Essential Oils and Pocket Pets
There have been many people who have noticed a difference in their health and wellbeing since starting to use essential oils. With all the advantages to using them and having so many positive outcomes people have been starting to turn to trying to use them on not only their dogs and cats but also their pocket pets. While there are some situations where it may be appropriate to use essential oils on your pet, it is always a good idea to make sure that it is safe.
Reasons for Using Essential Oils
Just like people there can be many reasons to start using essential oils for your pocket pets. From using them to help with health problems like: digestive issues, respiratory issues, and boosting their immune system. To helping them with non-health problems like making transitions easier, stress, cleaning cages, and helping deter unwanted pests that may be around your home. Essential oils can be a great way to help your pocket pet through many situations.
Which Ones are Safe to Use
It is always smart to consult with your veterinarian on which Essential oils are safe to use on your pocket pet. Always remember that just because one Essential oil is safe and effective to use on one species of pocket pet it may not be safe to use on another. Here is a list of some essential oils that are safe to use around most pocket pets:
Lavender: can also be used for cleaning cages. Make sure the smell is almost gone before placing your pet back in its cage
Lemon
Orange
Peppermint: not recommended to use around mice
Eucalyptus
How to Apply
When using Essential Oils on your pocket pet you must be careful with how much you apply to them and where you apply them. Some areas to avoid when applying Essential Oils to your pocket pet are giving them internally, orally, and applying the oil directly to their skin. Your pocket pet should never ingest the essential oil at anytime as it can cause a toxicity. For best results you should use a diffuser that is a few feet away from your pets cage, a water based diffuser is usually better especially if you are using a highly concentrated oil. That way it is impossible for your pet to ingest the oil but they still get the added benefits of them! Some pocket pets have very sensitive respiratory systems, like rabbits. If you are wanting to use an oil around your rabbit it is best to have the diffuser as far away from where your rabbit may be. When applying to our pocket pet it is always good to double check with your local vet on how much is safe to apply.
Which Essential Oils to Avoid
If you do want to use Essential oils on your pocket pet it is good to know which ones to avoid using. It is always good to check with your vet before using to make sure that your pocket pet will not have a reaction or toxicity to it. Here is a list of some of the top essential oils that you should never use around your pocket pet. On top of this list it is also good to know that mice do not like the smell of peppermint. So, if you do own mice it would be best to not have peppermint in your diffuser.
Anise
Birch
Bitter Almond
Boldo
Calamus
Camphor
Cassia
Chenopodium
Clove
Goosefoot
Hyssop
Juniper
Mugwort
Mustard
Oregano
Pennyroyal
Thyme
Rue
Santolina
Sassafras
Savory
Tansy
Tea Tree
Terebinith
Thuia
Wintergreen
Wormwood
Yarrow
Essential oils have great benefits and can be incredibly useful for both humans and their pets. However, even though there are oils that work great for us the same may not be true for our pets. It is always good to consult with your local veterinarian before starting to use them on your pets to keep them safe and happy!
