Essential Oils

THEIR SAFE USE IN ANIMALS

TEXT: DR MARISA SLABBERT

Although great precaution should be exercised, Essential Oils can be a wonderful and safe method to apply nature’s remedy yourself to your animals, often with remarkable results. Animals have an olfactory system (the mechanism of smelling) that is many times more powerful than that of humans. It is one of their strongest senses for both purposes of survival and self-medication. Consider wild animals with a vast range to move and forage, and when or how often you see them poisoned by plants, having allergies, or suffering from anxiety or common diseases our pets struggle with daily. This discrepancy is due to the fact that wild animals (including the canine, feline, equine, caprine and porcine family) can smell the properties in plants, grasses and leaves that can help maintain or restore health.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?

Essential Oils are chemical substances that can be derived from plants directly (via cold-pressing, steam distilling and other extraction methods) and contain healing substances like limonene, bioflavonoids, and terpenes, to name but a few. These substances enter the bloodstream within as little as two minutes, and some oils like Frankincense (Boswelia) even cross the blood-brain barrier.

The healing properties and effects of Essential Oils are vast and still relatively unknown, although there is quite a substantial amount of science to prove their effectiveness in certain diseases. Due to the fact that animals know what they need, we can use them as our guide as to what to administer. This is a concept called Zoopharmacognosy.

WHAT IS ZOOPHARMACOGNOSY?

Zoopharmacognosy is an animal “self-medicating itself” by choosing the oils he needs most.

With this, you use the animal to choose an essential oil. To do this:

• Introduce the Essential Oil with the cap on. CAUTION: Beware as some animals may grab the bottle.

• Look out for positive or negative responses. A positive response is where a dog or cat remains in the close vicinity of the bottle or oil offered, either with their head turned towards or away from the bottle. The turn of the head simply indicates their sensitivity, and they turn to regulate the number of Essential Oil molecules they are receiving at one time. On the other hand, if an animal tries to get away from the bottle or even the room where the oils are, this is a negative response.

• Not sure? Diffuse a drop or two for a few minutes and observe the animal’s behaviour. i.e., Does the animal go out of the room or does the animal move closer to the diffuser?

HOW TO USE OILS

There are three ways to use Essential Oils safely in animals: aromatically, topically and internally. Although one can choose which method one would like to employ, you need to understand that at some point, your animal will groom itself and thereby ingest the oil. Therefore, even if oils are applied topically or diffused or offered on clothes or bedding, animals need to be closely supervised for their reaction to the oils for quite a long period.

When used aromatically, the following methods can be applied:

• Diffusion

• Spray into the air with an atomizer/spray bottle

• Direct inhalation

• Applied to a cloth, cotton ball or bedding

• Applied in hot water or steam

• Used in a humidifier

• Distributed with a fan or air filter

When used topically, you must first dilute the oil in either a roller or spray bottle and then apply one of the following methods:

• Apply directly to the spine

• Massage the oil into the skin

• Apply to Reflexology Points or Meridians

• Perform ear tipping

• Apply to area of interest

• Use in shampoo

• Apply with a cold/hot compress

When used internally, the following should be adhered to strictly:

WARNING: Essential Oils MUST indicate that they can be used internally on the bottle label or product description sheet. You must not use them internally if they do not state explicitly that they can be used for this purpose. Alternatively, you should discuss options with your veterinarian or qualified aromatherapist and find out which oils are safe and suitable.

The maximum dose at any time is 1-2 drops. Options for administration are as follows:

• Mix with wet food to dilute the oil

• Administer in a capsule (1-2 drops, topped off with a carrier oil such as EVO)

• Place a drop of oil on the finger, wait for it to be almost dry and then rub into the gums

NOTE: Topical application will also result in internal intake.

