Essential oils have now gained a prominent place in the market – both for humans and pets. But using essential oils without having complete knowledge of their use and side effects can be dangerous. This is why there are a number of factors to consider before using essential oils, especially for your pets. Read on to know more about essential oils and the factors to keep in mind.

What are essential oils?

One of the most important things to remember is that essential oils are not oils in the traditional sense. They are made from the extract of plants, which is why they have a powerful fragrance and certain medicinal properties. Certain essential oils even contain the toxins of a particular plant. While some of the toxins are not harmful to humans, they can be life-threatening to your pet. This is why it is important to keep a few things in mind when using such oils on pets. Listed below are some factors to consider before using essential oils for your pets:

• Check with the vet: Better to be safe than sorry is something that you need to abide by when it comes to your pets. This is why, it goes without saying that anything you intend on feeding or applying on your pet needs to be approved by the vet. This is because there are several ways the oil can react with your pet without your realization.
• Essential oils can be used but only when heavily diluted: It’s clear that animals and essential oils are not a good match but that does not mean that you cannot ever use them for your pet. Essential oils that have been heavily diluted are acceptable. Dilution needs to be based on the breed, weight, and age of your furry friend. For a small pet, you can dilute the essential oil with vegetable oil in a 1:9 ratio. For medium and larger sized animals you can dilute the essential oils with the carrier oil in a 1:4 and 1:3 ratio, respectively.
• Avoid oils that have high levels of phenol: Another factor to consider before using essential oils on your pets is the level of phenol. Using essential oils with high levels of phenol can irritate your pet’s senses. So, it’s best to avoid such oils for almost all animals, especially cats.

• Learn more about essential oils and how they work: Essential oils are highly reactive with the compounds in our body and that’s why they work. But the usage of some essential oils on animals can be a disaster. This is because the essential oils tend to negatively react with the natural chemistry of the animal, which would either cause poisoning or a toxic reaction.
• Check if your pet actually likes the scent of the oils: Animals have a heightened sense of smell. This means that a moderate odor for you is a very strong and possibly annoying one for them. So, you need to check if your pet actually likes the smell; do not force it on them immediately. Give them time to get acclimatized to the scent by rubbing it on yourself. If they dislike it, you’ll immediately notice the signs such as sniffing, scratching, and more.