If you have been on social media lately, you may have seen articles or posts concerning essential oils, oil diffusers and the potential danger they may pose to your pets.

Essential oils have been, for a long time, a popular home remedy for a number of maladies including nasal congestion, anxiety, sore muscles and skin conditions, among others. With the sudden popularity of oil diffusers—an easy way to release these oils into your home—there has been an emergence of alarm about how these oils may affect animals in the home.

One Facebook user wrote that she arrived home late and her dog didn’t recognise her. Being a nanny, she dismissed it thinking it might be a night terror. Sunday morning, he wasn’t his usual self and she wondered if the new diffuser could be the culprit, so she turned it off. By Sunday afternoon, his symptoms had eased, however while at work the dog sitter called and mentioned unusual behaviour which was concerning.

She left work early and when she arrived home, her dog was again very confused about who she was, so she bundled him off to the vet.

It turns out that the tea tree oil she used in the diffuser is toxic for dogs. Thankfully the test showed that his liver was ok but he wasn’t out of the woods and needed fluids to flush out the toxins.

It turns out, she isn’t an isolated case. The increase in diffuser popularity has seen dogs being admitted for emergency treatment several days each week.

Are Some Oils/Scents More Dangerous than Others?

Some oils may in fact be more harmful than others. However, there are several factors that affect this such as concentration level, and what the product is mixed with. For example, concentrated forms of tea tree oil (melaleuca oil) may cause issues for your pets with only seven or eight drops, whereas another oil may take more or less. Due to the variability in concentration, formulation and possible quality of essential oils, it is best to completely avoid using scents or oils that can harm your pet.

Symptoms of essential oil poisoning

Common signs of poisoning as a result of inhalation (usually from an oil diffuser) include laboured breathing, lack of coordination and difficulty walking, drooling, diarrhoea, lethargy, depression, low body temperature, weakness, muscle tremors, vomiting and confusion. When essential oils are exposed directly to the skin, they can also cause chemical burns, redness and irritation.

Better safe than sorry. You might like your diffuser, but not as much as you love your pets!

How to Use Diffusers Safely

You can still have a diffuser in your home, but vets suggest keeping your pet and your running oil diffuser in separate rooms and avoid using the device for long periods of time.

However, if your pet has a history of health problems, it may be best to avoid using one altogether. Keep in mind, that your pets have a much better sense of smell than we do, so something that seems innocuous to us may be overwhelming for them.

While these same concerns with essential oils will apply to other pets such as cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, it is best to avoid using an essential oil diffuser in your house if you have birds too. Birds’ respiratory tracts are very sensitive, and they may develop more serious problems if you use a diffuser.

Essential Oils Harmful to Dogs & Cats

The lists below were shared by our local vet and only include oils dangerous to dogs and cats, however it might be worth investigating which oils could harm other pets too.

Oils that are particularly toxic to dogs include:

The lists below were shared by our local vet and only include oils dangerous to dogs and cats, however it might be worth investigating which oils could harm other pets too.

Oils that are particularly toxic to dogs include: