The right to choose.

Animals have an innate ability to self-medicate, if left to their own devices they pick and choose the herbs they need to maintain health. I have watched dogs go through my collection of 60 essential oils, sniffing the closed bottles, and choose exactly the oil it needs from among them so acute is this ability. In Essential Oil Therapy we make use of this instinct and allow the animals to guide us in their healing.

The same thing applies to every living thing, from humans to hens, we all know what is good for us and how much healing we can take on at any one time without provoking a crisis, we must respect this.

Safety first:

1. NEVER APPLY ESSENTIALOILS WITHOUT CLEAR PERMISSION FROM THE ANIMAL! Allow them to smell EACH oil before EACH application. To apply oils without offering them first is at best annoying (imagine being smothered in a perfume you hated with no way to wash it off) and at worst dangerous as it is much more likely to provoke an adverse reaction.

2. Dilute essential oils well in good quality base oil (e.g. Sunflower oil) before use. 3 drops to 5 mls is the highest recommended dilution.

3. If you allow your animal to guide you in the application the likelihood of having an adverse reaction is extremely low but in the unlikely event of your animal showing a reaction such as skin rashes, hives, or shortness of breath discontinue use immediately and contact a professional therapist for advice.

4. Cats are highly sensitive to essential oils as their liver has a very limited ability to metabolize them. It is always better to have professional guidance when using essential oils with cats.

5. Never leave essential oils bottles within reach of animals, horses have been known to eat them!

6. Know about the oil you are offering as some oils have side-effects (such as bergamot which is photo-toxic and can burn skin badly if exposed to sunlight within twelve hours of application).

7. Essential oils are potent chemicals albeit natural and should be treated with respect. Always check with your vet and a qualified Essential Oil for Animals Therapist before applying. Remember, 'Natural' doesn't mean non-toxic and safe use requires knowledge.

8. DO NOT USE THE OILS FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE even if your animal still shows interest.

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How to use Aromatherapy with Horses:

Assess the reaction to each oil before each application!

Dilute each essential oil you have chosen individually by adding 2-3 drops to 5 mls of base oil. Do not offer more than five oils at any one time to a horse

Choose a quiet time when you and your horse can concentrate on the oils (not before being fed or directly after feeding) Hold the open bottle firmly in your hand about eight inches away from your horse's nostrils, giving him space to come towards the oil if he chooses. Then patiently observe the reaction and act accordingly. It is best to have your horse loose in its stable if possible so it is free to come closer to or move away from the oils and take your horse's personality into account when judging its reaction. Horses will want the oils for an average of 5 days (but it could be anywhere from 1 to 14 days). Once they go off the oils the treatment is finished and you should see a significant change.

Signs of a keen interest: smelling oils intently for a long time, the lip curls (flehmen) , follows the aroma around, tries to nibble the bottle. Offer oils twice a day.

Signs of a moderate interest: A few sniffs, looks away then returns to the bottle, ears forward, slightly flared nostrils, easily distracted. Offer oils once a day.

No interest: Turns away from the aroma, ears back, walks away. do not apply oils

Applications:

Essential oils start to evaporate as soon as the bottle is opened, their molecules streaming up into your animal's olfactory system and into its brain and blood stream, therefore topical application is rarely necessary. (See Òtopical applicationÓ).

Your horse might just smell the oils, possibly going into a trance-like state. In this case just hold the bottle there until your horse moves away from the bottle. If you are unsure if the horse is still smelling it move the bottle from side to side to see if there is a reaction.

If the horse wants to lick the bottle or behaves very orally, dab a small amount of oil on your hand and allow him to lick it off. Repeat this two or three times.

Your horse may indicate that it wants the oil dabbed onto a particular spot by pointing with its head, stamping a foot, moving into you with its body. In this case just rub a little oil into the appropriate area.

Offer all of the oils for three days even if there is no reaction to one of them. If there is no reaction to an oil after three days you can stop offering that one.

Your horse's reaction to each oil will change from time to time or over a period of days, this is normal. You should expect a keen reaction to at least one of the oils at first. This reaction will diminish day by day until there is no further interest.

Once the horse has shown no interest in an oil for three days do not offer it for two days and then try again. If there is still no interest do not offer again as there is no longer a need for this oil.

If your horse shows no interest at all to the oils when you first offer them change the order in which you are offering them.

Observe their nostrils carefully as they may be taking in small amounts at a time that you haven't noticed. The oils are highly volatile and just being near the open bottle molecules of oil are entering their blood stream.

