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One of the first “natural” products I purchased for my dogs was a flea and tick repellent made with lavender essential oil and other ingredients. Today, more than ten years later, lavender is still one of my favorite scents and I use it regularly with my dogs and around our home.
What is Lavender?
Lavender is a flowering shrub/herb that is admired for its scent and medicinal benefits. The lavender scent is pleasant without being overwhelming. I added a couple of lavender and rosemary plants to our flower garden to keep our garden pest-free.
Is Lavender Essential Oil Safe for Dogs?
Yes! However, it's important to remember that you get what you pay for when it comes to essential oils. Essential oils are popular (I own too many to count) and whenever something becomes popular, the market will be flooded with low-quality, synthetic versions that can be harmful.
When shopping for essential oils, I look for companies that prioritize the environment, quality control, and animals. In order to make sure that I'm bringing home the best quality essential oils that are safe to use around my dogs, I limit my purchases to three brands:
Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil for Dogs
I often bring trimmings inside, along with other flowers, to brighten our home. I also use lavender essential oils to freshen our home with its unique floral scent. Using lavender essential oil allows me to enjoy the scent year-round while our family enjoys the benefits.
1 – Lavender Essential Oil Promotes Calming
I primarily use lavender essential oil to create a calming atmosphere in our home. I reach for lavender oil when we're expecting a storm, before a veterinarian appointment, or any other stressful event. Lavender also helps us relax in the evening and sleep uneventfully at night.
Scientists have learned that lavender oil is effective with some anxiety disorders, providing a safe alternative to some prescription drugs on the market. In another study, scientists found that lavender had a calming effect on dental patients.
2 – Lavender Oil Repels Biting Insects
I grow lavender in my garden to repel biting insects, including fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. A quality lavender essential oil can be used to repel insects when applied to our pets because fleas can't stand the smell of lavender. Yeah, fleas have a strong sense of smell. Go figure.
You can make a homemade flea and tick spray by adding 5-10 drops of lavender oil with water in an 8-ounce spray bottle. I mist my dogs once a week during flea season.
Other essential oils that repel fleas include:
3 – Lavender Oil Speeds Up Would Healing
I wouldn't apply essential oils to an open wound without direct guidance from an experienced veterinarian. However, I have created a salve with lavender oil to apply to my dogs' paws. After a vet appointment, my salve also soothes irritated skin and shaved areas.
Turns out that lavender oil has antibiotic, antibacterial, and antiviral properties while reducing inflammation, easing pain, and preventing scarring.
Lavender oil has been used to treat insect bites and stings, sunburns, skin allergies, inflammation, bruises, and more.
Choosing the Right Lavender Oil
You can quickly become overwhelmed when shopping for essential oils because many scents have multiple varieties, and lavender is no exception.
Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
This is the essential oil that I use in our home. According to Dr. Melissa Shelton in the Animal Desk Reference II, “very few available lavender oils are pure enough to be called medical grade, or quality for use in animals.” I primarily use lavender oil for its calming benefits and Lavandula Angustifolia is the safest to use if it's from a quality brand.
Lavender Fine
This essential oil is derived from a plant with a shorter growing season at a higher altitude and produces an oil with the same benefits listed above and a more intense scent.
Lavandin (Lavandula x Intermedia)
Lavandin is a blend of two different varieties of lavender that grow at different altitudes. Lavandin has many of the same benefits as lavender oil, but it has a sweeter scent (I like it), and it offers respiratory support, making it a great oil to diffuse at night when I'm experiencing hay fever symptoms.
How I Use Lavender Essential Oils with Dogs
I use essential oils in a variety of ways with my dogs, the most common being…
- diffuse a few drops daily
- add to unscented dog shampoo
- create a salve (for paws and elbows)
- petting method (add drops to my hand and pet my dogs)
Diffuse a Few Drops Daily
So, I'll admit that I can be heavy-handed when diffusing essential oils and often add up to 10 drops per diffuser to fill our home with the scent chosen for the day. I always keep doors open so the dogs can leave the room if they aren't a fan of the scent – this has never happened with lavender.
When the dogs were younger, I would diffuse lavender oil sixty minutes before bedtime to get them to settle down.
