Did you know that essential oils can be incredibly dangerous for pets if you do not regulate them? You can still have a wonderful smelling home with pets, but you should always make sure that you buy scents that are completely safe for your animal friends.
When used correctly, you can have both pets and aromatherapy oils in your home. Are essential oils safe for pets? Read on to get an idea of what scents you can buy, depending on the type of pet that you have in your house.
Cats
When it comes to pets and aromatherapy oils, the options for cat owners are limited, but not nonexistent. A good rule of thumb for cat owners is to stick to these four scents:
- jasmine
- rose
- lavender
- chamomile
All of these are natural and floral and have shown to be non-toxic for cats in everyday life. Therefore, it is safe to assume that you can diffuse these aroma oils in a diluted form. You should take care to place the diffuser away from any direct exposure to cats.
Dogs
With dogs, there is a much wider selection of aroma oils that you can safely use around your canines. Along with the options for cats, you can add in these scents and still feel safe:
- eucalyptus
- fennel
- cedarwood
- citrus
- peppermint
Make sure to always use the essential oil diffuser with diluted aroma oils, to avoid over-exposing your dogs.
Birds
Birds have incredibly sensitive respiratory systems, so it is best to avoid an essential oil diffuser in the same room if you have any feathered creature in your house. However, check with your avian vet to see if you can safely use an essential oil diffuser in a different room, or which essential oils are safe for birds.
You may also purchase types of diffusers that emit low amounts of particles into the air so that they do not disturb the bird’s lungs.
Reptiles
Similar to birds, reptiles can have sensitive respiratory systems. Which essential oils are bad for animals with scales? A good rule of thumb is to run any essential oil diffuser in a different room than the one you house your reptiles in.
Even if you put your aroma oils in a separate room, you should never use tree oils or citrus if you have reptiles in the house. These scents in particular are incredibly toxic to reptiles.
Are Essential Oils Safe for Pets?
You may still ask yourself, are essential oils safe for pets? The answer is, it completely depends on the type of pet that you own. With this guide, you can make the best determination for which essential oils you can safely diffuse in your home.
Want to learn more about how to improve your home in a safe way? Check out our site for more ideas and inspiration for your next home improvement project.