The one time I really tend to wish my pets could talk is when they’re sick–or when they are pacing for no reason–LOL. Pet illnesses can seem so vague sometimes—a little puking here, some lethargy there—and it can be hard to tell the difference between a little under the weather and the start of a serious problem. And of course, we always hope we catch that ‘serious’ problem before it becomes life-threatening. But there have been reports of pets puking when people are diffusing “people” EO’s–or adding too much to the water. But below we will discuss how to diffuse EO’s for your pet.

Twitter user “shaelyn” had noticed that both her cat and dog had been acting strangely. When she took them to the vet she discovered that they were being made ill by the essential oils in her diffuser. And she had put in the strength of oils (“neat”) she should diffuse for herself. This is one of the top mistakes oil users make when diffuser oils for their pets. Can then benefit? HECK YEAH! Can you diffuse oils and make them sick–you bet if not done carefully–so here are some general safety tips so that you can diffuse oils safely for all of your pets AND let them reap the therapeutic benefits of the wonder EO’s we all love and use.

The ASPCA has a robust animal poison control info center and hotline, and their advice on essential oils is sweeping:

Cats are especially sensitive to essential oils, and effects such as gastrointestinal upset, central nervous system depression and even liver damage could occur if ingested in significant quantities. Inhalation of the oils could lead to aspiration pneumonia. There are significant variations in toxicity among specific oils. Based on this, we would not recommend using essential oils in areas where your pets have access, unless pets are supervised or the use of the oil is approved by your veterinarian. ONLY USE BLENDS DILUTED AND FORMULATED BY A HOLISTIC VETERINARIAN WHO IS AN AROMATHERAPIST AND UNDERSTANDS SPECIES-APPROPRIATE APPLICATION AND ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY– as is in the case with the species-specific formulas you will find with OLIA FOR PETS (divided on our home page into “canine’, “feline”  blends.)

Order our diffuser (we love this one for animals–you have the flexibility of plugging it in or using it with batteries making it able to travel in a car or be put in any room conveniently)