Aromatherapy for Your Pets

You may have heard of aromatherapy or you may use it yourself for certain kinds of conditions and as a natural healing treatment, but you may not have known that it can also be used on your pets. Pets can also enjoy the benefits and therapeutic treatments of aromatherapy. In addition to eliminating bad odors on your pets, essential oils can also be used to boost your pet’s immune system, fight off different types of bacteria and viruses and also prevent the growth of certain kinds of molds and yeasts.

Aromatherapy is being used by pet salons and groomers to treat mild kinds of ailments such as fleas, skin and ear infections, skin inflammations, rashes, flatulence, bad breath and motion sickness. Oils have also been found to have calming effects on animals and help them relax. For instance, using lavender oil on kittens can help them repel insects and also helps them to feel content and sleepy. Roman chamomile has been used to treat certain conditions such as ear infections and also soothe dogs that are in pain.

Essential oils are often used as home based remedies, but before you try to use aromatherapy yourself, you may want to learn a little more on how to use essential oils safely. They need to be diluted because they are very potent. Before you use them on your pet, make sure that you have properly diluted them first. Almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil are common base oils that can be used to apply the essential oils. Normally, only a couple drops are all that it takes to use the essential oils effectively.

Essential oils can be diluted by adding them to a spray bottle of water and simply misting them on the bedding area that your pet uses. If you want to use acupressure, dilute the essential oils in vodka or brandy and dab the bottom of your pet’s paws with it. Don’t forget that your cat or dog has a lot more sensitive sense of smell than we do so it is important that you dilute the oils enough before you use them on them.

Essential oils can also be used as effective aromatherapy for flea and tick treatments, and can be less toxic that treatments and chemicals that you can find in the stores. Essential oils like peppermint, lavender, lemon, geranium and bay are commonly used to treat ticks and fleas.