The Essential Oils Unsafe for Dogs

Welcome to today’s blog post, where we address the potential risks of essential oils to the health and well-being of our beloved dogs. As pet owners, we prioritise providing a safe environment for our furry friends to ensure their happiness and health. However, in pursuing holistic wellness, knowing the dangers that can unintentionally affect their well-being is important.

Essential oils are becoming increasingly popular in natural medicine and self-care. While these extracts benefit humans, it’s important to know that not all safe substances for us are safe for our dogs. Certain essential oils can cause discomfort or severe health complications in dogs.

In this article, we’ll look worldwide for essential oils and reveal which can potentially harm our four-legged companions. By understanding these dangers, we can proactively protect our dogs’ health and ensure their happiness.

Join us as we explore the fascinating but often overlooked topic of essential oil safety for dogs, uncovering hidden dangers and providing valuable insight for informed decision-making. Together, let’s strike a harmonious balance between natural wellness practices and the health and happiness of our furry family members.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to educate and raise awareness but isn’t a substitute for the advice of a professional veterinarian. If you suspect your dog has been exposed to essential oils or is experiencing health issues, please get in touch with a qualified veterinarian for appropriate advice.

Let’s embark on this informative journey and empower ourselves to protect our precious dogs from potential harm.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are oils that come from plants. It has strong natural fragrances of the plant. This is organic, and these materials are collected from the root, leave, or maybe seeds. It is so volatile that it transforms into a liquid very quickly. It is not 100% natural oil because some chemicals have been added to it while making it liquid.

This is the most popular and increasingly demandable among pet lovers. Most of them use essential oils somehow in the pet routine to their pets. The common reason for using this oil is to make the living room environment smells great. It is not necessarily the same action of a product with different species. Most of the time, it is seen that essential oils are suitable for the human body but not for pets or animals, to be precise. This oil contains biologically potent and active compounds.

Here are some essential oils that may pose a danger to your dog:

• Cinnamon Essential Oil: It is widely known as a cooking spice. It is well granted and valued for its alcoholic fragrance. This cinnamon oil has several health benefits. It reduces pressure and increases blood circulation. This is commonly used for aromatherapy and has been used by many professional therapists. Cinnamon essential oil protects the dog from bacteria attack; it opens the blood cells and mostly controls blood pressure. It can be applied to the dog’s skin, which sometimes can cause allergies. So doctor’s advice is prescribed before using this cinnamon essential oil.
• Citrus or D-Limonene Essential Oil: This essential oil contains monoterpene hydrocarbons. It may sometimes be toxic for dogs. This oil is produced from citrus fruits. This oil is often used as an external parasite to the animals. Regular use of this essential oil on the skin is not healthy. When applied to dog skin, it may be licked and can cause toxicity when ingested. Its negative effect can cause the nervous system to go down and sometimes leads to paralysis.
• Pennyroyal Essential Oil: The oil extract from Mentha Pulegium, also known as Squaw Mint or European Pennyroyal. This has a strong medicinal history of using for insect-repellent things. It is also used in sprays as fragrance elements, and it is very toxic to dogs when applied on the skin and when digested. However, it is used on the skin to protect it from incest and kill germs. Digesting can damage the liver. The symptoms of an opposite or negative attack of this oils dog may be vomit, cough, blood or bleeding nose, etc.  
• Peppermint Essential Oil: It is widely used for freshening the breath. It also has so many uses. It comes from the peppermint tree. Peppermint oil usually works to keep the body safe from a flea. It keeps the flea away with its smell. But it is very reactive to both human and animals’ sensitive skin. It positive for some health issues, but as usual, ingesting a large amount can cause much damage.
• Pine Essential Oils: It is extracted from Pine trees and is famous for its strong fragrances. It is mostly used for its aroma in offices, vehicles, and homes. The oil can give enchanting atmospheres along with a nice smell. The side effects of this essential oil can be redness, itching, swelling, etc.
• Sweet Birch Essential Oils: The oil is mostly used as a massage oil, also known as sweet birch oil. Two types of birch oil are available in the market: white and black. It is mostly used for fungal infection and bacteria prevention purposes. It relieves and works on the joint muscle or areas of pain. Consumption by humans lowers blood sugar and removes toxins from the body. This also reduces wrinkles on the skin. For the dog, it is used for scent training. The negative effects can cause kidney failure, gastrointestinal ulcers, etc.
• Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Essential Oil: This is the most common and regular reason for dog poisoning. Pet Poison HelpLine states that – even seven drops of 100% oil can cause severe poisoning. It lowers body temperature and loss of consciousness. The oil is derived from a tea tree called melaleuca oil. It is naturally designed for antibacterial and antifungal remedies. Ear and yeast infections are most common for dogs habituating with this tea tree essential oil. It also works for flea and skin coating.
• Wintergreen Essential Oil: The oil extracts from plants or berries. Gaultheria is the most common source of Wintergreen oil. It is said that 20 drops of this oil is equal to 1860 mg of aspirin. The power is so strong that it requires a doctor’s advice before use.
• Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: The oil is made from the Herb Cananga Odorata Genuina flower. The name stands for the meaning of “wilderness.” It is famous for its relaxation and stress-reducing benefits. It balances the regulation of oil production in hair and skin. It increases circulation and keeps the hydration level at the standard. This oil works as a healer. In the Philippines, people used it to heal cuts, bites, and burns.
• Anise Essential Oil: The oils extracted from the flower plant name Anise. The oil is mostly used in liquors. A famous drink of Turkey named Raki is made with Anise Essential Oil. The oil is also proven healthy by its outstanding contribution as anti-epileptic, anti-hysteric, antirheumatic, antiseptic, and antispasmodic.
• Thyme Essential Oil: The oil is made from the leaves of the thyme tree. Thyme oil stops bacteria attack, and maintain blood pressure and infection. This is very much supportive of killing breast cancer cells and works as a remedy. It purifies the skin and gives a good flavour. Thyme works better on the human body rather than dog skin.  
• Juniper Essential Oil: the oil extracted from coniferous tree berries. Smokey and woody fragrances make it elegant. The oil is more useful for cleansing the skin. It also supports the kidney and urinary function. It prevents infection and can be a healing tool for massaging the affected body part. It improves the respiratory condition and removes cough. This has much medical functionality if it is used in a limited portion.
• Yarrow Essential Oil: The colourless or dark blue oil is extracted from the yarrow flower with a mix of proazulene chemicals. The distillation makes it of the dried yarrow plant. Some Europeans use it in their alcoholic beverage to boost energy. This is anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antiseptic, astringent, and carminative. It cures skin diseases, wounds, acne burns, and any infection. It also supports the digestive and urinary systems along with reproductive organs. Negatively it sometimes causes neurotoxic effects and skin irritation.        
• Garlic Essential Oil: The best oil works for cholesterol and blood pressure. It keeps the heart healthier. As we all know, as does the essential oil, garlic has many healthy effects on the body. The oil is good for bronchitis and other infections. It reduces tiredness and helps detoxify. It also prevents ear infections, mouth infections, and flu.

