Ask Plant Therapy's Experts: Essential Oils and Pets!

Welcome to our series for Plant Therapy blog: Ask our Plant Therapy Experts! Where you ask, and we answer your most burning oily questions.

Wondering who your official Plant Therapy Aromatherapists are? You can get the full introduction to our whole team on our Meet Our Aromatherapists page! Because Plant Therapy is dedicated to being transparent with our customers, we knew we wanted to introduce you to the team behind answering your essential oil questions.

Without further ado, let’s see what you asked us with this month’s topic: Pets!

Who’s the aromatherapist behind Pup & Pony?

Janine Vineyard Nathan says:

I am wondering who formulated these blends and if they have been certified for essential oil use with animals? Have to ask.

Emilee Hughes, Certified Aromatherapist, Animal Aromatherapy Practitioner and Product Manager

Hello Janine!

This is actually a really great question, and I appreciate that you care about this issue. I’ve got answers to both parts of your question for you!

I’m Emilee, one of Plant Therapy’s Certified Aromatherapist and Animal Aromatherapy Practitioner for Plant Therapy! I am the Product Manager for our Pup & Pony product line. What that means is that I was responsible for the formulation and development of this exciting new line, and Plant Therapy made sure I was trained and educated by some of the best people and courses available (just like all our aromatherapist team).

I’ve studied with Animal Aromatherapy Expert Kelly Holland Azzaro, taken Veterinary Medical Aromatherapy courses from Dr. Nancy Brandt, and learned from Nayana Morag, the founder of Essential Animals. And of course, I’m a proud mom! My dog’s name is Dillinger James Pickle Juice Moose aka Dill. Plus, my father-in-law is also a rancher so I get to spend some time with horses.

Here at Plant Therapy, we are dedicated to providing the absolute highest-quality essential oils and are committed to educating our customers on their uses, safety, and efficacy. As essential oil safety experts and animal lovers, it is our responsibility and goal to provide safe and effective products to support our four-legged furry friends on their journey to wellness.

In working with local rescues and being animal caregivers, we have identified some of the most common issues dogs and horses are facing today and have created Plant Therapy’s line of Pup & Pony products to support and address some of those concerns.

But like everything we do at Plant Therapy, we take continuing education very seriously, and we will continue to seek out education on essential oils, aromatherapy, and using essential oils with animals whenever we can.

Which oils are not safe to use with pets?

Alex Ramos wants to know:

What oils are absolute no’s!!

Jessica Cobb, Certified Aromatherapist & Content Manager

Hi Alex!

This is a really great, responsible question. As a pet owner myself, this was one of the first things I asked because even before I invested in Pup & Pony essential oils (which I use on my own dogs!) I wanted to know which oils to avoid, asap!

The short answer (and also the best one we have) is that if it’s not one of the approved list of essential oils from our Pup & Pony approved essential oils chart, we don’t recommend using it with your animals. And then, we only recommend using those essential oils with dogs and horses at this point.

We know there are so many loyal customers who would love to use essential oils with their cats, birds, or whatever other kinds of pets you own (snake lovers, we’re looking at you…) but we really can’t recommend it. This is for a variety of reasons, but Plant Therapy’s Pup & Pony products were created specifically for dogs and horses and our list of Pup & Pony approved oils are intended for use with dogs and horses only. We do not recommend using these products on or around any other animals. There are many reasons why we don’t currently recommend essential oil usage with these animals, which may include the animal’s metabolic system, the size of the animal, delicate pH levels, as well as sensitive respiratory systems.

Bonus tip: If you want to use essential oils that are not Pup & Pony approved around your animals, try these handy tips.

We’ll go even more into which oils are ok to use in the next question!

Which oils are safe for both kids and pets?

Paw Balm from Plant Therapy Lisa Crume asks:

I’d like to see a list on your site that shows which EOs and blends are safe for both dogs and kids. I want to gift some of your EOs to friends and most of them have both. I want to make sure whatever I get for them is safe for the whole family, furkids included. 💚💚💚

Katrina Scampini, Certified Aromatherapist

Hi Lisa!

This is such a great question, and the answer is more complex than you’d think. There is a lot of overlap between KidSafe essential oils and Pup & Pony approved oils, but they’re not the same by any means. There are some essential oils that are totally KidSafe, but not safe for use with pets, and some Pup & Pony approved oils are not safe for kids! Obviously, kids and pets have very different bodies and olfactory systems, making this overlap hard to pinpoint.

We took the guesswork out of comparing our Pup & Pony approved oil list with our KidSafe approved list, and have them right here for you. Check it out:

Pup & Pony blends that both KidSafe and safe for pets:

Horse Whisperer

Essential oils that are KidSafe and Pup & Pony approved (for both kids and pets)

KidSafe Blends that are also Pup & Pony approved:

Essential oils that are KidSafe, but not Pup & Pony approved:

Oils that are Pup & Pony approved, but not KidSafe:

Bonus tip: If you want to use our Pup & Pony blends on your pets but still have kids at home, try these easy (and totally safe) techniques:

Use our Paw Pal Diffuser with properly diluted essential oil.
Dilute and apply Pup & Pony blends directly on your dog or horse.
Create a linen spray and lightly spray your dog or horses linens.
Try incorporating essential oils into your dog/horse’s bath time routine.

If you have questions for our Certified Aromatherapy team, head on over to our Safe Essential Oil Facebook Group and watch for our monthly post for your chance to get featured and have your questions answered!

And of course, it goes without saying, but aromatherapy does not replace veterinary care. If your animal has a medical condition or takes prescribed medications then we suggest working with your vet before using essential oils as an added benefit.