Essential Oils & Pets - To Diffuse or not?

Animals and people are both influenced by what they smell, whether this is the aroma of a delicious supper being prepared, a can of your pet's favorite food being opened (you know the little excited dance they do when they hear it crack!), or the relaxing scent of candle burning in the evening.  Smell can impact our emotion and association with a certain event or place.  You've probably noticed when walking into our veterinary hospital that it smells bright and clean like a home and not a clinic; we even have special pheromones at work that your pet can smell that we can't to make sure both our clients and patients feel welcomed and relaxed upon arrival!

Options for keeping our spaces smelling top-notch and for altering our moods have never been more abundant.  One of the ways people are introducing scent into their homes is through the use of essential oils.  Especially recently, there has been an explosion in the motorized/nebulizing types of active diffusers- they are everywhere!  One of our veterinarians recently was at their dental office and even their dentist had one going throughout their entire appointment!    Even more abundant are all of the internet posts with conflicting information about what is safe and what isn't when it comes to our pets.  Our veterinarians at Wascana Animal Hospital are asked these questions a lot!  As such, we thought we would try and give our pet owners a quick breakdown of what we do need to be mindful of and potential risks when it comes to using essential oils around pets.  There are also two fantastic links at the bottom of this post for additional information that we encourage you to read.

Essential oils can cause irritation to both cats and dogs if ingested, inhaled or absorbed at high concentration.  We do not recommend that pet owners apply essential oils onto the fur or skin of your pets, nor give them orally.  Exposure to certain diffused essential oils can cause symptoms related to upper respiratory tract irritation such as watery eyes or nose, coughing, and sneezing.  These can progress to more serious signs such as excessive panting or open-mouthed breathing (especially concerning in cats), labored effort to breath, burning sensation in the back of the throat, and drooling.   Cats in particular are more susceptible to the toxic effects of some essential oils because they lack certain enzymes in their body that help the liver process and eliminate the oils.  Symptoms of progressing toxicity, in addition to respiratory signs, can appear as vomiting, ataxia (staggering or wobbliness), muscle tremors, and changes to body temperature or heart rate.  Additionally with some oils, liver damage and failure can ultimately occur.  

Dr. Ulmer, one of our integrative veterinarians, cautions that we need to remember that just because it is "organic", "natural" or a "cold-pressed oil" does not mean that its effects are benign!  Remember that many of our common medications used today in conventional medicine are derived from natural sources, for example mushrooms and penicillin, or willow bark and aspirin!  Natural compounds can still have the same powerful effects on our pet's bodies as conventional medications! 

So what essential oils do we need to really watch out for when it comes to our pets?  The list is long and complicated, and additionally there are many oils whose effects have not yet been studied in veterinary toxicity trials that we still need to learn more about.  However, here are some of the ones we commonly caution against:

-wintergreen oil

-tea tree (*note we have had many clients find anecdotal reports of using this oil for ear infections in their pets, please DO NOT put this oil directly into your pet's ears!) 

-peppermint

-eucalyptus

-sweet birch

-citrus oil (d-limonene), 

-pine oils 

-Ylang Ylang

-cinnamon oil

-clove oil

-pennyroyal oil

-bergamot 

-lavender

-thyme

-oregano

As always, ultimately toxicity depends on the route and amount of exposure as well as the type of oil.  Avoid allowing your pets to have direct access to lick or ingest essential oils and avoid the direct application to skin or fur.  When using oils in a diffuser, be mindful of trying to use the diffuser in a separate area of the home that your pets don't frequent, or if that is not possible, make sure your pet has the ability to leave the room to get away from the source.   If your pet currently has a known respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis, asthma) or systemic illness (chronic kidney or liver disease), we recommend avoiding exposure.

If at any time you are concerned your pet may have ingested an essential oil or if you are noticing abnormal physical symptoms after your pet has been exposed to your diffuser, please seek veterinary attention immediately and do not attempt to induce vomiting in your pet at home.  If possible, bring the bottle of the oil your pet was exposed to, to your veterinary appointment. Treatment for your pet will depend on the type of oil, route of exposure, examination and lab work results.  