WHY ARE THEY UNSAFE FOR DOG

First of all, it’s not mandatory that nature has to be safe all the time. For example, garlic is a natural thing that can be eaten and is much healthier for the body, but essential oil can be very toxic when ingested in large quantities. This is a bit confusing, though. But if the nature of the product can be understood easily, then these types of confusion can be removed.

Licking the body is the most common behaviour of a dog. And by doing this, they lick everything attached to their outer body portion. Essential oils are extracted from natural sources but mix with some chemicals, which is risky when ingested. This is the main reason dogs get sick after using this essential oil. Essential oils are volatile, organic components of trees or plants mixed with the chemical.

Now different oils have different elements and are mixed with various chemicals. That is why ingesting this sometimes does not suit the body of animals. Melaleuca can cause paralysis, Pennyroyal can cause liver failure, Wintergreen can cause severe gastrointestinal upset, and Pine can cause the centre nervous system to go down. The viscosity of oils, when ingested, creates reactive effects and starts to cause severe problems.

SYMPTOMS OF POISONING IN DOG

When the poison of the chemical starts its action, it changes the dog’s normal behaviour. This may not be the main symptom that the poison affects the dog. Here are some points that clearly show the dog is poisoned; these are:

• Suddenly becoming very lazy and dizzy.
• You’re energetic if it suddenly becomes weak; the poison infects the blood cell, compressing the energy and making the dog more vulnerable than regular.
• Starting doing weird activities all of a sudden.
• Getting angry pretty often and making furious motions rather than the usual behaviour.
• Changing eating habits all of a sudden.
• Dog faces becoming dry day today; it’s a major sign of poison.
• The dog will start vomiting very often.
• Diarrhoea with or without bleeding, observation should be on the stool.
• Skin will get a rash or irritation because of poison in the bloodstream.
• Breathing can be high because of heart poisoning; the chest cavity moves faster than average. Also, there will be abnormal noise while breathing.
• This is the most severe sign of being poisoned; that dog will lose consciousness and stop responding to the call.
• Absent-minded behaviour also states the symptoms of being poisoned. Being conscious, it may not recognize the owner may not respond appropriately.

What You SHOULD DO IF YOU SEE THE SYMPTOMS

If any of the symptoms are shown, then without wasting time, you should take your dog to the nearest veterinarian and follow the instruction or prescription. Your veterinarians will know what happens and which chemical is responsible for that. Waiting to see what happens will take your dog to an extreme stage. For very urgent issues, you can call the Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 if you are in the US.

Things You Can DO TO PROTECT YOUR DOG?

Before using any essential oil, you have to consult with your veterinarian. What should be perfect and how to be used will be prescribed by the veterinarian and should be followed very strongly. It is seen most of the time that we don’t often pay attention to our pets and their behaviour, so if anything happens, we may not catch it the first time.

Being careful is the main thing an owner can do to prevent your dog from being poisoned. You have to be more cautious about your outside garden and surrounding that may cause harm to your dog. Keep the entire chemical materials out of range from your dog so they don’t get toxicities. Do not treat your dog with your hobbies, which is good for you but may not be right.