Pets and essential oils, part one.

Every week we get three or four questions asking us what essential oils to use when treating pets. All are excellent questions so over the next few weeks we will have a series of blogs with information, recipe's, other people's experiences and places to go for more information. At different times we will feature books, blogs and experiences. If you have any experiences, books or blogs that you would like to tell us about, please do so! We will happily share them with our RMO family.

Last week we were asked what to do for a dog with itching skin. First thing to determine with the dog is why his or her skin is itching. If it is due to fleas or ticks, then Bug Off would be a good idea.  This oil is helpful in getting rid of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, etc. You can apply it by putting 1 or 2 drops around the collar area. Also along the back of the dog near the base of the spine. One of our RMO family, E.G., told us what she does for her dogs: "I use Lavender to ward of bugs and recently made a few cotton collars and put a few drops of Bug Off on them and it is working wonderfully and I don't have to use that nasty chemical stuff down their backs to ward off fleas and ticks!" 


Other reasons for itchy skin can be a rash or an allergic reaction to something in the dog's environment, or even just really dry skin. So you should take a look at what type of shampoo you are using as well as what kind of triggers could be around the dog.


One customer applied a drop of Lavender on her dog's feet where she was licking and behind her ears where she was scratching. It seemed to give her some relief.


For a treatment, here is a recipe we found in the book Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals by Kristen Leigh Bell

Soothing Skin Essential Oil Blend

1/2 (15 ml) base oil (carrier oil)

2 drops Geranium

6 drops Rosewood

6 drops Lavender

1 drop Roman chamomile

2 drops Carrot Seed

Combine all ingredients, shake and store in a dark glass bottle. Use 2-4 drops of this blend to spot treat small areas of affected skin.

Here are some other recommendations by Kristin Leigh Bell: 

Top 20 Essential Oils for Dogs at a Glance

Carrot Seed                                     Mandarin, Green

Cedarwood Atlas                             Marjoram, Sweet

Chamomile, German                       Myrrh

Chamomile, Roman                         Niaouli

Clary Sage                                       Orange, Sweet

Eucalyptus radiata                           Peppermint

Geranium                                        Revensare Aromatica

Ginger                                             Rose

Helichrysum Italicum                       Thyme ( chemotypes)

Lavender                                         Valerian

Essential Oils to Avoid using with Animals

Anise                                              Pennyroyal 

Birch                                               Red or White Thyme

Bitter Almond                                  Rue

Boldo                                              Santalina

Calamus                                         Sassafras

Camphor                                        Savory

Cassia                                            Tansy

Clove Leaf and Bud                        Terebinth

Crested Lavender                           Thuja

Garlic                                              Wintergreen

Hyssop                                            Wormwood

Juniper (use Juniper Berry only)     Yarrow

Oregano

Here is a link to Ms. Bell's book on Amazon, if you would like to get your own copy of it. This was information we found very interesting and thought we'd like to share it with you.

What kinds of treatments have you used with your pets? What recipes are your favorites? Please feel free to share them with everyone on here. We'd love to see more!

--JC Shannon

(This information is provided for informational purposes only. It is not approved by the FDA nor is it provided in order to diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, illness or injured condition of the body. Rocky Mountain Oils assumes no responsibility for such use. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with a physician or health care provider.)

It's spring! And the ants come marching one by one....

We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather and all the flowers. The hard part, however, is that while there are bulbs waking up and the grass and trees are all waking up, so are other things. Like ants.

Photo courtesy of Heidi Lee

Now, I know the ants are necessary and I know we need them to help aerate and mix up the soil and things like that. However, I really don't like them coming into my house. But they are persistent and keep trying. So here are a few oils I use to discourage them.


The main ones that are great deterrents are Peppermint, Lavender, Citronella, Cinnamon, Basil, Eucalyptus, and Lemongrass. My favorite is to put Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Lavender oils in the areas I know the creepy crawlies are coming in. At Rocky Mountain Oils we also have a synergy named Bug Off made of Peppermint, Lavender, Citronella, Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass and Thyme; many of the ones that are great for repelling the creepy crawlies.  


Just use a few drops of each. Start with five and see how it does. You can put them on a cotton ball and stick it into the corners you know they are coming in or you can wipe them along the thresholds of doorways and places like that. You will need to refresh them every week or so. And they'll make your house smell lovely!


You can use a carrier oil to make them go further but you need to be careful which one you use. Olive oil will attract the ants in spite of the essential oils. Some people will use a mineral oil for a carrier oil on their floors. 


One year I was using a lot of Peppermint and Eucalyptus, with a touch of Lemon, in my front doorway. We had a Fennel plant right next to the front door and it attracted a lot of wasps. I'm talking 20-30 wasps hovering around it all of the time. Never once did one of them come into my house.  Maybe they didn't like the scent of the oils. I'm not sure, but I was very happy they stayed out!


What do you like to use to keep the creepy-crawlies out?


--JC Shannon








(This information is provided for informational purposes only. It is not approved by the FDA nor is it provided in order to diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, illness or injured condition of the body. Rocky Mountain Oils assumes no responsibility for such use. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with a physician or health care provider.)

How do you decide what essential oils to use?

Hello! It’s spring time now and flowers are blooming, the temperature is just right to have the windows open, and the wind is blowing enough to make me want to go fly a kite.  This is a favorite time of year for me. 

This blog is here to address questions people have asked us or to give tips and ways to use oils. Today I was asked why do I love essential oils?  I love them because of how they make me feel.  Isn’t that really why we use them?  They make us feel good, feel cleansed, feel rejuvenated, happy, uplifted, energized, healthy, any number of feelings.  We want to do something good for ourselves.  Something to improve our quality of life.

That’s the criteria you should use when deciding which oil to use and when.  How do they make you feel?  How do you want to feel right now?  Do you have a headache?  Try some Peppermint.  Do you feel tired and worn out?  Try Energize.  Do you feel jangled and on edge?  Try Quiet Moments.  Find what makes you feel centered, strong, and yourself.  Then you will be using essential oils the way they should be used.

As for me, I want to think of spring and all of the new growth it brings so I am going to diffuse Revitalize and watch the neighbor kids fly their kites.  


--JC Shannon