Diagnosis of Essential Oils for Allergies in Dogs
Before using essential oils to treat your dog’s allergy, it is essential to get a definitive diagnosis. Using soothing solutions on the skin is only minimally helpful if we are dealing with an unaddressed food allergy or if it is a yeast or bacterial infection instead. There are many tests which can reveal if the symptoms are actually in response to an allergen, and possibly which allergen that is.
Your veterinarian may take skin scrapings from any affected areas to complete a cutaneous cytology, which is the microscopic examination of the skin cells to look for issues like mites, yeast infections, and other signs of disease. In some cases, a small amount of the suspected allergen or allergens may be injected into the skin to confirm which substance the patient is allergic to.
Causes of Essential Oils for Allergies in Dogs
There are factors that can cause an essential oil treatment plan to fail if they are not addressed. Things you should consider when administering essential oils to your pet can include:
Top 5 Essentials Oils Safe For Dog’s Skin
Here are my top 5 essential oils that you need to have in your first aid kit for dogs:
This is one of my favorite oils, because it can literally be used in every condition.
It can help with blood clotting since it acts as an anti-coagulant but also helpful when there’s bruising.
By helping wounds heal faster and acting as a topical anesthetic, this essential oil is very powerful.
When you’re needing a natural pain remedy, like if you pet hurts itself or cuts themselves, helichrysum is often adequate used alone, but when used with copaiba and myrrh, their synergism together increases the effectiveness.
Another great way to use this oil is if you have a dog or cat that was recently in a trauma like a hit by car and has lung contusions. You can diffuse this oil in an open room, and it will help their lungs heal.
Although this can be an expensive essential oil, the power that can come from a small amount of this oil is extraordinary.
It has a very high vibrational energy and is most likely the highest anti-viral substance available. So if you have a kitty that is battling chronic herpes/upper respiratory infections or a dog with kennel cough, you need this oil.
And it’s super safe for both dogs and cats.
Now if you were to pick one oil to have in your dog’s first aid kit, Frankincense should be there.
Frankincense is one of the most important and well used oils in the animal world.
It’s incredibly safe, well tolerated, versatile and effective.
This powerful essential oil is considered a life force oil and is used extensively in critical cases.
If you have puppies and kittens, this is an oil that you should start using in their lives right now.
This oil is incredibly safe, and can be used in dogs and cats neat, diluted, orally or diffused.
There are different species of frankincense that will affect the pets in different ways. The more common form is Frankincense carteri but other forms can be used for deeper spiritual healing if needed.
Next is copaiba which is another must-have.
It barely has any scent or flavor, which is really helpful if your trying to treat a finicky cat or a dog with a poor appetite.
Copaiba is one of the best anti-inflammatory oils, and my own patients have seen drastic improvements to their pain levels and have even replaced their NSAID pain drugs.
The part that I really like about using essential oils is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can use these alongside the conventional drugs. And many times, you can get your pet off of the drug.
This incredible oil also magnifies the effects of the other oils that it’s used with.
Here’s a great pain relieving essential oil recipe that I recommend and is safe for your pets:
You can apply this mixture directly to inflammation (like a bruise) or next to an incision site to aid healing and reduce the pain.
And finally, the incredible lavender oil.
This essential oil is one of the most adulterated and synthetically created essential oils on the market today, which is why many ask is lavender essential oil safe for dogs.
Unfortunately, very few brands are medical grade and would not be safe to use in animals due to the chemicals and adulterants that are used. This is why I stick with a few brands since I know, trust and love them for my pet patients, like Rocky Mountain Oils, AnimalEO, Plant Therapy, and Young Living.
To learn more about essential oils and their safety for dogs and cats, click here.
When used appropriately, lavender is incredibly mild and can be used extensively for its antibacterial properties to reduce infection in wounds or for skin infections.
Lavender oil can be one of the best natural remedies for a dog hotspot home treatment to naturally soothe inflamed skin and avoid antibiotics.
Essential Oils To Treat Dog Allergies (Dogs Itchy Skin, Ear Infection and Inflammation – Recipes)
Dry, itchy skin is a nuisance for dogs, and pet parents are sniffing around for natural supplements for this common and vexing problem.
Treating pruritus, or itching, can be difficult since any number of things can cause it. Food allergies, seasonal allergies, fleas, ticks, mites, and skin infections are just a few of the culprits. To complicate things further, more than one thing could be making your pooch itchy. If you notice lesions on your dog’s skin or the itching is out of control, make an appointment with your veterinarian.
And before you buy any supplement, veterinarians recommend taking a close look at your dog’s diet.
Ideally, dogs should eat a diet that’s relatively high in protein and low in processed carbohydrates, says Dr. Michael Dym, a homeopathic veterinarian based in Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
“Before supplements, we must cut down on inflammation which often starts in the gut,” Dym says. For dogs that eat typical commercial pet food, “you can add every supplement known to man and it won’t stop the itching.”
Read the label closely on your pet’s food, advises Dr. Patrick Mahaney, a Los Angeles-based holistic veterinarian. Look for food that lists meat, poultry or fish as the first ingredient, and avoid food with ingredients labeled as “byproduct” and “meal,” with the exception of flaxseed meal.
“It comes down to the quality of the ingredients,” Mahaney says. “Generally, the patients I work with are so much healthier from a skin perspective if they’re eating whole foods.”
You might feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of natural products promising relief from chronic itching. Here are a few common supplements recommended by veterinarians.