AROMATHERAPY
Animals, especially dogs and cats have a much keener sense of smell than we do.
Dogs have millions more scent receptors in their nostrils. For this reason scents only need to be used at low levels to achieve the same result as in humans.
Scents & Fragrances:
Many products that claim to contain aromatherapy scents merely contain fragrances, which are synthetic versions of essential oils. These fragrances have no therapeutic value and are often in levels much too high. These scents are often purely to appeal to humans. They can cause allergic reaction, manifesting as skin redness, swelling, itching or flaking.
Cautions:
Contrary to popular belief aromatherapy isn’t just about nice smells but instead can also have an effect on the body physically. Lemon, when diluted has a strong antifungal and antibacterial action on the skin. However essential oils should never be applied neat on the skin as they can cause burning and allergic reaction.
Unlike flower essences some essential oils should only be used with caution. Oils that are effective in humans can sometimes be too strong for animals. Pennyroyal an essential oil used commonly in natural flea shampoos has very good parasitic action; However Pennyroyal can be poisonous to cats and dogs causing toxicity to the kidney, liver and nervous system. As such it is best avoided in use with animals.
Cats & Essential Oils :
Cat’s lack the liver enzymes dogs and other animals have to efficiently metabolize or breakdown essential oils. This means cats can’t break down and eliminate compounds in the essential oils. Therefore using essential oils on cats should be done with caution as they can cause toxicity and liver damage.
Floral Waters:
Floral waters are the water remains of steam distillation, the common process used to render essential oils. They contain the healing properties of the plant, flower or leaves but don’t contain the high levels of terpenes which cause the damage in cats. For this reason we have developed a unique feline range of products using floral waters rather than essential oils, bringing the same healing and soothing benefit without the high risk of toxicity.
When used properly in correct doses essential oils are a wonderful addition to complementary therapies. They can be used in combination with other therapies such as flower essences and herbal medicine to bring the body back to centre and stimulate self-healing.
My products only contain 100% essential oil blends & floral waters in very low quantities. These combinations are to assist the body’s own defenses. Most of our products have scents that are very faint to us, but our cats’ dogs and horses can still detect them. Our products are in blends suited to individual species of animals at varied concentrations to maximize the soothing benefits of essential oils and floral waters.