WARNING: Oil Diffusers Could Posion Your Dogs

Essential oils have grown increasingly popular in recent years. They are well-known relaxant to people who like to keep their jome smelling nice day in and day out. These oils are also prominent among many massage places because of the same reason - good smell relaxes the human mind and body. However, despite the good effects on humans, you may not know that these oils could be causing the opposite to your fur babies. In fact, recent reports claimed serious harm caused to cats and dogs by these very oils.

The warning was made following a woman had gone viral for sharing a stark warning to pet owners who use oil diffusers in their home.

Strange behavior

Marianne Whyte, a dog parent from New Zealand, shared her story on Facebook about what happened to her dog who began acting strangely and became unresponsive even when the canine's name.

Startled, she soon realized that the dog's strange behavior was down to the new diffuser she had been operating and immediately turned it off. The dog seemed to get better afterward.

Whyte also took the dog to the veterinarian and confirmed that the tea tree oil she was using was toxic to dogs, and quickly inserted fluids under his skin to get the toxins out.

To her surprise, her post quickly racked up to more than 10,000 comments and over 90,000 shares from surprised pet lovers.

But Marianne isn't the only pet owner to have seen the effects essential oils can have on cats and dogs.

Another pet owner who goes by the Twitter handle @shaelynspacyyy has also posted a warning about the adverse effects of using tea tree essential oils to pets. She shared that her pets, both cats and dogs, were all affected by the toxic oils as confirmed by the veterinarian.

Risk to pets

Essential oils bring several benefits to humans - from making our house smell nice, treating our skin, even to sleep. However, the oils could bring more harm than good for our furry friends.

Veterinarian Zoe Costigan told Metro.co.uk that humans need to be careful when it comes to having essential oils in our homes, as many these could be possibly toxic to the pets.

"Essential oils - [including those being] used in room diffusers - are found in different products such as shampoos, air fresheners, insect repellents and [might] be accidentally ingested, absorbed across the skin or inhaled by animals," Costigan added.

Is your pet reacting essential oils?

The symptoms of essential oil poisoning can vary, but generally, it includes vomiting, shaking, hair loss, seizures, or difficulty breathing. Poisoning signs vary on the type of oil, amount of concentration, and how the pet has been exposed to it.

Your cat or dog may also have a patch of red skin or a chemical burn they had skin contact with essential oil. Contact your veterinarian right away if you think your furry friend might have had contact with the oils. It is always best to be safe even if your pet is not showing any symptoms.

Protecting your pet

Choose a passive diffuser if you want to continue using your essential oils while keeping all your pets safe. Passive diffusers don't use any stimulus and are less intense unlike active diffusers that use vibrations and electricity to diffuse the oils.

You should also avoid using undiluted essential oils to clean with. Always store all your essential oils away from your pets and always wash your hands thoroughly after touching the oils and before touching your dogs and cats.