How to use Essential Oils with Animals
| I'm sure you have all heard of aromatherapy, - who hasn't these days?- but do you know that your animals can benefit from essential oils too? Essential oils are an effective and gentle answer to many of todays common animal problems, and although not an alternative to proper veterinary care, they can often bring relief where allopathic medicines hold no answer Chronic skin conditions, allergies, arthritis, Cushings Syndrome, stress related conditions and many different behavioural problems are just a few of the conditions that have been helped by essential oils. Essential Oil Therapy for Animals differs from human aromatherapy in that massage is not the main form of application. EOTA recognizes the fact that animals have an innate ability to self-medicate. In a natural environment animals will pick out the herbs they need to maintain a healthy system -weve all seen that in action when dogs chew grass. So sharp is this sense that I have seen dogs carefully pick the oils they need from a box containing sixty different closed bottles, and a herbivores sense of discrimination is even greater. So, although a qualified therapist will advise which oils would be helpful, it is always the animal that has the final say. |  |
Essential oils are distilled from a wide variety of plants and have many functions within those plants. Some of the common things they do are to attract insects for pollination, to repel insects, to protect the plant from bacterial infection and to help close up wounds. So it is easy to see how they could be used in the same way for animals.
Essential oils have been used as an aid to health for centuries. They have enjoyed a renaissance in the last 100 years since a French chemist accidentally discovered the healing properties of lavender oil after burning himself in a lab explosion. The actions and properties of many essential oils have been catalogued since then and indeed many of them are the basis of todays synthetic medicines.
Because of the volatile nature of the oils their molecules are evaporating into the air as soon as lid comes off the bottle. When we smell them we absorb their chemical constituents into the brain via the olfactory system. The sense of smell is connected to the limbic system of the brain where emotions, memory and certain regulatory functions of the body are situated. When the oils are inhaled they trigger neurotransmitters, which can reduce pain, sedate, stimulate, calm or whatever their function is. Fragrance has always been the messenger plants use to communicate across the species, triggering responses such as attraction or repulsion, eat me or leave me alone, so it makes sense that animals understand their messages
It is widely accepted these days that our emotional state influences our physical state, stress suppresses the immune system and there is nothing as healing as laughter. Essential oils work simultaneously on the emotional and physical level - e.g. oils that calm angry inflammations of the skin also calm temper tantrums- and it is often apparent that as a physical condition clears there is a change in an animals disposition.
So how are essential oils used with animals?
The basic principles of Essential Oil Therapy for Animals are the same whatever the species, although there are differences in dilutions, and obviously a horse will show different response behaviours than a dog or a cat, or a rabbit.... or a lama. If you can identify normal behaviour in any species you can read and understand the response it displays when presented with an essential oil.
When treating a specific horse, a trained therapist first takes a detailed case history in order to understand all the emotional and physical factors that might have contributed to the horses present condition. Then Kinesiology is used to assess any imbalances in the animals system and find up to three oils that will re-balance it. Kinesiology is a bio-feedback system developed by an American Chiropractor and based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is used to assess the quality of energy in the meridian systems and reveal any underlying imbalances. This is a truly holistic system that can go straight to the root of a problem. Many times illness or problematic behaviours are triggered by a past incident; a careful consultation coupled with kinesiology can reveal the original source of this problem and appropriate oils chosen.
The oils are not blended together but diluted individually in base oil and given to the owner to offer to the horse one at a time. The horse will respond to the oils by either inhaling, licking or turning away. Their responses are very clear and uniquely expressed by each different personality, which must be taken into consideration when assessing a response.
Often animals just want to smell the oil, especially if it is an emotional problem and they may go into a trance like state as their brain chemistry is affected by the oils. Horses will stand, heads lowered miles away! If the animal does not want the oil it will turn its head away, or move away from you and it must always be allowed to do this
The oils are offered to the animal once or twice a day - depending on the degree of interest shown - until it shows no further interest, usually within three to ten days. Sometimes horses will show great interest for one session then show no further interest, or alternatively be rather blasé the first time with interest increasing as the treatment progresses. Once your horse shows no further interest in the oils they are no longer needed and you should have seen a great improvement in the condition. Usually one course of treatment is enough to bring a complete and lasting change to the problem.
Essential oils can also be used topically for things like arthritis, mud fever and sarcoids by diluting them about 1% in a water based gel such as aloe vera . The Guild of Essential Oil Therapists for Animals under the review of Bristol University Veterinary School recently did a pilot study on the use of essential oil to control fibroblastic sarcoids and had a 77% success rate.
With the help of a qualified therapist it is easy for the animal owner to learn the basics needed to use essential oils safely and effectively with their own pets, but there are a few cautions.
Although they are natural substances essential oils should be used with care as they are highly potent and can be toxic if misused, it is important that you seek qualified advice and educate yourself before using them on your animals.
Essential oils should be well diluted in a cold pressed base oil (such as sunflower) before use with any animal, using undiluted oils can cause serious damage to the mucous membranes.
Do not use them if you or your horse is pregnant, or could be pregnant
Essential oils are not recommended for long-term use and if your animal still shows interest after two weeks you should seek professional advice.
Most importantly, essential oils should never be forced on animals... the only time we have seen adverse reactions when using essential oils with animals if the choice is removed.
Essential Oil Therapy, properly used, is safe and non-intrusive. Animals enjoy the oils and it is a great pleasure to offer them help in a way that allows them to participate in their own healing .... and return some autonomy to lives which are all too often in someone elses control. This unfailingly increases the bond of trust between animal and carer, which is particularly useful where there is a history of abuse or behavioural problems. Of course the other great benefit of this method is that you, the carer, also receives the benefits of the essential oils .... And that cant be bad!
Nayana Morag is one of the worlds foremost authorities on essential oils for animals. If you would like to find out more about essential oils for animals, or would like to know how to qualify as an Essential Oil Therapist go to: www.essentialanimals.com
Thank you to Nayana Morag for letting us use this information
Added on: 20/11/07.
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