Does the smell of peppermint bother dogs? A Step-by-Step Guide

Signs Your Dog Can Smell Essential Oils

According to PBS, dogs have more than 300 million olfactory receptors, compared to just 6 million in humans. This means that their sense of smell is incredibly powerful. The bottom line? Yes, dogs can smell essential oils. However, not all essential oils are safe for your dog. Lavender is perhaps the most popular (and one of the safest) because of its calming properties. Peppermint oil is another good one that can stimulate circulation and deter pesky insects.

So how do you know if your dog is smelling those essential oils you have going in the diffuser? For one, their nose will probably start to wiggle as they take in the new scent and try to figure out what exactly is going on. They may sneeze, which could indicate the essential oil is bothering them, so be sure to watch for this.

Here are some signs your dog can smell essential oils:

These are other signs your dog may smell essential oils:

  • Sniffing The Air
  • Looking Around For The Scent
  • Does peppermint oil in a diffuser hurt dogs?

    More serious symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, and even liver failure. There have been many stories in the news lately about pets getting seriously ill and their owners discovering it was from the diffusion or use of essential oils. As it turns out, peppermint in herb form is also toxic to pets.

    What happens if my dog is exposed to peppermint oil?

    Some essential oils are poisonous to dogs. This includes oil of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree (melaleuca), wintergreen, and ylang ylang. These oils are toxic whether ingested by mouth or spread on the skin.

    Toxicity. Mint species, including wild mint, spearmint and peppermint, are nontoxic to dogs, according to the Continental Kennel Club. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals warns that the only species of mint, in the genus Mentha, that is toxic to dogs is English pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium).

    While some of the proposed benefits of peppermint oil come from anecdotal evidence, research suggests peppermint oil may be beneficial for IBS and other digestive conditions, as well as pain relief. Peppermint oil is generally safe, but it can be toxic when taken in very large doses.

    The 7 SCENTS Dogs HATE The Most

    Recently, the trend of using essential oils for anything and everything is steadily picking up pace. It is also spreading out to include using essential oils to treat our pets. Unfortunately, despite the advice you see in various online forums, many oils can be very toxic to our four-legged friends. We have been receiving many queries including, “is peppermint essential oil safe for dogs?” and “is peppermint oil bad for dogs?”, so today we’ve decided to create a post to specifically answer those questions!