Emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, fear and love play a crucial role in human being's life. These feelings are also an integral part of an animal's world. Aromatherapy also provides immediate, profound and long lasting results on animals overall health and well being.

Leaving animals along for a long period of time, lack of attention, unhealthy food, abandonment, etc are some of the common causes of stress in animals. These could lead to health problems like fatigue, excessive itching, shedding, panting and even aggression. Aromatherapy can be used to treat hot spots, itchy skin, ear infections, rashes, bites, cuts, scrapes, incisions from surgeries, stinky breath, flatulence and the list goes on

Dogs are man's faithful friends for life. Bringing affection, joy and loyalty into our lives, they are more emotionally dependent on their owners. They are in tune with our moods and show more difficulty in coping with emotional stress and loneliness. Hence they require more attention then any other animals.

If your dog is suffering from yeast or ear infection use either of these oils to treat it. Put these oils in a spray bottle with a base oil and swab the inside of the ear after cleansing.

- Lavender - soothes the skin and relieves itching
- Tea Tree - powerful antibacterial and antifungal
- Bergamot - antifungal properties
- Roman Chamomile - soothing and gentle, aids in healing tissue.

To repel fleas, use peppermint, citronella, lemon and clary sage essential oils. Ticks are repelled by essential oils such as Geranium, Bay, Lavender and Myrrh. 15-20 drops of these oils diluted with base oil and sprayed on your dog daily will keep the ticks and fleas away.

Mix 6 drops of lavender, 1 drop of Neroli and 4 drops of Marjoram essential oils with carrier oil such as jojoba or sweet almond oil. Apply on the spine and head lightly. Repeat when necessary. This blend will relieve emotional stress.

To relieve Anxiety & Loneliness - Blend 1 drop of Rose otto, 5 drops of cypress and marjoram essential oils with carrier oil. Apply on the spine and head light, repeating whenever necessary.

6 drops of lavender, 2 drops of roman chamomile and 4 drops of petitgrain essential oils mixed with carrier oil and applied to spine and head lightly reduce nervousness & hyperactivity.

Keep in mind dog's sensitive sense of smell into account when using essential oils. A dog that is besieged by the smells of blends may pace, whine, or rub her / her head on the ground. Introduce your dog to essential oils slowly and in small amounts.

This article was posted on March 01, 2006