So you are tired after a busy day at work and you think that aromatherapy with essential oils in your living room or a dreamy bathroom with a diffuser might be just the thing. Before opening that little vial, however, if you have a four-legged roommate – or other pet – the first thing you should consider is whether this new airborne presence could affect their health. Here’s why: while essential oils diffused through a nebulizer or even an old-fashioned wick and glass jar combination are generally safe for humans, it is not necessarily the case with pets, whose olfactory and respiratory systems are much more sensitive than ours are.
Lori Teller, DVM, a clinical adjunct professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, says exposure to essential oils can be a bigger thing than some animal parents may realize. “A lot of people are now using essential oil diffusers, and my concern is that overall awareness of the risks to pets is pretty low,” she tells SELF. It’s not just about a possible inhalation. If the oils get on pets’ skin in any way, the potential risks increase. In addition, oral exposure – which carries higher risks than dermal exposure – can be very subtle. Once essential oil droplets get into the air, there is a chance that pets ingest the substances orally, especially if the droplets land on them and they clean themselves.
Read on for more information on how essential oils can affect your pets and how you can enjoy these oils while keeping the animals as safe as possible in your home.
A few different factors determine how harmful essential oils can be to pets.
First things first, everything you read here doesn’t mean you should go without essential oils just because you have a pet. As the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center explains, using an essential oil diffuser for a short time and in an area of your home where your pet cannot access it is generally a safe option.
However, when it comes to the potential dangers of pets encountering essential oils, the first thing to consider is what type of animal you have. “Our dogs are much more sensitive to odors than we are, and an odor that is pleasant to us can cause our dog to cough or have difficulty breathing. And people might forget that because dogs and cats lick themselves, they ingest the substance and get a higher dose, ”says Dr. Teller, a specialist in canine and cat medicine. She adds that prolonged exposure to essential oils can even cause severe liver and other organ damage in some animals. “It’s important to realize that dogs and other pets metabolize substances differently than we do – cats, for example, lack a liver enzyme that humans have,” she says.
Tina Wismer, DVM, Senior Director at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, points out that concerns about essential oils also apply to other pets like rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters – and that birds are particularly at risk. “If you have birds, it is best to avoid an essential oil diffuser in your home,” she tells SELF. “Birds’ airways are very sensitive and can develop more serious problems [than other pets] if you use a diffuser. “
The essential oils themselves are only a consideration when assessing whether they are safe in a household with pets. There are other factors as well. You need to know what the concentration of the oil is, whether the oil is packaged with other ingredients, and how the oil gets into the environment, says Dr. Wismer. A passive diffuser naturally releases oils, typically from a wick, and creates a milder, less intense aroma. Active diffusers use either pump or ultrasonic technology to effectively “force” the oil particles into the air, creating a more concentrated aroma and potentially greater exposure of your pet to the substance. “Remember that what smells good to you can be overwhelming to you,” says Dr. Wismer SELF.
