Tuesday, October 28, 2008

3 Best Essential Oils to Calm Your Pet

By Christa McCourt

The reason I love animals so much is that they give off an attitude of happiness, innocence and unconditional love to their people. Our pets are just as happy being a part of our household as we are of having them with us.

However, ever once in a while, a "crazy" one enters our lives! But we still love them so much!

Example, the cat who runs and hides whenever your best friend visits. Or, the pup who wont go outside if it's raining. Or, what about the dog with separation issues that completely wrecks your house when you're working? Any of these sound familiar?

My two cats, Sam and Max, just love to relax on our screened in patio. However, when the garbage truck comes by, they run and hide like their life depends on it!

The fears that our animal friends have might sound wacky to us, but these fears are completely justified in your pet's mind.

Using essential oils on your animals can really take the edge off of their anxiety, big time!

Because of an animal's heightened senses, they respond very well to essential oils. In the wild, animals eat specific plants to heal themselves. In captivity (our homes), the pant kingdom is not readily available. Using essential oils on your pet gives them access to the vast healing properties of nature.

Here are the 3 best essential oils to calm your animal friends:

Lavender, Roman Chamomile and Peace & Calming

These three essential oils can be used to help ease your pet's distress. You can use them for situations like; trips to the vet's office, trauma, sadness and depression, loss of another animal in the family, abuse, separation issues, hyperactivity and any other situation that could cause stress for your animal.

Please know that less is more when applying essential oils to animals. Animals are very sensitive.

You should also dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil, such as organic olive oil, found in most grocery stores. The dilution ratio for dogs and horses is 1 part essential oil with 1 part carrier oil. For cats the dilution ratio is 1 part essential oil to 10 parts carrier oil.

Please take caution when using essential oils with cats. Cats are extremely sensitive to essential oils and some essential oils are potentially dangerous for them. These oils include oregano and thyme, which are high in phenols. Cats can't effectively digest phenols because they lack the proper enzymes to digest phenols. Please avoid Peace & Calming with your feline friends as it does contain small amounts of phenols and also citrus oils, which cats don't like. But, Roman chamomile and lavender essential oils are very safe for use on cats.

How to use essential oils on pets:

For calming dogs: Mix 1 drop Lavender, Roman Chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 1 drop carrier oil. Rub this mixture on your dogs pads, ears or comb through their fur. Apply any time you sense your dog is stressed.

To calm your horse: Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with one drop of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your horse's cornet bands, tips of the ears or on their muzzle. Apply at any time that your horse is in distress.

To calm your cat: Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with TEN drops of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your cat's pads, tips of the ears or comb through their fur. Apply at any time that your cat is in distress.

All of the essential oils listed in this article are excellent for human use, as well! Simply apply a drop or two (undiluted) to your wrists, behind your ears or on your shoulders.

And the next time you're opening up a bottle of lavender essential oil, share some with your animal friends! They'll thank you!

2008 Christa McCourt - 14130

About the Author:

No comments: