Essential oils are all natural yet concentrated and highly potent. This is why they should not be appleid neat in most cases and never ingested neat. When it comes to animals and essential oils, they are carefully diluted incase there may be any licking of the area applied so there is no risk. A wonderful way to dilute essential oils for animals is by using a good quality carrier oil or a gel like aloe vera for topical use.
Essential oils, just like herbs offer a variety of therapeutic actions that aids the physical, emotional and mental issues in animals. The aromatic volatile oils in plants play an important role in maintaining animal health and instinctively are drawn to these aromatic compounds. There is a large variety of essential oils that zoopharmacognosy practitioners use for a variety of animals to inhale.
Humans use essential oils to scent a whole room yet an animal prefers to go and smell a small area or object that has been scented with the appropriate essential oil. Instead of spraying or diffusing a scent throughout the room they are in, add some drops of oil to a cloth, paper, cardboard or a piece of wood that they can walk over to when they desire. Be sure to dilute the essential oil if the animal might chew or lick the chosen object.
Some examples of essential oils that practitioners will use for inhalation are:
- Angelica Root
- Bergamot
- Ginger
- Lavender
- Neroli
- Eucalyptus
- Clary Sage
- German and Roman Chamomile
- Grapefruit
- Jasmine
- Marjoram (Sweet)
- Peppermint
- Rose
- Violet Leaf
- Yarrow
- Ylang Ylang
- Sandlewood
- Vanilla
PLEASE NOTE: Some essential oils can be toxic to certain animals. There are essential oils that can be inhaled but not topically applied which could in turn be ingested. Before introducing any essential oils to your animals, it is highly recommended that you do your full research on the effects and avoid them if you are unsure. You can always contact a practitioner to help guide and give you the confidence to incorporate essential oils in your pet’s life.