpy. He's a mix of Flat-coated retriever and Irish Setter (a beautiful dog with a fantastic disposition!) And our experiences using essential oils on him have been wonderful. His favorite essential oil is Palo Santo (which by the way, you will only find through Young Living, no one else distills it). He enjoys having a drop rubbed onto his back. After a couple minutes he has what we call "puppy energy."

I also use either the Young Living Pet Shampoo or one of "my" Young Living Shampoos on him. Not only does he smell terrific but the scent of the pure essential oils keeps flea's and ticks away. He loves being groomed, and actually loves having a bath, which he gets once a month. I would think that having a bath that often with these products contributes greatly to keeping those nasty insects off of him.

Young Living also has a fantastic pet ointment. Naturally it has essential oils in it as well. Of course it's like all the other Young Living products, nontoxic. The pet ointment can also be used on people. I used it one day for a scrape I had, I didn't have my bag of essential oils with me, so I thought... Well, I know what all of the ingredients are and they're safe, so I gave it a try. I was impressed how well it worked and wouldn't hesitate again to use it on myself. It also worked great on my dog when he got a nasty insect bite on his eye lid, it took the swelling down within minutes.

What I like best is that I don't have to use those toxic flea collars and other nasty products, things that I would never think of putting on my body... So why would I want to put them on my lovely dog???

If you've been looking for nontoxic solutions for your pet you may want to consider the Young Living products. They can be seen and ordered at my website: The Very Essence

Disclaimer: The information in this post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to prescribe, treat or diagnose any condition. Please refer to your veterinarian or other health care provider.