There are numerous natural therapies that our pets can benefit from in order to restore their he alth in a gentler and more respectful way with their body, fortunately, more and more owners are opting for these less aggressive and equally effective methods.
On other occasions we have talked about therapy with medicinal plants, homeopathy or reiki, but the truth is that both dogs and cats can benefit from other equally recommended practices. Do you want to know what they are? In this AnimalWised article we talk about aromatherapy for dogs and cats.
What is aromatherapy?
The term aromatherapy means "therapy with aromas", and although it is a gentle therapy, the truth is that its mechanisms of action are perfectly defined: we can know what effects it causes and why it causes them. This therapy is considered a branch of phytotherapy (therapy with medicinal plants) and consists of the application (generally topical) of one or more essential oils.
An essential oil is a highly concentrated vegetable product that is extracted from an aromatic plant, also concentrating its medicinal properties, for Therefore, very little essential oil is required to achieve a good therapeutic effect.
The therapeutic effect of an essential oil can be mental or physical, although generally there is an improvement in the entire body, this happens both in people and animals.
How does aromatherapy work?
Generally It is not recommended that an essential oil be taken orally, since it has a very narrow therapeutic margin, on the contrary, the most commonly used route of application is topical. In this way, the essential oil can act on the body of our pets through two mechanisms of action:
- Transdermal route: The essential oil penetrates through the skin and thus reaches the bloodstream, from there it is distributed to all body tissues and acts on those with which it has an affinity (for example, chamomile essential oil would act on the digestive tissue causing an antispasmodic effect).
- Olfactive route: Although the essential oil is applied topically, the strong odor that characterizes it carries its components to the system central nervous system, then it is when the active principles can act at a neurological level favoring a state of mental serenity.
As you can see, thanks to aromatherapy we can act fully on the organism of our pet, in addition, in a pleasant and simple that will hardly stress the animal.
How to apply aromatherapy to dogs and cats?
Essential oils always must be diluted for application, as they are so concentrated that they could otherwise be irritating. They are generally diluted in other vegetable oils that act as vehicles (rosehip oil, sweet almond oil or wheat germ oil, for example).
The most important thing to keep in mind is that our pets' sense of smell is much more developed than ours, therefore, the same proportions should not be used, but the essential oil should be diluted much more.
What type of proportion should be used then? This question must be answered based on each animal as well as the symptoms it presents, therefore, before applying aromatherapy it is important that you have the advice of a holistic veterinarian
