3 Best Essential Oils to Calm Your Pet
I love animals because they exude an air of unconditional love, innocence and happiness to their people. Our animal friends love being a part of our lives and we love to have them with us.
But, sometimes we meet and bond with a "crazy" animal!
For instance, the dog that has an irrational fear of rain and won't for the life of him go outside to potty during a rain shower. Or the cat who hides for hours when a friend comes over. Or, how about the dog with attachment issues that destroys the house while you're at work? Any of these sound familiar?
My cat's, Sammie and Max, love to hang out on our screened-in patio. But whenever the garbage truck comes rolling in, they flee for their lives!
Your animals' fears might sound crazy to us, but they are completely real for your animal.
Applying essential oils to our pets can help lessen their anxieties.
Because of an animal's heightened senses, they respond very well to essential oils. In the wild, animals eat specific plants to heal themselves. In captivity (our homes), the pant kingdom is not readily available. Using essential oils on your pet gives them access to the vast healing properties of nature.
The three best essential oils to calm your pets are:
Peace & Calming, Lavender and Roman Chamomile
These three essential oils can be used to help ease your pet's distress. You can use them for situations like; trips to the vet's office, trauma, sadness and depression, loss of another animal in the family, abuse, separation issues, hyperactivity and any other situation that could cause stress for your animal.
When you apply essential oils to animals, always remember less is more as animals are very sensitive to essential oils.
Keep in mind that dilution of essential oils is required with animals. When applying essential oils to dogs and horses, you should dilute the essential oil in a drop of organic olive oil, found in most grocery stores. With cats it's a different story! For cats, I recommend diluting 1 part essential oil to 10 parts organic olive oil.
Please take caution when using essential oils with cats. Cats are extremely sensitive to essential oils and some essential oils are potentially dangerous for them. These oils include oregano and thyme, which are high in phenols. Cats can't effectively digest phenols because they lack the proper enzymes to digest phenols. Please avoid Peace & Calming with your feline friends as it does contain small amounts of phenols and also citrus oils, which cats don't like. But, Roman chamomile and lavender essential oils are very safe for use on cats.
How to use essential oils on pets:
For calming dogs: Mix 1 drop Lavender, Roman Chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 1 drop carrier oil. Rub this mixture on your dogs pads, ears or comb through their fur. Apply any time you sense your dog is stressed.
For calming horses: Mix 1 drop Lavender, Roman Chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 1 drop carrier oil. Rub this mixture on your horse's muzzle, ears or cornet bands. Apply any time your horse is stressed.
To calm your cat: Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with TEN drops of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your cat's pads, tips of the ears or comb through their fur. Apply at any time that your cat is in distress.
All of the essential oils listed in this article are excellent for human use, as well! Simply apply a drop or two (undiluted) to your wrists, behind your ears or on your shoulders.
Try sharing some lavender essential oil with your pets the next time you open up a bottle. They'll thank you for it!
2008 Christa McCourt
