Picture this: You splurged on a natural essential oil reed fragrance diffuser over the weekend and on Monday you come home from work and the scent is much stronger than you expected. Upon entering, you can hear your dog barking and whimpering in pain. While you were at work, your dog has knocked the diffuser over onto the floor, and rolled around in the oil, and is covered in severe burns all over it’s skin. You carry it into the bathtub and try to wash off the oil only to have the burns get worse, and you despair as your beloved pet writhes in agony and cries as if it were being burnt alive. When you get to the vet, you are told that the culprit are the essential oils in the diffuser oil and that water only drives the oils deeper into the skin. What now?
Now picture this; you buy a plug-in essential oil diffuser and start to experiment with different essential oils, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Ylang Ylang, and Lemon. They all smell great to you. It’s too hot or too cold to open the windows and you run your diffuser constantly, citrus oils in the morning to energize you, refreshing woods and Eucalyptus during the day, and then soothing Lavender at night. However after a day or two, you notice your cat starting to behave differently, she is listless, eyes are glassy, she is unsteady on her feet, and seems confused. She loses her appetite and you take her to the vet to see what’s wrong. The vet asks the usual battery of questions and then asks if you have been using any essential oils in the home. You talk about your diffuser and what oils you have been using, and then the vet explains to you that every single essential oil you have been using is toxic to cats and dogs and that once these compounds enter their bodies they have no way of metabolizing them. You have unwittingly poisoned your beloved pet, what now?
Essential oils are super-potent concentrates of natural plant materials, and in small, diluted doses are healthy and useful for human beings, but dogs and cats cannot metabolize man of these substances once they enter their bloodstream. They are particularly sensitive to breathing them in and having skin contact, especially cats with their thin skin. Not all essential oils are toxic to pets, but many of the most common ones are. Essential oils if used on pets need to be extremely diluted. When our family vet told us the dilution for tea tree oil to be used on a cat, a fraction of a percentage point, it seemed so low that I just couldn't see how it could be an effective treatment. So also keep in mind that if a trusted authority tells you that an essential oil is a safe treatment, ask them at what dilution. The difference between 0.01% and 100% strength could be the difference between safe and toxic.
Especially keep in mind that essential oil salespeople most likely do not have degrees in veterinary health, whereas a vet has huge amount of training in toxicology whether it be chocolate or essential oils. It is disgraceful that someone would promote using a toxic substance on an animal who cannot be informed of what they are using or consent to it’s use. There are even companies that make products specifically meant to apply to animals that include oils that are toxic to them. It is all the worse today when more people than ever have given up critical thinking and are more gullible than ever.
This brings me to a related subject, brace yourself because this realization may be shocking to some people: just because someone writes on a website that something is safe to use for dogs or cats doesn’t mean it is true. The same goes for all manner of “wellness inducing” pseudoscience. Kind of like that famous actress who promoted eating clay (who allegedly needed repeated medical intervention from the side effects, but that didn't merit a press release), and another famous actress who promoted putting porous rocks into the most intimate area of one’s anatomy.
There are people out there who will argue that it is not the essential oils themselves that are harmful to animals, it is the additives, diluting agents, preservatives and the like. This is incorrect, it is the most basic building blocks of these substances that are toxic and the organic, undiluted, preservative free version will harm an animal just as much as a cheap drug-store version, maybe even more.
While there are some essential oils that are allegedly safe for cats, I would proceed with skepticism and extreme caution. Here are some common sense guidelines for using and enjoying essential oils and keeping your beloved pets safe:
- Do not use an electric or candle diffuser in the same room as your pet.
- Do not burn a scented candle in the same room as your pet.
- Do not put a reed diffuser in an unventilated space or on a surface where your pet can reach and knock over the diffuser.
- Do not spray perfume or a linen spray in the same room as your pets.
- Wash your hands after using essential oil based products before touching your pets.
- Use a vent-fan, open a window, and keep pets in another room if you are making candles, or soap using essential oils.
When I formulate my products the essential oils are released into the air. I take great care to keep my pets safe by using a vent fan, keeping the pets enclosed in a room with several shut doors between them and myself. Also I make sure that the air from the room I am formulating in is not getting into the intake for the heating and cooling system.
If I didn’t have pets in the house, I would have reed diffusers in every room, I would use plug-in diffusers in the bedroom at night, and I would spray essential oil based linen-spray on my upholstered furniture and drapery. The health and safety of my beloved cats come before my own enjoyment. I believe that when you adopt a pet, you are the sole guardian, protector, and advocate for that little life. It is a sacred duty, and there is no one but you as its owner to perform it. So keep your furry loved ones safe, and be aware that what is healthy, and beneficial to you may indeed be toxic to them. Share your love, affection, and home with your pets, but keep your essential oils to yourself unless you are sure without a shadow of a doubt they are safe.