Is Eucalyptus essential oil safe for dogs? The long and short answer is: Yes, it is safe, but they tend not to like it much. Naturally, one of eucalyptus’s greatest assets is its repellent chemicals. The tree uses it to deter insects from nibbling its leaves, for instance. Traditional Australasian medicines suggest brushing eucalyptus over gate posts to deter dogs from scenting them. If however, you are worried whether it is safe to diffuse eucalyptus in when someone in the house has a cold, it is not harmful to dogs but it can be for cats.
We’ll look at some strategies for using eucalyptus with your pets in mind.
Is Eucalyptus Essential Oil Safe For Dogs if You Use It Topically?
It is, and because it has insect repellent properties, particularly from mosquitoes. It is a wonderful decongestant for stuffy noses and colds. Likewise, eucalyptus can be very good for pain, so it might be good for an arthritic hip, for example.
You’ll want to use very low dilutions. 1% will be enough. If you are not sure what that would look like:
We say there is about 20 drops of oil in 1ml. 5 ml is 100 drops, and a teaspoon measures 5ml.
Therefore 1 drop in a teaspoon of carrier oil is about right. Using a carrier oil is imperative here.
That said, would you like to be surrounded by a smell that you don’t like? In which case, there will be other good alternatives.
Further down the article, we’ll show you how to check how your dog feels about any particular essential oil, before you put them on him.
Is Eucalyptus Essential Oil Safe for Dogs’ Joint Pains?
It is, and it’s great combined with Roman Chamomile and Frankincense for creaky old joints. That said, if your dog doesn’t appreciate the fragrance, again, lavender and chamomile would be better options. In addition, you might want to try some juniper which is full of detoxifying constituents, to cleanse the joints.
In addition, copaiba essential oil is full of natural inflammatory chemicals.
Is Eucalyptus Good if a Dog has a Stuffy Nose?
Same old same old now, I think. It will decongest, but think of how you would feel if you were ill and someone kept saying “Get out of here. We don’t want your sort here.” That’s what dogs understand when they smell eucalyptus.
Is Eucalyptus Essential Oil Safe for Dogs’ Fleas?
Errr, for the dog yes, but the fleas, no. However, again there are better choices that work more effectively on fleas and that your pet will probably prefer.
The best is a lesser-known essential oil called pyrethrum, but it smells like the underside of a grizzly bear’s armpit (we’re told). A better choice might be to go for something with the chemical constituent linalool.
Linalool is found in lots of essential oils and is a fast-acting flea killer. Your easiest choice would be lavender oil which comprises about half linalool. However, linalool is at its highest in Ho Wood essential oil, making up about 90% of its chemical constituency. Be warned though, science backs up what we would expect to see. Plants make these insect repellent constituents in a way that they can be evaporated into the air. As such, even linalool is very short-lived. You will need to reapply essential oil that you use as a flea repellent regularly. The data for how long essential oil magic remains are unavailable, but as a guide, experiments around oils for mosquito repellents say three hours.
Whichever oil you choose, don’t forget to scrunch some into their bedding too, about an hour before you put it in the washer. Really fumigate the fabric, so no eggs remain.
Assessing If Your Dog Likes Eucalyptus Oil
If she is trying to calm an anxious dog with eucalyptus, all she does is put the bottle, with the top off, about a foot away from the dog. It’s fascinating to watch their noses twitch as they explore the scent, then their eyes close as they enjoy it. Then, sometimes they might try to move their head closer to it. When they have had enough, they just turn it away.
It’s intriguing to watch how they react to three or four oils in turn. Leave them for three or four minutes to see how they react. You can usually discern which ones they like the best.
A good guide is to watch how they use their mouths. You might find they lick at their lips as they taste it in the air. If they turn their heads away, lick more or appear to be having difficulty breathing, put the top back on the oil, they have had enough.
Is Eucalyptus Safe for Dogs If I Put it into a Diffuser?
That’s the six million dollar question, isn’t it? I love my pets, but I have a seriously ill person here, who needs eucalyptus help. They might be struggling to breathe, have a ranging infection, or you may have the Germ That Shall Not Be Named and you want to clean the air up, to slow transmission. (Incidentally, there is no proof whether that will help or not, but we’re taking no chances.)
All that aside, you have a dog who is miserable because he’s not getting walked and a cat who would frankly rather you’d disappear to work!
Most important is to state that you must annoy the kitty even further by slinging her out. Cats do not have a specific enzyme in their livers, that we have, so they can’t break some oils down, including eucalyptus. Even if they lick diffuser droplets off their fur, it is as if they have drunk it from the bottle and can lead to overdose. It’s not a great plan to diffuse eucalyptus is a room with a cat.
Diffusion Rules, Ok
That said, both cats have very keen senses of smell, and like we have said, they don’t tend to like the smell much. A more important guideline would be to say, please ensure you always leave the door open when you diffuse essential oils. That way, if either of them doesn’t like it (and animals are very astute to what is good for them, and what’s not) then they can leave the room and go and make a mess on your bed instead.
In the same way, it is good practice for humans and pets alike, to turn the diffuser off, after a couple of hours. Take a break for half an hour or so, then it would be safe to continue on.
Safe Essential Oil Recipes For Dogs
Massage Oil For Wintery Joints
- 1 tsp Grapeseed Carrier Oil (Vitis vinifera)
- 2 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 1 drop Juniper essential oil (Juniperus communis)
- 3 drops Roman Chamomile essential oil (Anthemis nobilis)
Method of use: Rub it onto the affected area if you can, but also apply to their belly, where there is less hair, and to the insides of their thighs. There is an artery with good blood supply there, so the oils can get to work fast. You might also want to speed up delivery by placing a warm water bottle over, to open the pores up and to relax the muscles.
Safety: Not suitable for any dogs who are pregnant.
Flea Repellent
- 1 tsp Grapeseed Carrier Oil (Vitis vinifera)
- 3 drops Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
Method of Use: Rub your hands liberally over their fur, ideally pushing the lie backward, so you can get right into it if they will let you.
Alternatively, rub it onto their bellies where they have little hair.
Apply every couple of hours, or so.
Safety: Not suitable for use in the first month of their pregnancy.
Conclusion
The answer to is eucalyptus essential oil safe for dogs is yes if you use it thoughtfully and carefully. However, as an ingredient, it is definitely better suited to humans than dogs, and most certainly please do not use it on cats. If diffusing around pets, always leave the door open so they can leave and take a break every couple of hours or so.
