Our Animal Family: Using Essential Oils for Pet Care

By using essential oils for pet care we can take care of our animal family members just as we can care for our human family.  Animals are very sensitive to smell. If you put a shop bought remedy and an essential oil remedy close to your pet's nose it will drawn to the natural remedy instead of the synthetic version.

Some Conditions For Pet Care

Abscesses

If your pet has an abscess put one drop of Tea Tree neat to the abscess. Once the pus is extruded put one drop of Lavender onto the abscess.

Keep it clean with sea salt in warm water.

Arthritis

Some breeds are prone to this painful disorder. Elderly animals also find this a debilitating condition and need our help.

Ingredients:

  • Rosemary, 4 drops
  • Lavender, 2 drops
  • Ginger, 2 drops
  • 30ml of carrier oil

Directions:

Mix together and keep in a well sealed jar and massage some of the recipe into the skin.
The animal will lick off most of the application but enough should get through the skin to the joints.

Bad Breath

For pets with bad breath you could use the essential oils for pet care ofPeppermint or Aniseed in their feed.

Just a couple of drops mixed into their food. Use for as long as needed.

Bedding

Ingredients:

  • 2 drops ofEucalyptusessential oil
  • 2 drops ofLavenderessential oi

Directions:

To keep your pet’s bedding smelling clean add the ingredients to a spray bottle filled with hot water.
Spray the bedding regularly. This will help with your pet's coat as well as the bedding.

Coat Conditioning

A shining and soft coat is the health indicator for most animals.  It certainly is for a dog. If the coat is dull and rough to the touch it usually means an unhealthy animal. Giving your pet's coat a brush is just great for them and it's also a lovely bonding time for owner and pet. This photo is of my gorgeous cat Milly.  She needed grooming because of her long hair and she loved it. Talk about purring...

essential oils for pet care

Ingredients:

Directions:

Make a mixture of the ingredients and put a ¼ teaspoon of this mixture into each meal.
You'll soon notice the difference in the coat with the essential oils added to the food and the brushing.

Earwax

Dogs in particular can develop excess wax in their ears which needs to be removed before it builds up and becomes uncomfortable for the dog and possibly smelly.

Ingredients:

2 drops Lavender essential oil

1 teaspoon Witchhazel oil

Directions:

To moisten the wax add the ingredients to a dropper and dispense up to 4 drops into each ear.

Massage behind the ear until the wax loosens and remove it with a cottonwool ball or cotton bud.  The dog will resist as the drops will probably tickle the sensitive outer ear so be gentle but firm. 

If it has been building up for a while it make take a couple of days to loosen the wax.

Fleas

To get rid of fleas please see this Page.

Skin Irritations

Ingredients:

Directions:

Mix together and apply to the affected area.


Rheumatism

This is as painful for our pets as it is for us.

Ingredients:

  • 5 drops Ginger essential oil
  • 2 drops Rosemary essential oil
  • 6 drops Chamomile essential oil
  • 30ml Sweet Almond oil

Directions:

Mix all together, shake and gently massage into each joint.

Sunburn

Spray the sunburn with a mixture of cool water and some drops of Witchhazel.  It has a numbing effect and will help soothe the discomfort. Be very careful spraying on the face as the nose and eyes are very sensitive. In fact, it might be best to soak a soft cloth into the mixture and gently dab it on the nose and around the eyes, if the sunburn is on the face. 

On the belly or paws just use the spray bottle, carefully.

This photo is of my lovely dog Spud who was very prone to skin cancers and sunburn because of her white coat.  Bull Terriers are tough but vulnerable to some skin problems.

sunburn on dogs

Tick Repellent

Ingredients:

  • 60g powdered derris
  • 2.5 tablespoons commercial grade Eucalyptus oil
  • 2.5 tablespoons methylated spirits
  • 4 litres water

Directions:

Dissolve the derris in the water and the eucalyptus in the methylated spirits and then mix the two together, thoroughly.

Wash your pet with soapy water, like normal, then rub this repellent lotion through the pet's fur.

Do this on a weekly basis, particularly in areas of high infestation of ticks.

Wounds

You will need to cleanse open wounds so they don’t become infected. To do this use the natural antibiotic and disinfectant properties of the pure essential oils for pet care. The best to use are Lavender, Thyme, Tea Tree or Lemon. 

Directions:

Use 2 drops of any of these essential oils in a one liter bowl of warm water and gently wash the wound clean. 

Ensure the wound is completely clear of any dirt or foreign matter before using the essential oil mixture – cleaning before healing.

Our pets are important to us as an integral part of our families and our lives.  We dote on them, keeping them as healthy as possible because we know they keep us healthy as well. You may be interested in the Boomer Pets page of this website for more information.