From relieving anxiety to soothing dry skin, essential oils can do wonders for your dog’s skin. Since dogs have an enhanced sense of smell, they are more sensitive to essential oils than human beings. Also, not every essential oil is safe for your dog, so several factors are to be considered before using essential oils for pets:
- Choose the right kind of essential oil
If you are looking for essential oils for therapeutic effects on your dog, you should only opt for high-quality essential oils. Always go for an oil with a standardization label on it, and don’t get carried away with false advertisement and a strong fragrance. - Buy oils that are 100 percent pure
One of the most important factors to consider before using essential oils for pets is that the bottle should say 100 percent pure. Whenever you buy any essential oil for your dog, ensure that you don’t compromise on purity. Only pick a bottle if the label says that the oil is 100% pure. - Oil for a specific purpose
Be sure of the reason for buying the essential oil. If you wish to deal with your dog’s anxiety issues, lavender oil is effective, while peppermint oil is good in case you need to cool sore muscles and energize your dog. Chamomile oil, on the other hand, has high anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce skin irritation. - Know which oils aren’t good for your dog
There are plenty of essential oils that are good for your dog, but there are also some that might not suit your furry friend. One of the essential factors to consider before using essential oils for pets is to check the safety of the oil on their skin. The oils that are too strong for dogs include anise, bitter almond, tea tree, thyme, yarrow, sweet birch, juniper, and mustard. - Price of the oil
Every essential oil has a unique method of extraction, and some oils might require too many plants to extract just a few drops. For this reason, some essential oils cost more than the others. This also makes it important for you to consider the amount of money you wish to spend on essential oils for your dog before purchasing a bottle. - Application of oil
Another important factor to consider before using essential oils for pets is to know how to apply the oil. You should never apply neat essential oils to animals and never give these oils orally to your dog. The oil shouldn’t be applied to your pet’s muzzle area, nostrils, mouth, eyes, and inside ears.
As a responsible and loving pet owner, you should understand the importance of these factors before purchasing any random bottle of essential oil. This can worsen the condition of your pet instead of improving it, so avoid making an impulse purchase at all costs.