We sometimes use lavender oil on our elderly dog. We believe it’s helped him a lot.
Even though I’m not an animal healthcare expert, or a professional aromatherapist, I am a regular essential oil user. I use them every day, for one reason or another. Occasionally, I also use them on my dog.
Out of all the essential oils, lavender oil seems to be one of the most suitable for use on canines. That’s because it’s known for its mild and soothing quality.
Lavender oil is also believed to contain natural infection-fighting agents. So it’s a natural for ear care, as long as it’s diluted well. Another potential use is to put a drop of lavender oil on a cloth and keep it somewhere near your dog during stressful situations, such as a trip to the vet.
However, since I’m not a vet (just a dog Mom), I can’t give you medical advice as to whether or not to use lavender oil on your own pet. This is something you’ll need to discuss with your veterinarian.
For instance, there are circumstances where it’s never appropriate to use essential oils on a dog, such as with young puppies or a pregnant female.
Let your vet be your guide and always ask your vet before using an aromatic on your animal.
Is Lavender Oil Good for Dogs?
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However, I can share my story of how I believe lavender essential oil has helped my dog. Before using it, I did some Internet research on the safety of this oil, so I felt comfortable with our plan.
One way we’ve used lavender oil is for ear care. We own a floppy-eared Cocker Spaniel. This is a breed prone to developing yeast infections in the ear way. Instead of running him to the vet, for a pharmaceutical product, each time this happens, we use a simple recipe that includes lavender essential oil. We also use this oil for ear maintenance.
Can I Put Lavender Oil on My Dog?
The lavender essential oil appeared to solve the problem. The redness and odor went away. We were comfortable enough with the improvement, so we didn’t feel we needed to visit the vet. However, every situation is different. So I want to stress that I’m not telling you to skip the vet and treat an ear infection at home. Our dog is very elderly, and a trip to the vet is highly distressing.
Given the fact that our dog also has a heart murmur, we don’t like to rock the boat with unnecessary vet visits. (The last time we were there the vet pointed out his red eyes, and explained that this is the equivalent of someone’s face turning red if they’re upset.)
Also, there’s no guarantee the ear infection wouldn’t come back. With essential oils, we can give him periodic maintenance doses.
Essential Oil Recipes for Dog’s Ears
We used a very simple recipe, similar to this one, with oils we have on hand.
- 1 tbs. of coconut or olive oil. (We used olive oil)
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil (available here)
- 5 drops of geranium essential oil (available here)
We put this mixture in glass jar, and stored it away from heat and light. Twice a day, we took a cotton-tipped swab and put a little in our dog’s ear, being careful not to push it into the ear canal.
Lavender Oil for Hot Spots
We also mixed 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil in one tablespoon of organic coconut oil to put on our dog’s hot spots. Oftentimes, these red, irritated areas are the result of seasonal allergies. Our dog started picking at his skin, and a bald spot developed. But, after using a lavender/coconut oil mixture, this raw spot cleared up with just one application.
The book below contains more information on which essential oils you can and cannot use on your dog. (Do not use essential oils on a cat. Cats lack an enzyme needed to break down aromatic oils.)