Please read the following links for more excellent information:

CVMA - Essential Oils

Pet Poison Help - Essential Oils



Animals and people are both influenced by what they smell, whether this is the aroma of a delicious supper being prepared, a can of your pet's favorite food being opened (you know the little excited dance they do when they hear it crack!), or the relaxing scent of candle burning in the evening.  Smell can impact our emotion and association with a certain event or place.  You've probably noticed when walking into our veterinary hospital that it smells bright and clean like a home and not a clinic; we even have special pheromones at work that your pet can smell that we can't to make sure both our clients and patients feel welcomed and relaxed upon arrival!

Options for keeping our spaces smelling top-notch and for altering our moods have never been more abundant.  One of the ways people are introducing scent into their homes is through the use of essential oils.  Especially recently, there has been an explosion in the motorized/nebulizing types of active diffusers- they are everywhere!  One of our veterinarians recently was at their dental office and even their dentist had one going throughout their entire appointment!    Even more abundant are all of the internet posts with conflicting information about what is safe and what isn't when it comes to our pets.  Our veterinarians at Wascana Animal Hospital are asked these questions a lot!  As such, we thought we would try and give our pet owners a quick breakdown of what we do need to be mindful of and potential risks when it comes to using essential oils around pets.  There are also two fantastic links at the bottom of this post for additional information that we encourage you to read.

Essential oils can cause irritation to both cats and dogs if ingested, inhaled or absorbed at high concentration.  We do not recommend that pet owners apply essential oils onto the fur or skin of your pets, nor give them orally.  Exposure to certain diffused essential oils can cause symptoms related to upper respiratory tract irritation such as watery eyes or nose, coughing, and sneezing.  These can progress to more serious signs such as excessive panting or open-mouthed breathing (especially concerning in cats), labored effort to breath, burning sensation in the back of the throat, and drooling.   Cats in particular are more susceptible to the toxic effects of some essential oils because they lack certain enzymes in their body that help the liver process and eliminate the oils.  Symptoms of progressing toxicity, in addition to respiratory signs, can appear as vomiting, ataxia (staggering or wobbliness), muscle tremors, and changes to body temperature or heart rate.  Additionally with some oils, liver damage and failure can ultimately occur.  

Dr. Ulmer, one of our integrative veterinarians, cautions that we need to remember that just because it is "organic", "natural" or a "cold-pressed oil" does not mean that its effects are benign!  Remember that many of our common medications used today in conventional medicine are derived from natural sources, for example mushrooms and penicillin, or willow bark and aspirin!  Natural compounds can still have the same powerful effects on our pet's bodies as conventional medications! 

So what essential oils do we need to really watch out for when it comes to our pets?  The list is long and complicated, and additionally there are many oils whose effects have not yet been studied in veterinary toxicity trials that we still need to learn more about.  However, here are some of the ones we commonly caution against:

-wintergreen oil

-tea tree (*note we have had many clients find anecdotal reports of using this oil for ear infections in their pets, please DO NOT put this oil directly into your pet's ears!) 

-peppermint

-eucalyptus

-sweet birch

-citrus oil (d-limonene), 

-pine oils 

-Ylang Ylang

-cinnamon oil

-clove oil

-pennyroyal oil

-bergamot 

-lavender

-thyme

-oregano

As always, ultimately toxicity depends on the route and amount of exposure as well as the type of oil.  Avoid allowing your pets to have direct access to lick or ingest essential oils and avoid the direct application to skin or fur.  When using oils in a diffuser, be mindful of trying to use the diffuser in a separate area of the home that your pets don't frequent, or if that is not possible, make sure your pet has the ability to leave the room to get away from the source.   If your pet currently has a known respiratory condition (chronic bronchitis, asthma) or systemic illness (chronic kidney or liver disease), we recommend avoiding exposure.

If at any time you are concerned your pet may have ingested an essential oil or if you are noticing abnormal physical symptoms after your pet has been exposed to your diffuser, please seek veterinary attention immediately and do not attempt to induce vomiting in your pet at home.  If possible, bring the bottle of the oil your pet was exposed to, to your veterinary appointment. Treatment for your pet will depend on the type of oil, route of exposure, examination and lab work results.  

Please read the following links for more excellent information:

CVMA - Essential Oils

Pet Poison Help - Essential Oils



Visit our Office