(Note: EO = Essential oils).

Very large animals, such as a horse, do not really require more EO than a human.  Small animals require much less.

Use this rule of thumb (regardless of species):

1-2 drops for every 100 pounds.

Under 100 pounds, dilute the essential oil in carrier oil, then use one drop of that.

How do you use less than a drop?  Say you have a 5 lb pet, add 1 drop of EO to 20 drops of carrier oil—then apply one drop of that mix to the animal in question.

You know you’ve given them too much if they flop over and become very, very quiet, or become extremely hyper and no wall will contain them.

EO have a very psychological factor as well.  They can help the city pet who doesn’t have the opportunity to roam.  The EO give them the opportunity to smell the out-doors.

Dogs know what’s good for them; they have a good instinct for EO.

Remember, a dog’s sense of smell is much, much stronger than yours.  When you open the bottle of EO they will smell it immediately.  Don’t approach them with the open bottle, dilute it away from them, or apply to yourself away from them.  If they like the scent and want to be closer, they have that option, but don’t force it on them full strength.

Now we’ve set up the groundwork.  Allergies/itching/hot spots—generally Lavender will take care of it.  You can add a drop of Lavender to shampoo and wash your dog.  Especially if you’re dealing with allergies, use a good shampoo.  We don’t have one right now,  (hoping to soon) I would recommend Castille natural soap, you’ll only need a touch of that or you may want to try Burt’s Bees brand. 

Be advised that symptoms such as you are describing, regardless of if you’re dealing with human or animal, indicates a toxic liver.  You can actually do a liver cleanse with a dog, just add one drop of lemon and one drop of peppermint to their water bowl.  Only do it once a day and change the water every day.  You’re dealing with a Shihtzu, if memory serves that’s a very small dog, so I’m going to address the problem as I would for one of my cats.  I use 2-3 drops of Castille when one gets into something and needs to be bathed.  Keep in mind dogs (and cats) will dry themselves with their tongues, ingesting whatever shampoo/soap you apply to them.  Really make sure you get one that is organic.  You can also apply the lavender directly to the hot spots if she needs application/relief more than once a day.  Do it this way, add one drop of Lavender to a one-ounce spritzer bottle, fill with (preferably distilled) water.  Shake before spritzing the area (the oil will settle to the top otherwise).  Make sure you avoid the eye area.  You will find the animal will actually come and ask for the oil.  My dogs know exactly what an oil bottle looks like and smells like and they want it when they need it. 

Now, to address the root of the problem you need to look at the dog’s diet and environment.  What do you clean with?  Do you realize that an animals paws rapidly absorb anything they walk through?  If you are mopping the floor with any kind of regular cleaner those toxins are being absorbed by your little one.  I used to use a Swiffer, then I read about what’s in it and realized my cat was absorbing that through her paws!  I now mop the floor with a very mild, organic dishsoap in a bucket of water with some orange essential oil added.  My floor’s just as clean as it was and my cat’s healthier.  Look at her diet, what kind of food are you feeding her?  I don’ the time to make my animals’ food from scratch, but they do get about half of their food in the form of a good quality dry food (that I always muscle-test) and the rest is “people” food.  For example, my cat eats the fresh fish that we catch, my dogs get some leftovers of what we eat.  We, however, don’t eat preservatives or prepared foods, so everything they’re getting from us is homemade and healthy.  I can recommend the Eagle brand of dog food without worry, I’ve used it for years for my cats (can’t afford it for my dogs, I have three hunting dogs, they go through the food!).

I regularly add 1 drop of what is now called Masaji to my cat’s food, this will help keep them healthy and it helps with good bacteria in the stomach.  It actually saved one cat’s life when she got into a health crisis.  The dogs, I pretend they get 3 drops each per day, but they don’t always share properly LOL.  I’ve had several people find that their animal gets over whatever problem they’re experiencing with just the addition of the Masaji.

As always, make sure any oils you use, especially on a small animal, are of the highest quality, no fillers, no extenders, no synthetics or you can create a much larger problem.  Let me know if you have any questions and how it goes!

TTFN
Penny
******
Teaching you about the very best in essential oils and how to create better health for yourself and your family. http://www.TracesEtc.com

--- On Tue, 7/28/09, bellydancinbikerbabe <birdzilla02@...> wrote:

From: bellydancinbikerbabe <birdzilla02@...>
Subject: [TracesEssentialOils] Pet allergies
To: TracesEssentialOils@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 9:34 PM

 

/28/2009 9:24:07 PM
To: No Reply
Subject: Re: [TracesEssentialOil s] Digest Number 272[1 Attachment]

Hello, my name is Lauri and I have a 6 year old Shihtzu that suffers from seasonal allergies. We have tried numerous things and the only thing that has proven effective is unfortunately steroids from the vet. I am wondering what oil, combinations of oils would help to combat her "itchy" problem. The "hot spots" seem to jump from her sides to feet to haunches or under her "armpits", she is miserable~ any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!! Lauri