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The dangers of essential oils on dogs

August 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Marina Reed

Poison. We want to avoid it for ourselves and our pets.  We know to keep chocolate away from our dogs. If a dog eats chocolate by accident, they can show signs of being poisoned from 30 minutes to 4 hours. They will need immediate treatment at an emergency clinic. 

What are the signs of poisoning? They get a fever, often a cold fever so their nose feels like an ice cube; then they get wobbly on their feet, called Ataxia; soon they won’t be able to walk, Paresis; at this point they have to get attention fast. They will be put on an IV with charcoal to absorb the toxins, possibly an antibiotic and whatever poison control suggests.

So chocolate is a bad idea for dogs.

But did you know that those essential oils you use can have exactly the same effect? Essential oils can be poison to your dog.

If you put an essential oil on your skin, your dog could lick it; if you put some in your bath, your dog could drink some. The essential oils to avoid are the ones we most commonly use; any citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, cinnamon, wintergreen, pine, thyme, sweet birch, anise, clove ylang-ylang, juniper, tea tree oil and probably more. These products can also negatively impact your cats.

Even the oils in diffusers, that have become so popular, can be toxic to your dog. Their sense of smell is so heightened that the scent alone can be bad for them.  The mist can land on their fur and slowly absorb into their skin, potentially poisoning them. And of course, if they even get a drop on their skin or worse, lick it, you can have a very toxic situation. Some oils are safe: Lavender, Rosemary, Frankincense, Roman chamomile and Myrrh. There may be others, but you need to check with your vet before using them. And then they should only be diffused for an hour a day and in a well-ventilated area. The same goes for burning incense, lighting candles and using air fresheners or cleaning product sprays.  These can all have a damaging effect on your dog… and cat.

Tea Tree oil is known by most people as being a great remedy for athlete’s foot, insect bites, skin issues and other uses.

But it is very poisonous to dogs.

You cannot treat their skin with tea tree oil otherwise known as Melaleuca oil. Even small amounts that are found in dog shampoos, or flea and tick control can be poisonous. And shampoos for humans containing melaleuca, cleaning products, laundry soap, air fresheners, creams etc etc can all be highly toxic if they come in contact with your dog. 

Dogs can be admitted to emergency clinics after having been washed with shampoo containing tea tree oil. The toxin absorbs through their skin. Licking it off their fur or skin, or your skin can be even worse. Tea tree oil can be toxic to children and adults as well. There really should be warning labels on these bottles.

If you are a dog owner, be acutely aware of the dangers of tea tree oil.  

If your dog does ingest or come in contact with tea tree oil, or an essential oil, chocolate or other poisons you must first call poison control to get a reference number. This number is used by the clinic where you take your dog as poison control will advise the vet on how to proceed. 

The number for poison control is 1-800-213-6680.  The closest emergency clinic is in Brampton: Emergency Vet clinic: 905-495-9907 and is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

I hope you never have to use these phone numbers.

Give your pet a hug!

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