Why it is poisonous to dogs
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. A dog meets them when it licks spilled oil, chews a bottle, has oil put on its coat or spends a long time in a room with a diffuser running.
The oils are quickly absorbed through the skin and the lining of the mouth. They can irritate the mouth and stomach, and some, such as tea tree oil, act on the nervous system: the dog can stagger, tremble and become dull. Droplets sprayed by a diffuser can irritate the airways. Do not put essential oils on your dog, not even against fleas or ticks.
If your dog licked oil or chewed a bottle and drools, vomits, staggers, trembles or struggles to breathe, contact a vet. If a cat lives in the home too, be aware that essential oils are far more dangerous to it.
What to watch out for
- Drooling and vomiting can follow.
- The dog can stagger, tremble and become dull.
- Diffuser droplets in the air can cause coughing and laboured breathing.
- Oil on the coat can irritate the skin, and the dog licks it off.
- Essential oils are even more dangerous to cats, so take particular care in a home with a cat.
The forms it comes in
The same substance can turn up in different places.
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Undiluted oil
DangerousUndiluted oil that is spilled, chewed or put on the coat can cause severe poisoning, so in that case contact a vet straight away.
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Diffuser
Not safeIf you use one, your dog must be able to leave for another room.
What it can cause
Signs that can appear after eating it. Each page explains what to look out for and when to hurry to a vet.