Over the years we have been asked many times by many folks: “What does pet-friendly essential oils mean?” So we wanted to go a little more in depth than our FAQ page with this blog post.

PawsiVibes was born out of a concern we had during the early days of the essential oils craze. More and more as people discovered the benefits of essential oils in humans, they were also asking “Can my kitty or puppy get the same benefits I do?” The answer is a little complicated, but in general it should be a resounding NO.

If you never buy PawsiVibes products or read anything else on our website (though we hope you do both, because we like you and your pets), please read and repeat after me: human grade essential oils are not safe for pets. Full stop.

You see, dogs and cats have very sensitive respiratory systems and senses of smell. Their digestive systems are also sensitive and very different than ours. 

Pet-friendly and/or pet-safe means exactly that: you can give it your pets and it will have no harmful effects if used as directed. In fact, it will have beneficial effects — that’s why we made it!

Now, you may be asking: “Why are essential oils bad for pets?” Again, it’s complicated, but here is a simple way to think about it.

Dogs and cats can accidentally eat a tiny bit of a tulip, and most likely they’ll be fine or have a tummy ache and ruin your rug (I won’t go into details, but you’ve been there). Tulips are toxic to both dogs and cats, but in very small amounts don’t often cause much trouble. But in greater amounts they can cause serious illness and even lead to the death of your pets.

That isn’t so hard to understand, but where do human grade essential oils factor in? There are many ways to extract the essence of a plant, but at the end of the day they all end up in the same place: the pure, concentrated oil derived from that plant. Its potency is many, many times that of the original plant, which means it is many, many times more toxic to animals at small doses. Your cat coming into contact with a single drop of tulip oil (orally or sensitive skin contact) can cause severe health problems or death.

This applies even for human grade oils derived from pet-safe plants. Lavender for example is a flower safe for cats and dogs in its natural form, and PawsiVibes even uses it in our Calm infusion. But let’s think about our pets’ smaller, more delicate systems and senses again. One fresh lavender bulb might be a tasty snack for your 80lb Labrador Retriever, but a few drops of human grade lavender essential oil on his skin or licked off of your hand can cause serious skin rashes, allergic reactions, or digestive issues. The pure essence is just too strong for them.

So, how are PawsiVibes pet-friendly essential oils different? Simple: they’re just not extracted to the level of human grade essential oils. We extract by careful infusion of our organic herbs and flowers into safe, healthy carrier oils chosen to augment their effects. That’s all there is to it — no fancy mumbo-jumbo, no magic additives. Our specialists have decades of collective experience in the industry and formulated our oils only after extensive consultation with veterinarians and experts in the field.

That’s what we mean by ‘Pet-Friendly’. We mean dedication to our pets’ health. We mean rigorous standards and intensive research. We mean sharing the wonderous benefits of essential oils with our pets in a safe, responsible way.

Questions or comments? Send us a shout at info@pawsivibes.com. We’d love to hear from you!

(and please do our office staff a favor and include pictures and stories of your pets)