Starting with essential oils or any natural well-being modality for your pets can be daunting as who do you speak to, what websites or books are good, what are bad and that is even before you look at the products.
The internet is a wonderful thing but Dr Google can also be a font of some really poor knowledge and scary too which as a doctor I frequently encounter from worried patients and I imagine Vet do too, I know as an Animal Aromatherapist I frequently encounter incorrect advice given by vets too, As I do from medical colleagues as well - not their fault as unless you are trained in these complementary therapies or even nutrition you actually don’t know what you don’t know.
Bambi's Pee Blend - being paraplegic can cause bladder issues
So this is what I feel are 5 keys areas to address so you can get started
Firstly, what are your aims with your pets, what are you looking to achieve with natural solutions? Decreased anxiety, improved skin, relief for arthritis, non-toxic living - there are so many options and although probably ultimately encompassing them all, if you have 3 core aims it is a good place to start and will cut down on confusion with too many options.
Popular choices I am getting asked a lot about is separation anxiety, reactivity & anxious dogs, mobility support for pets. This trio is something that pretty much affects so many pets at one time or another. Is this the same for you or what is your trio? Let me know.
Evie's arthritis is supported by essential oils
Secondly, do you want to hit the ground running and really embark over a 3 month period or start gradually adding in as you go and just easing into it. Either is fine, I never want my clients to feel overwhelmed with choices but rather empowered by them. Consistency is the key especially where emotional behaviour is concerned we need to develop new neural pathways see my blog for more info on that.
So thinking back to point 1 about what your aims are - maybe you only have one aim you feel you really want to address right now - so keep that at the forefront.
Helping my blind dog Inka with her anxiety is how I started
Thirdly, make sure you get your oils from a reputable source - there are a lot of fake oils around or if not fake they are adulterated and these can have a detrimental effect on our pets in two main ways and not least as our pets are so much more sensitive than ourselves.
1. They won’t work effectively and therefore leading you to think that essential oils don’t work.
2. They have contaminants in them and are therefore not pure (despite being labelled as such) with the inherent issues that can present to your pets health and well-being especially when using them in the way genuinely pure oils can and should be used. Some oil brands are for aromatic use only and in fact have warnings on the label not to use on skin. doTerra oils are certified pure tested grade oils and their lab results where they assess the purity are available to all via the site
www.sourcetoyou.com and the batch number on the oil bottle! doTerra oils can be used topically and aromatically and many also internally which makes them such a great option to use for your pets, with often just 1 or 2 drops needed to make a blend because they are so pure they represent great value for money.
Fourthly, is there someone who can advise you? There are a variety of ways to dilute oils or apply them topically, not to mention the variety of oils themselves, what blend for what aim and so on. I remember when I first started using essential oils for my dogs and boy was it a confusing area of knowing what oil I needed for what and a minefield picking good quality oils. That is where someone like me comes in.
I take the guesswork out and help you not only find the right choices for your needs and budget but also advise exactly how to use them to maximise the benefits and be there for on-going support as and when you need it.
Finally, knowing how to use them effectively must also go hand in hand with using them safely for our pets. Natural solutions are great but do not be fooled into thinking that you can do what you like with them. Like dogs can suffer with water intoxication - yes our lovely elixir of life water can cause problems so can other natural options and it is important to take that into consideration and not forgetting if you are on any medications - your average vet or doctor, trust me I know as this was me a few years ago won’t know about essential oil use far less if something might react with medication. I got my training from a vet, Dr Roark who specialises in using essential oils, I am now also registered as one of her consultants so you can be reassured I know what I am doing and understand how the oils work at a physiological level and alongside medications too. This was important to me and why I chose to learn from her as I had so many questions that other teaching just didn’t fully answer. See my YouTube Video from a live on The doTerra Uk & Ireland Page
Safe & Effective Use of Essential Oils With Pets
I am also a scentwork instructor so using scent safely for our pets who have an olfactory system far more effective than ours is vital.
If you would like to learn more - why not jump on one of my classes or drop me a message and book in for a chat so we can work out what is going to be a good option for your pets.