July 15, 2020

Taking Care of Your Dog One (Essential Oil) Drop at a Time

Back in April, we spoke with Dr. Katherine Evans, a holistic veterinarian who taught us about the different ways holistic medicine can be incorporated into your dog’s medical regimen. After our conversation around essential oils, we decided it would be helpful to share our own holistic recipes.

With scents ranging from lavender to lemongrass, essential oils have become increasingly popular among the human population to alleviate anxiety and headaches, as well as sleeping aids and mood boosters, and even as skincare treatments. They can also be used as a natural remedy to help prevent and aid some of the most basic ailments our dog’s encounter, including paw irritation, flea and tick prevention, and anxiety.

Here are a few of our top recommended recipes to help your dogs feel their best, as well as a few suggested shopping links:

Flea & Tick Prevention

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of water (double if your dog is sensitive to smell)
• 1 tablespoon carrier oil (grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc.)
• 2 drops of Lavender
• 1 drop of Citronella, Cedarwood, or Lemongrass
• 4 cotton bandanas (optional)

Directions:

Mix liquid ingredients in a bowl and soak the bandanas for 10-15 minutes in the oil mixture. Place the bandanas in the sun until dry then tie one around your dog’s neck or their harness (if they’re most sensitive to smell). This mixture can also be rubbed into your dog’s fur with your hands, instead of using a bandana.

Dog Paw Balm

Ingredients:

• 1 small glass jar
• 1 pot
• 2 tablespoons of shea butter
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of jojoba oil
• 2 tablespoons of beeswax
• 1-2 drops of Lavender
• 1-2 drops of Frankincense

Directions:

Add the shea butter and coconut oil to the glass and place in a pot of water on low heat. Once the shea butter and coconut oil have melted, add in the beeswax and stir until all the ingredients have finished melting. Lift the glass out of the pot (carefully!) and let cool on a towel (it will cool very quickly). Add two drops of each essential oil. Once the glass is cool enough to handle, transfer contents to as many travel containers as desired. This recipe can be applied to your dog’s paws to protect from the hot concrete in the summer, as well as the ice and salt in the winter! It can also be used to soothe dry and cracked paws!

Calming Mist for Dogs

• 2 drops of Cedarwood
• 2 drops of Lavender
• Water
• 8 oz. spray bottle

Directions:

Fill an 8 oz bottle with distilled water and add drops of essential oils. Spray the mist around your dog, not directly in their face. Or spray the mist onto your hands and gently massage their bodies to help them relax.

Anxiety Remedy

Ingredients:

• 1 drop of Cedarwood, Lavender, Copaiba, and Vanilla
• Oil Diffuser
• Water

Directions:

Add the correct amount of water for your specific diffuser (there should be a line indicating where to fill it to). Add 3-5 drops of oil to the water and turn it on! You may find it’s as useful for yourself as it is for the dog. And it’s a much safer alternative to scented candles or plug-ins.

What kind of Essential Oils?

There are a lot of essential oils on the market, and after doing my own research, I only order oils from brands who believe in sourcing quality, organic ingredients, making safe oils for all of us to use.

All of the oils in the recipes above can be found in any store that offers health and wellness products. That includes Whole Foods or any local health food store. However, we’ve also compiled a short list of online shops that specialize in these products:

• Young Living
• Mountain Rose Herbs
• DoTerra
• Aura Cacia (sold at Whole Foods)

Do you have any recipes you like? We would love to have you share them with us…