We often think of using essential oils to support health and wellness but they can also be used so beautifully to make our loved ones comfortable towards the end of their life and support us too as we prepare for them to leave us. The oils that I'm going to talk about below will not interfere with medication and the aim is to make them comfortable. The nice thing as well about using aroma is that it creates a beautiful aromatic memory for us as well that can anchor us with our loved ones for months and years to come following their passing.
Not only will these oils and blends give your loved one comfort but they will also help comfort you. It isn't easy seeing the pet you love pass away and there is no shame in feeling it is difficult. But remember for your pet it is you they want to be with at the end - do your best to be strong as they don’t want to see you upset.
So a couple of things you'll need first of all is a diffuser and roller bottles to make up the oils. Now there's several things that we do in medicine to support the dying, I am an emergency medicine doctor but prior to that I worked on elderly care as well and so saw a lot of people at the end of the life and I have had many much loved elderly pets.
There's several different things that we do for patients and I have drawn on that experience and with my passed pets with the oils I have chosen.
First of all we want them to be comfortable and free of discomfort, we also want their breathing to be good and because often as breathing slows down secretions can develop and their breathing can be a little bit labored, the other thing we want is for them not to be agitated, we want them to have a peaceful transition.
So from a comfort point of view there are some beautiful essential oils that can help soothe our bodies.
Combining marjoram, wild orange, peppermint, basil, cypress and lavender together is great for soothing muscles and joints and it's a lovely one to relax as well. You can apply it topically over areas of joint discomfort but also it's equally lovely just to massage gently along the spine. A nice way to blend it would be 2 drops of each in a 10ml roller bottle and topped up with fractionated carrier oil.
For respiratory support I absolutely love peppermint or cardamon. I think either individually or blended together they are just the most wonderful options. This is very nice rolled on to the chest so that they are inhaling it to help open their airways but also maybe a few drops on their bedding or in a diffuser placed near their bed or on a lava rock. I use this all the time when I have been feeling under the weather and I've used it for my pets and I've certainly used it with loved ones as well and I've seen how much it can open airways and help maintain clear airways.
For reducing agitation and assisting calmness for your pet and yourself my favourite choices are Lavender, Frankincense, Magnolia, Sandalwood and Vetiver. I think these are all beautiful oils to use on their own or as a blend of your choosing they are all beautiful for relaxing and maintaining comfort and you can use them again in a diffuser, or apply them topically as you pet your pet.
Dilution ratio as a rough guide over 10kg 1 drop per tsp of fractionated coconut oil and under 10kg 1 drop per 1 tbsp of fractionated coconut oil.
If you are having your pet put to sleep -plan some last things to do - whilst it maybe hard to do - make those memories as joyous as you can as you will be pleased you did after. There are many vets who will visit your house to put your pet to sleep if that is how you wish. So do check out what is available. My beautiful dog Toffee was put to sleep in my campervan surrounded by her siblings - beautifully facilitated by the vets we visited whilst on holiday. Vets do know how much your pet matters to you and will do all they can to make it easier and peaceful.
A lovely book that I feel is so useful to understand the process of death is Dying To Be Me - by Anita Moorjiani it is about a near death experience and it, I feel it can provide a lot of comfort - albeit human related it helped me very much with the sudden loss of my dog Treacle who died suddenly in 2014 after a 3 day illness - Alabama Rot - learn more about this devastating illness
https://www.alabama-rot.co.uk/
I hope that helps if you've got any comments or you want more help to
do let me know.