The reason I love animals so much is that they give off an attitude of happiness, innocence and unconditional love to their people. Our pets are just as happy being a part of our household as we are of having them with us.

But, sometimes we meet and bond with a “crazy” animal!

For instance, the dog that has an irrational fear of rain and won’t for the life of him go outside to potty during a rain shower. Or the cat who hides for hours when a friend comes over. Or, how about the dog with attachment issues that destroys the house while you’re at work? Any of these sound familiar?

My cats, Sammie and Max, love to hang out on our screened-in patio. But whenever the garbage truck comes rolling in, they flee for their lives!

The fears that our animal friends have might sound wacky to us, but these fears are completely justified in your pet’s mind.

Using essential oils on your animals can really take the edge off of their anxiety, big time!

Animals have heightened scenes and because of this, they respond very well to the use of essential oils. In the wild, animals know which plants will heal them. But, in captivity, they don’t have access to healing plant life. Applying essential oils to our animal friends gives them the ability to heal their ailments and make life (in captivity) more tolerable.

The three best essential oils to calm your pets are:

Peace & Calming, Lavender, and Roman Chamomile

These three essential oils (Peace & Calming, Lavender, and Chamomile) can be used to help ease your pet’s distress. You can use them for situations like trips to the vet, trauma, sadness and depression, loss of another animal in the family, abuse, separation issues, hyperactivity and any other situation that could cause stress for your animal.

Please know that less is more when applying essential oils to animals. Animals are very sensitive.

You should also dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil, such as organic olive oil, found in most grocery stores. The dilution ratio for dogs and horses is 1 part essential oil with 1 part carrier oil. For cats the dilution ratio is 1 part essential oil to 10 parts carrier oil.

Use caution with cats! Any of the essential oils listed in this article are safe for dogs and horses, however; cats are a different story! Cats are extremely sensitive to essential oils containing phenols, such as oregano and thyme. Cats can not effectively metabolize phenols because they lack an enzyme in their liver to digest the phenols. Avoid Peace & Calming essential oil blend on your cat, as it does contain phenols. Lavender and Roman Chamomile essential oils ARE safe for cats.

How to use essential oils on pets:

To help calm your dog:

Mix 1 drop of lavender, Roman chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 1 drop of an organic olive oil. Then, rub this mixture into your dog’s pads, ears or through the fur anytime he/she is having anxiety.

To calm your horse:

Mix together 1 drop of lavender, peace & calming or Roman chamomile essential oil with one drop of organic olive oil. Rub this onto your horse’s cornet bands, tips of the ears or on their muzzle. Apply at any time that your horse is in distress.

To help calm your cat:

Mix 1 drop of lavender, Roman chamomile or Peace & Calming essential oil with 10 drops of an organic olive oil. Then, rub this mixture into your cat’s pads, ears or on their fur anytime he/she is having anxiety.

By the way, the essential oils in this article are also good for easing your anxieties, too! Dilution is not required on humans. Just apply a drop or two on your wrists, shoulders or behind your ears.

Try sharing some lavender essential oil with your pets the next time you open up a bottle. They’ll thank you for it!

Please always consult a veterinarian before using essential oils on your pet, as some oils can be toxic or irritating.