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How to use Aromatherapy with dogs:

Dogs have 200 million scent receptors in their nasal folds, we have 50 million. Never offer undiluted oils to dogs!

Dilute each essential oil you have chosen individually by adding 1-2 drops to 5 mls of base oil. Do not offer more than three oils at any one time to a dog.

Choose a quiet time when you and your dog can concentrate on the oils (not before being fed or directly after feeding) Take each bottle one at a time and hold the open oil bottle firmly in your hand leaving only the top exposed so the animal cannot take it from your hand. Hold the bottle about 3 feet away from your dog's nostrils, moving it slowly towards him until you can see his nose twitching or some other sign that they are in a comfortable range to smell the oils. Some animals will want to come towards the bottle, possibly even lick it, others will want to stay at a safe distance and simply smell it. The oil in the bottle is evaporating as it is open so the animal is actually absorbing the affects even if it is a little distance from the bottle. If you move the bottle backwards and forwards you will notice if the animal is following the smell or not. When the animal has had enough of the oil it will move away from you or display in its own unique way that it has had enough!

If the dog rolls over rub a tiny amount of the oil on its tummy avoiding genital areas. If the dog tries to eat the bottle then put your open hand firmly on the bottle top, tip the bottle up so a little oil is on the palm of your hand and allow the animal to lick it off your hand. You can repeat this procedure up to three times in a session.

It is important to assess the response to each oil before applying them, never apply them if the animal shows no interest!

Signs of a keen interest: smelling intently for a long time, licking the lips or trying to lick the bottle, follows you around with the aroma, rolls on its back. (offer twice a day)

Signs of a moderate interest: A few sniffs then looks away, a small sniff but returns to the bottle, tongue licks quickly, easily distracted from the aromas, (offer once a day)

No interest: turns away from the aroma, one sniff and no further interest, tries to leave the room. ( Do not apply)

If the animal shows no interest in the oil offer the oils again the next day, if there is still no interest skip a day, if there is still no interest leave it for three days and then try again. If at this stage there is still no interest the animal no longer needs that oil.

Usually an animal will want to use the oils for between 3 - 10 days however sometimes one application will be enough or occasionally an animal will want them for longer, DO NOT USE THE OILS FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. By the time an animal refuses the oils you will see a noticeable improvement in its condition.

The success of this method relies on allowing the animal to guide its own healing it will indicate to you how often and in which way it would like the oils to be used.

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Using Aromatherapy with Cats.

Do not apply the oils topically or force oils on a cat as their ability to metabolise them is limited and overuse or long-term use can cause liver failure. Often Hydrosols are a better option for cats as they are gentler. (SEE SAFETY TIPS)

How to offer the oils and assess the reaction

Take each essential oil that you have chosen and dilute it 1 drop to 10 mls of base oil. Never offer more than 3 oils at a time. To offer the oils, open the bottle and hold it in your hand at least 12 inches away from your cats nose. Be patient and allow the cat to come towards the bottle if it wants to, rather than you going towards the cat.

Signs of a keen interest: smelling intently for a long time, licking the lips or trying to lick the bottle, follows you around with the aroma, rolls on its back, rubs against you - Offer once or twice a day.

Signs of a moderate interest: A few sniffs then looks away, a small sniff but returns to the bottle, tongue licks quickly, easily distracted from the aromas - Offer once a day.

No interest: turns away from the aroma, one sniff and no further interest, tries to leave the room - Do not apply.

Cats are very sensitive to the oils and just a few sniffs is all that will be needed to trigger the healing process.

If the cat shows signs of wanting to lick the oil allow it to lick from your fingers if it will or put a few drops on a saucer and leave it on the floor near its usual eating place.

Even if the cat shows little or no interest offer the oil for three days in a row and try varying the order in which the oils are offered (in the case of having more than one oil.) If after three days there is still no response or the cat is showing a distinct dislike to the oils (e.g. disappearing when it sees you get out the bottles!) call me for a consultation.

To use hydrosols add ten drops to 50mls of filtered/spring water and put some in a saucer for the cat to self medicate. Change the water at least twice a day and make sure that the cat has access to pure water as well.

Topical application:

Topical application is never recommended for cats. However there are occasions where topical application is indicated for other animals (e.g. for injuries or skin problems). You still offer the oils individually for the animal to choose then blend the chosen oils in a water based gel (such as aloe vera) no more than 10 drops of essential oil blend to 25 mls of base. Let the gel down to a suitable consistency using water or hydrosol and apply to affected area. The animal will quite clearly indicate when the gel is no longer needed by fidgeting or moving away from you on application.