Aromatherapy has gained significant popularity among the health conscious population. And, it can be a good thing for those who need to relax and let everyday stresses disappear.
But can it be a good thing for our dogs. They get stressed out too. Right.
Well, let’s look this a little further.
Dogs’ noses are more sensitive than humans’. So, common sense would indicate that dogs would be more sensitive to the aromas than people are. This should always be taken into consideration if you’re thinking about exposing your canine friend to any kind of essential oils.
Sometimes we humans use essential oils at full strength. This is never a good thing for the dogs. The oils should always be diluted in an appropriate medium. More about those mediums later.
Most of the time, a dog can get all the benefits he needs from aromatherapy simply through inhalation. Occasionally, a topical application is appropriate, but we’ll talk about that later as well. They should NEVER be added to a dog’s food or water. And they should never be used around a puppy less than 10 weeks old.
Essential oils should be used only to address and issue with a dog, never to prevent one.
Caroline Ingraham is a recognized expert on essential oils and animals. She founded an approach to using essential oils with animals called zoopharmocognosy. This approach allows animals to self-select the essential oils that will benefit them the most. Interesting!
She says, “Applied zoopharmacognosy enables self-medicative behaviour in domesticated or captive animals by offering plant extracts that would contain the same, or similar constituents to those found in an animal’s natural environment. The practice encourages and allows an animal to guide its own health, since unlike their wild counterparts, captive and domesticated animals rarely have the opportunity to forage on medical plants. The extracts offered include a variety of essential oils, absolutes, plant extracts, macerated oils, tubers, clays, algae, seaweeds and minerals. Once the animal has selected its remedy, it will then guide the session by inhaling it, taking it orally, or by rubbing a part of its body into it.”
Ingraham says you should pre-select 3 to 5 essential oils you feel would be most effective for the problem needing addressing from a safe list. Then let your dog choose the one he needs.
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The oils are offered to the dog in closed bottles that the dog sniffs. When he has chosen one, it can be diluted and then used appropriately.
This is an interesting approach, but not necessarily one endorsed by Rochester himself.
However, we can benefit from Ingraham’s list of safe oils. A book called, “The Aromatic Dog,” lists safe oils and their uses. It also contains information on hydrosols, carrier oils, information on making lotions and more. 
Here are some of the oils it lists as being safe for dogs.
- Angelica Root Angelica archangelica
- Basil (linalool chemotype) Ocimum basilicum ct. linalool
- Bergamot Citrus bergamia, Citrus aurantium subspecies bergamia
- Black Pepper Piper nigrum
- Cajeput Melaleuca cajuputi
- Caraway Carum carvi
- Cardamom Elatteria cardamomum
- Carrot Seed Daucus carota, Daucus carota subspecies sativa
- Cedarwood (Atlas) Cedrus atlantica
- Chamomile (German) Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita, Chamomilla recutita
- Chamomile (Roman) Anthemis nobilis, Chamaemelum nobile
- Cinnamon Leaf Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum
- Cistus Cistus ladanifer, Cistus ladaniferus
- Citronella Cymbopogon winterianus, Cymbopogon nardus
- Coriander Coriandrum sativum
- Cypress Cupressus sempervirens
- Elemi Canarium luzonicum, Canarium vulgare
- Eucalyptus Eucalyptus radiata (this is the species specified, but the other species have the same safety issues)
- Fennel (Sweet) Foeniculum vulgare
- Frankincense Boswellia carterii (this is the species specified, but the other species have the same safety issues, with the exception of Boswellia papyfera which is not recommended to use during pregnancy for humans)
- Geranium Pelargonium graveolens, Pelargonium x asperum
- Ginger Zingiber officinale
- Grapefruit Citrus paradisi
- Helichrysum Helichrysum italicum (this is the species specified, but Helichrysum splendidum has similar properties and therefore also should be safe to use)
- Juniper Berry Juniperus communis
- Lavender Lavender angustifolia, Lavender officinalis
- Lemon Citrus limon, Citrus limonum
- Lemongrass Cymbopogon flexuosus, Andropogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon citratus, Andropogon citratus
- Mandarin Citrus reticulata, Citrus nobilis
- Marjoram (Sweet) Origanum marjorana, Marjorana hortensis, Origanum dubium
- Melissa Melissa officinalis
- Myrrh Commiphora myrrha, Commiphora molmol
- Neroli Citrus x aurantium
- Niaouli Melaleuca quinquinervia
- Nutmeg Myristica fragrans, Myristica moschata, Myristica aromatica, Myristica amboinensis
- Opopanax Commiphora erythraea, Commiphora guidottii
- Orange (Sweet, Blood) Citrus sinensis, Citrus aurantium var. sinensis
- Palmarosa Cymbopogon martinii, Andropogon martinii var martinii, Cymbopogon martinii var motia
- Patchouli Pogostemon cablin, Pogostemon patchouly
- Peppermint Mentha piperita
- Petitgrain Citrus aurantium
- Plai Zingiber cassumunar, Zingiber montanum, Amomum montanum, Zingiber purpureum
- Rosalina Melaleuca ericifolia
- Rose (Bulgarian, Damask) Rosa damascena (this is the species specified, but it’s actually the Rose which needs the most dilution, so it stands to reason the other Rose species are also safe)
- Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis
- Sandalwood Santalum spicatum, Santalum album (this essential oil was not listed in either book below, but was verified to be safe by Kelly who runs the EO animal group)
- Spearmint Mentha spicata, Mentha cardiaca, Mentha crispa, Mentha viridis
- Spikenard Nardostachys grandiflora
- Tangerine Citrus reticulata, Citrus nobilis, Citrus tangerine
- Tea Tree Melaleuca alternifolia For more info on tea tree please see below…..
- Thyme (linalool chemotype) Thymus vulgaris ct. linalool
- Valerian Valeriana officinalis
- Vanilla Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla fragrans, Vanilla tahitensis
- Vetiver Vetiveria zizanoides, Andropogon muricatus, Andropogon zizanoides, Chrysopogon zizanoides, Phalaris zizanoides
- Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Ylang Ylang Cananga odorata, Cananga odorata genuina
If you are new to aromatherapy, you may not know how to find 100% pure essential oils for dogs. There are lots of places where essential oils can be purchased. You also will find quite a big difference in price for the same oil at different stores.
The following guidelines will show you how and where to get high-quality essential oils for your dog:
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- Look for important information of the oils (either printed on the label, and/or on the store’s website, brochure, etc.):
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- * Latin name of the oil (e.g. Lavandula angustifolia);
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- * Common name of the oil (e.g. Lavender);
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- * How the oil was extracted;
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- * Country of origin;
- * The words “100% pure essential oil”.
- * Method of cultivation (e.g. organic, cultivated, wildharvested, etc.)
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- Look for important information of the oils (either printed on the label, and/or on the store’s website, brochure, etc.):
- Essential oils are generally expensive, so don’t go for unreasonably cheap oils since cheap oils are likely to be adulterated.
- If a store is selling all essential oils at the same price, then you have to question the quality and purity of their oils. Some oils (e.g. rose oil) are difficult to extract and naturally they are (and should be) much more expensive than oils that can be extracted more easily.
- Avoid buying essential oils at supermarkets or health food stores (they may be cheaper but usually of a lower quality).
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Finally, one piece of advice that is always correct. Take this advice and you will never go wrong.
Always check with your veterinarian before using any essential oils for your dog.