How To Introduce Essential Oils To Your Pets

Intuitively we all know what is best for our being at any particular time. Sometimes it just takes a bit to listen to ourselves and trust our intuition. This also applies to our pets. Dogs, cats and horses are highly intuitive and energetic beings. They are very tuned in to their human families and instinctually want to create a calm and productive family/pack/herd.

A Note on Scent

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell — 300 million olfactory receptor cells vs. humans' 5 million. Interestingly, dogs can not only smell physical issues in humans (cancer, seizures, diabetes) — they can also smell emotions. Each emotion has a different scent: fear, sadness, anger. So when you come home from your day they know exactly how you feel.

Essential oils can help change emotions or allow a release that will facilitate that change. So it is important that you allow your pup to pick his oils — as he or she knows better than anyone what will help them balance out.

Cats have approximately 200 million olfactory receptors. Note that cats have a limited amount of certain liver enzyme called UDP Glucuronosyltranferase,  which make it very difficult for them to metabolize some compounds in essential oils — topical use can be very dangerous and should be avoided as there are safer alternatives without the risk injury or death. See Tisserand Institute's guide on cat safety.

Horses Horses tend to really love essential oils. Open a few bottles and allow them to choose — watch what nostril they sniff out of first. If it is the left side, that tends to be more of an emotional issue, which the oil can help as well. Horses will tend to try and lick/eat your bottles, so just be prepared — especially if it is peppermint!

Choice and Permission

Choice and permission are really important. We want the oils to make your pet feel better — not trapped or overwhelmed. Dogs have great memories, so if they have a bad experience it will be a lot harder to get them back on board. Same with cats and horses.

Ways to Introduce Essential Oils

1. Open the lids a bit and let them sniff each one individually — no more than three at a time so they don't get overwhelmed. See which ones they are drawn to. Usually if your pet likes them they will come closer and get a stronger whiff, and they may even try to lick the bottle.
2. Put a drop on your hands, rub it in, and let your dog smell it that way.
3. Put a drop on your pants and walk around and see what kind of reaction you get.
4. Diffuse — start out with 1 to 2 drops and put the diffuser in an open area (living room, bedroom, etc.). Be sure your dog or cat can get up and leave if they want.