DILUTION RATES FOR APPLICATION

Dilution rates are very important in animals, especially small animals like dogs. The principles of dilution are as follows:

• Start out more diluted when introducing Essential Oils to your pet. You can always increase the concentration if the desired effect is not reached, but it is difficult to remove an essential oil once it has already been absorbed.

• Carrier oils to use include FCO (Fractionated Coconut oil), Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Almond Oil.

• Each animal is an individual and your pet may be more sensitive than others so pay close attention to their reaction.

• Also, note that needs change, so don’t be alarmed if your animal was happy with a certain blend and then changes their preference over time to no oil at all, or another blend.

The following guidelines can be used safely for dilution:

• Dogs: 0.5% for hot oils for dogs under 9 kg, and use up to 3% for gentle oils with larger dogs.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Some Essential Oils are contraindicated in certain conditions and with some medications, so you always need to check with your vet or an experienced practitioner before using an oil with your dog.

It is important to read the labels before using a proprietary blend as some proprietary blends may contain Essential Oils that may be contraindicated in your dog:

With dogs, you must ALWAYS avoid:

• Birch, Melaleuca (Tea Tree), and wintergreen

NOT ALL ESSENTIAL OILS ARE CREATED EQUAL

There can be a lot of fillers or contaminants added to Essential OIls that may be toxic to your animal. For this reason, I recommend DoTerra essential oils as they are CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) and used in hospitals safely around the world. These oils:

• Are tested to be safe.

• Are 100% pure and effective

• Are therapeutic food-grade Essential Oils which are used by medical professionals all over the world.

• Contain no added fillers or harmful fragrances.

• Are regulated and undergo third-party testing to ensure purity, safety and efficiency

SAFE OILS

The following oils can be safely used in most animal species:

GERANIUM

PHYSICAL SUPPORT:

• Antibacterial

• Insect repellent

• Anti-inflammatory

• Regenerative

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

When there are feelings of:

• Abandonment, loss, distrust, grief

Promotes feelings of:

• Being loved, trust, forgiveness, gentleness

FRANKINCENSE

PHYSICAL SUPPORT:

• Anti-inflammatory

• Analgesic

• Anti-cancer

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

When there are feelings of:

• Abandonment

Promotes feelings of:

• Being loved, protected and connected

LAVENDER

PHYSICAL SUPPORT:

• Wound healing

• Analgesic

• Antioxidant

• Antifungal

• Antispasmodic

• Antimicrobial

• Sedative

• Anti-tumour

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

When there are feelings of:

• Being blocked or unwilling to listen, rejection, tension, insecurity, fear.

Promotes feelings of:

• Calm, expressiveness, peace and an ability to communicate openly

COPAIBA

PHYSICAL SUPPORT:

• Anti-inflammatory

• Wound healing

• Anti-cancer

• Antibacterial

• Antioxidant

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

When there are feelings of:

• Abandonment, rebelliousness, guilt, submissiveness, overwhelm

Promotes feelings of:

• Clarity, purposefulness and a feeling of being forgiven.

HELICHRYSUM

PHYSICAL SUPPORT:

• Wound healing

• Analgesic

• Antioxidant

• Antibacterial

• Anti-inflammatory

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

When there are feelings of:

• Intense emotional trauma or pain, or feelings of being wounded or hopeless

Promotes feelings of:

• Hope, courage, perseverance, healing.

DISCLAIMER

The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary care. The information and the products listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Contact HOLISTICARE REHAB Fourways, Sandton, GP

071 370 6668

www.holisticare.co.za

holisticare2@gmail.com

Don’t know where to start or what oils to choose? Contact us for help and support in your journey:

Contact Martie

Email: martie.7degrees@gmail.com

Tel: 065 260 9665

OUR EXPERT

Dr Marisa Slabber

• Practising Veterinarian (BVSc) •

Studied acupuncture at the Chi University in Florida, USA (CVA)

• Completed her Masters In Science Research (MSc)

• Most recently became a certified Veterinary Tui-Na Practitioner (CVTP)