Add to Unscented Shampoo
When I began using essential oils, I quickly learned that Zoey is sensitive to scents. Because of this experience, I only buy shampoo from two brands – 4-Legger and Skout's Honor. I don't make my own shampoo because it's easier to buy. I bathe my dogs every few months or when needed, so a bottle of shampoo lasts a long time in our home.
When working with an unscented shampoo, I'll pour a small amount into a bowl and add a few drops of lavender oil as I bathe my dogs. It adds a nice, calming scent that isn't overwhelming while adding a layer of protection from biting insects.
Create a Salve for Paws and Elbows
Creating salves is very easy and only takes a few ingredients:
- coconut oil
- beeswax
- lavender oil
- salve containers
I'm all about easy when it comes to my DIY and making a salve is very easy, although there might be some trial and error depending on the ingredients used.
- To get started, I add coconut oil to a sturdy glass, and I set this in hot (not boiling) water in a pot to slowly melt the coconut oil.
- Once melted, I slowly add beeswax, allowing the salve to cool and harden. If the mixture isn't firm enough, I slowly melt and add more beeswax until I reach my preferred consistency.
- Before my final salve solidifies, I add my lavender oil (and sometimes others to create a nice blend). How much I add depends on the size of the salve. I usually start with at least 10 drops.
- I transfer the mixture into salve containers, allow it to cool and solidify, and then use it on my dogs' paws and elbows.
Petting Method
The petting method is just as it sounds. I'm applying essential oils as I'm petting my dog. I add a few drops to the palm of one hand and start petting my dogs. I use AnimalEO essential oils because they have been formulated to be used with animals. Dr. Melissa Shelton's Animal Desk Reference II covers how to use essential oils with pets, and it's been educational.
Most of my AnimalEO collection are blends, but the brand also offers single oils, including lavender essential oil.
Other Pet Safe Products that use Lavender Oil
Other products that utilize lavender oil include candles, room freshner sprays, and grooming products. The items that I use regularly with my dogs are:
Pet House Candles
I use Pet House candles because, after learning about the dangers of plugins and most candles on the market, I think Pet House is the safest brand to use around my dogs.
Grooming Products
I don't bathe my dogs that often; once every few months and when they need it. The following are grooming products I trust (and use) that have lavender oil.
- Skout's Honor probiotic shampoo/conditioner
- Skout's Honor probiotic shampoo
- Skout's Honor probiotic detangler
- Kin+Kind lavender dog shampoo
- 4-Legger aloe and lavender dog shampoo
Calming Blends for Dogs by Plant Therapy
Plant Therapy now offers essential oils formulated for use with dogs. I diffuse these oils for the dogs and I feel comfortable using a small amount on my dogs with the petty method mentioned above.
Confident K9 Essential Oil – great for when I need to leave the house for several hours (or all day). I diffuse this in the house starting early in the morning. And I apply this one to Apollo using the petty method because he has a history of separation anxiety. The scent is a combination of floral and woodsy and right up my alley.
Happy Trails Essential Oil – great for dogs that experience nervousness or motion sickness when traveling. Thankfully, my dogs don't have an issue. However, I still use this oil when I'm going on a long drive with Rodrigo. The scent is a nice combination of citrus with a hint of spice.
Show Ready Essential Oil – supports the immune system while keeping our dogs calm. I use this before veterinarian appointments or anytime when they are going to be exposed to a new environment. The scent is vibrant and reminds me of an herb garden.
You can order a single oil that best supports what your dog needs, or you can buy the Man's Best Friend essential oil set. I recommend the set because you'll save money buying the oils as a set instead of individually, and it'll be fun to learn which oils work best for your dogs.
Before Using Essential Oils On/Around Your Dogs
Whenever I'm using essential oils, I ensure the dogs can leave the room if the scent becomes too much for them. If a dog is sensitive to essential oils, AnimalEO offers a “Lite” version of some of their oils or you can dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil.
- make sure your dog can leave the room
- apply less oil on sensitive dogs
- don't apply essential oils to dogs that are going to be miserable because of the scent
- use coconut oil by CocoTherapy instead of essential oils for sensitive dogs
