Carrier Oils for your Dogs

Carrier Oils for Your Dogs

"Essential oils must always be diluted."

Essential oils, though useful in the therapeutic treatment of health, wellness, and behavioral issues in dogs – can NEVER be used at full strength. Due to the sensitive nature of a dog’s sense of smell and certain physiological differences, essential oils must always be diluted regardless of application method. Carrier oils are extremely important for this reason. The dilution ratio for dogs does not need to be any higher than 1%. A rough guideline would be to add no more than 3 drops of our pure essential oil blends to a 1 oz. (shot) glass of your choice of carrier oil. Carrier oils vary in price and availability but more importantly they have their own therapeutic properties. Choosing the right carrier oil is important.

Macadamia Nut Oil has been associated with a non-fatal syndrome, characterized by vomiting, ataxia or weakness, fever, muscle tremors and depression. Dogs are the only species in which signs have been reported. The mechanism of toxicity is not known, meaning we are not 100% sure why dogs are affected.

Carrier Oil	Notes	Topically	Internally	Inhalation	Availability	Properties
Olive Oil	Extra Virgin / Cold Pressed		Up to a Tbsp. per day depending on size of dog, good for coat	Recommended	Easily Available	Vitamin E, oleic acid
Coconut Oil		Helps with dandruff and odor	Up to tsp per day, supports thyroid function	Recommended	Most Health Food Stores
Sunflower Oil	Unrefined organic	Nourishing to the skin, improves scar tissue	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Recommended	Easily Available	Potassium, vitamin b and e, omega 6 fatty acids
Apricot Kernel		Rehydrates, soothes minor skin irritations	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Has calming Properties	Available Online	Oleic acid
Sweet Almond		Skin nourish , hydrates	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Grounding Properties	Most Health Food Stores	Minerals, oleic acid
Grape seed	processed	Easy for skin to absorb	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Recommended	Easily Available	Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Kukui Nut	Expensive, blend with other carriers	Restorative, hydrates, nourishes dry skin	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Aids in Mental Regeneration	Available Online
Aloe Vera	Use a least 90% pure	Cools on contact, soothing burns	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Not Recommended	Easily Available
Borage Seed Oil	Mix with other carriers	Encourages renewal of skin cells	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Beneficial for depression	Available Online	Fatty acids
Camellia Oil	expensive	Immediate absorption, strengthens nails, penetrates coat	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Not recommended	Available Online
Evening Primrose Oil	expensive	helpful with skin issues, strengthens skin cells	Anti-inflammatory, safe for diabetic dogs, Consult Veterinarian before use	Not Recommended	Most Health Food Stores	Fatty acids
Jojoba	Wax, solidifies in cool temperature	Easily absorbed, strengthens sensitive skin, and cleanses dirt and excess oils in coat.	Not recommended	Not Recommended	Available Online
Avocado Oil	Combine with other carriers for topical	Good for nails, slow to absorb, not recommended	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Not recommended	Most Health Food Stores	Vitamins a and d, linoleic acid
Vegetable Glycerin	Colourless Odorless	Recommended	Not Recommended without veterinary supervision	Highly Recommended	Most Health Food Stores