If you are an animal lover, you know that they have hearts and souls that connect with ours so deeply that they become our family. And we want to give them the best – a wonderful life with love and connection and health! And essential oils are a key component of that. Check out these great tips, tricks, and guidelines for using oils on and around dogs!

OILS & DOGS AT A GLANCE

• Use the Animal Scents line for perfect oils and products for your dog
• Start slowly by placing a drop of oil on your hands and allowing your pet to sniff.
• Diffuse on intermittently to let your dog get used to the smell.
• Remember dogs have heightened smell, so a little goes a long way.
• Diluting is never a bad choice!
• Supplements like NingXia Red, Sulfurzyme (great for larger breeds prone to inflammation!), and MightyZyme are wonderful for dogs

Whether you are using oils for preventing or treating those pesky pests (hello Purification, Tea Tree, and Citronella), soothing cuts and scrapes and bites (Animal Scents trio!), adding essential nutrients to your pet's diet through supplements (NingXia Red, KidScents Mightyzyme, Sulfurzyme!), there are so many ways you can give your pets the best with the Young Living products you love!

Using oils on and around your dogs is absolutely ok when done correctly. In fact, Young Living has an entire animal care line that is perfect for our four legged, furry pals!

• Animal Scents ParaGize Oil Blend: a settling, cleansing blend of Ginger, Anise, and Peppermint essential oils great for any digestive needs. This relaxing, soothing blend can be applied to your pet's abdomen or diffused to support your pet with its comforting properties.
• Animal Scents T-Away Oil Blend: So many of our pets experience emotional trauma that can often leave them with debilitating needs. Animal Scents T-Away is our go-to for everything from storm anxiety to more complex emotional issues with our pets. Apply according to animal size, but in general apply 1 drop behind each ear to calm your pet.

THE THREE-STEP SYSTEM FOR SKINCARE: 1. Animal Scents PuriClean Oil Blend: This is the first step in Young Living's three-part system to support pet recovery from minor scrapes and scratches. This prediluted blend refreshes and cleanses your pet's skin and prepares it for healing by moisturizing as well. PuriClean combines the skin-improvement properties of Patchouli, Mountain Savory, and other essential oils so that you can help your pet feel its best. 1. Animal Scents Infect-Away Oil Blend: This is step two of Young Living's three-part system to support your pet's skin healing. This prediluted blend includes Ocotea, Patchouli, Myrrh and other cleansing oils that help guard against harmful contaminants while supporting your pet's irritated coat or skin. Carefully apply according to the size and species of the animal. Additional dilution is recommended for smaller species. You can also put 8−10 drops in a 1-ounce spray bottle with distilled water for a quick skin-cleansing spritz. Best when used as part of a three-part system: PuriClean, followed by Infect Away, then Mendwell oil blend. 1. Animal Scents MendWell Oil Blend: This is step three of helping your pet heal and recover from minor scrapes and scratches. This prediluted blend supports your pet's natural healing process by soothing and moisturizing dry, sensitive, and distressed skin. Plus the aroma of Lavender, Frankincense, Geranium, and more creates an uplifting environment and promotes feelings of health and wellness for your pet.

COMMON FAVORITES FOR PETS

• Fleas, ticks, and pests: Citronella, Tea tree, Citronella, Animal Scents Ointment
• Aches, pains, and inflammation: SulfurZyme, NingXia Red, Helichrysum, Copaiba
• Emotions and trauma: Frankincense, Peace & Calming, Stress Away, Lavender

