Over the last few years, this topic has become increasingly popular, however do you know which ingredients to look out for?
Candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, and essential oils are all common things to have floating around the home. Therefore, it's important to know what is safe and what isn't, to keep your pups safe and healthy.
When it comes to smell, depending on the breed, a dog’s sense of smell is around 10,000 - 100,000 times better than ours, possessing up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to us at about six million!
Here's a list of ingredients that have been marked as harmful to pets by the ASPCA. These can be toxic when coming into contact with the skin or ingested so you'll want to steer clear. These include, but are not limited to:
Amber
Anise
Cinnamon
Eucalyptus
Geranium
Grapefruit
Juniper
Lemon
Lime
Marjoram
Nutmeg
Peppermint
Patchouli
Tea tree
Ylang Ylang
Now, in no way does this mean that you can never have a nice smelling home again! Try to avoid the ingredients listed above, opt for pure blends made from essential oils and lean towards floral fragrances as opposed to citrus. If you're worried about an item containing pure essential oil or a blend of oils, contact your vet.
Common symptoms of pet poisoning include:
- Vomiting
- Excessive drooling
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Weakness
- Muscle tremors
- Redness
- Inflammation
- Burning around the mouth or tongue, pawing at the face or mouth
Advice on what to do if your dog comes into contact with an essential oil:
If an essential oil gets on your dog's fur/skin, wash it off as quickly as possible. If ingested, take your dog to vet immediately. If you haven’t witness your dog ingest or come into contact with any oils, but you assume it's likely or they’re acting different, it's always best to call your vet just in case.