QUICK TIPS FOR APPLYING OILS

• Apply one drop of your chosen oil to your hands and rub them together. Hold your pet or allow them to sit close to you and get used to them. Do not try to force them to smell your hands or hold them. Let the animal approach you, and if they show interest in the area that has the oils let them sniff/approach at their own pace.
• Diffuse your oils on the intermittent setting. Always ensure the animals aren't initially locked in a room and can come and go freely. Your pets should be able to leave the room at any time if they choose. Don't start the diffuser right over where they sleep initially, but only after they are comfortable with diffusing. If the animals pace or look at the diffuser often, they could be uncomfortable with the scent so just allow them to leave the area or add more water to the diffuser to dilute the scent further.
• Try the ‘Petting Method'. Simply apply an oil to your hands and gently “pet” your animal. The animal's hair will actually carry oils down the hair follicle into the skin. Only apply oils to a small part of the animal's coat or body initially.The oils will get where they need to go!
• Always start with 1 drop of essential oil, and apply more often versus using more drops.
• In general, avoid the eye area, unless this area is one of need. According to Dr. Melissa Shelton, DVM, in this case you can use a very diluted ‘eye spritzer' (ex: up to 4 drops of Lavender in 120mL water) to mist around the eyes.

TIPS FOR DILUTING OILS FOR YOUR DOG

• When using an oil for the first time or for pets under 20lbs it's best to dilute with a 1:4 ratio or more. That's one drop of essential oil to 4 drops of carrier oil (like V-6 or coconut oil). Apply oil(s) mid-spine to the tail and down the rear legs. Once animals are familiar with oils, they can be applied to the neck, head, outer ears, front legs, and so forth.
• In general, for animals over 20lbs use a 1:1 dilution ratio.
• Always dilute “hot” oils like Oregano, Peppermint, Thieves, etc. You can always add more oil, so dilute more and apply more frequently versus diluting less.
• Use great caution with oils and blends containing cinnamon or clove for dogs (like Thieves). These plants are toxic to them and while the distilled oil is different, it is better to be safe with using these particular oils.

DOGS & SUPPLEMENTS Our animals need the nutritional support of good quality supplements, just like we do! And the same way that we start supplementing to maintain good health before a need arises, we want to do this for our animal friends.

Enter NingXia Red, Mineral Essence, and SulfurZyme. These three really wonderful supplements form a baseline for your furry friends to help keep them healthy and active. Another really great thing to give your pest is digestive enzymes!

• For dogs: approximately 1 capsule or more of Allerzyme per meal for every 20lb (9kg) of body weight; ½ of each Essentialzymes-4 capsule per meal for every 50lb (23kg) of body weight.
• Adding a round of Life 9 after antibiotics, oral use of antimicrobial oils, severe diarrhea, or an infection is a wonderful way to support a healthy microbiome for your pets! For dogs, ¼ to ½ capsule for every 20lb (9kg) per day is good for general maintenance. In some cases, you can give a dose every 1-3 days, and for very large doges, you can use up to 1 capsule.
• MultiGreens is a wonderful supplement to include for immune support, viral infections, and neurologic support (especially in the presence of conditions such as feline leukemia). For dogs, 1 capsule for every 10 lb daily; up to 1-2 per day
• NingXia Red is amazing for SO many things. For dogs, ¼ oz for up to 20 lb, ½ oz for 20-50 lb, ¾ oz for 50-100 lb, and 1 oz for over 100 lb – no dilution required (only if preferred!).

Supplement Guidelines for Dogs From the Essential Oils Animal Desk Reference by Life Science Publishing

• Allerzyme
  • 1 cap per 10 lb (12 daily max)
• Digest & Cleanse
  • 1 cap per 10 lb (6 daily max)
• Essentialzymes-4
  • 1 of each cap once daily per 50 lbs
• Inner Defense
  • 1 softgel 1 or more times daily
• Life 9
  • 1 cap 1 or more times daily
• Longevity Softgels
  • 1 per 10 lb (4 daily max)
• MindWise
  • 1 oz once daily up to 50 lb
• Mineral Essence
  • 1 dropper per 10 lb (6 droppers daily max)
• MultiGreens
  • 1 capsule per 10 lb (4 daily max)
• NingXia Red
  • 1-2 oz twice daily (depending on needs, severity)
• ParaFree
  • 1 cap per 10 lb (6 daily max)
• Rehemogen
  • 1 dropper 4 times daily up to 50 lb
• SulfurZyme
  • 1 capsule (or ½ tsp powder) per 10 lb twice daily
• Super B
  • 1 tablet once daily per 50 lb