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Pets and Essential Oils

Updated: May 18, 2020

First things first, I am not a Veterinarian and I highly suggest you talk to your Vet about using essential oils with your pets. I've done my best to research this over the years but I can only share our personal experience and decisions with you. It's up to you to decide what's best for your pet. Please know that our family only uses doTERRA and my recommendations and sources reflect that.

We all love our pets and want the best for them! The truth is that there's a lot of junk out there on the internet talking about how toxic essential oils are, some of it's true and some of it's just junk. It's unfortunate for us and it's unfortunate for our pets because there are so many oils that can help our pets! I think the common theme in all of the myths on the internet is that none of them mention brand or purity. We don't know how impure the oils being talked about are and we don't know if those lists reflect user error. Diffusing and using oils that have unknown additives and impurities tells us nothing about using doTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils with our pets.

The other thing to consider is that no one is asking how harmful our regular toxic cleaning supplies, candles and fragrances are for our pets. If those things are scientifically proven to be toxic for humans it would be true of our pets as well. In our house we are doing our best to eliminate all of those toxins and I believe those chemicals are much more toxic for our pets than any doTERRA oil. Our pets and our kids are the ones who have to suffer from crawling around in those toxins- I feel much better using our doTERRA products for cleaning!

Our pets (cats especially) have millions more olfactory receptors in their noses and they metabolize things differently than humans. This means it can take them longer to excrete certain oils than it takes us. It also means they are more sensitive to scent than we are.

Here are a few things we can do to keep our pets safe with essential oils-

-Use a water based diffuser and start on the lower end of drops per diffuser size recommendation.

-If your pet sleeps in a room with a diffuser leave the door cracked, they should always have the option to move away from scents they don't like.

-If you're worried about certain oils, keep an eye on your pet while using it. Are they sneezing, rubbing their eyes, vomiting- they will tell you if they don't like something.

-Do not use oils topically in or on your pets eyes, ears, nose, or genitals.

-Do not use oils topically if they are on a topical medication or dermal patch.

-Never give your pets beadlets, toothpaste or anything else that contains Xylitol.

-Heavily dilute the oils you use topically on your pets. 3-6 drops in a 10ml roller bottle is the general recommendation. As always, start on the lower end of that recommendation and adjust for size and effectiveness.

The only oil I have found that every article and Vet mentions that we should not diffuse or use on our pets internally or topically is Tea Tree/Melaluca. That doesn't mean you can't use it on yourself; just wash your hands if you are going to touch your pet immediately afterwards. I still use it in my cleaning supplies occasionally, I just don't use it on my floors. Don't freak out if you forget. It's not a death sentence, it's just the hardest one for them to process. If you are looking for a safe alternative for Tea Tree try Arborvitae.

Below you'll find a list of oils to use extreme caution with topically and internally for pets. This doesn't mean you can't use them for cleaning purposes or diffuse them it just means these oils are hard for them to process in large doses. Use caution and extra dilution if you are considering feeding them to your pets or applying them to your pets skin and always get your vets recommendation first. In my opinion I would keep an eye on your pets when diffusing these oils as well, some cats curl around a citrus diffuser because citrus is uplifting, some leave the room- every pet is different. Like I said, if you watch them, they will tell you if they like or dislike a certain oil.

Here are the oils that we use should use caution with topically & internally-

DOGS

Birch

Wintergreen

"Hot Oils"- cassia, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, thyme...

The list for topical and internal application for cats is longer because they clean themselves and therefore can ingest larger amounts of oils. Cats also have even more olfactory receptors than dogs.

CATS

Citrus Oils- lemon, lime, bergamot, grapefruit, orange...

"Hot Oils"- cassia, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, thyme...

Mints- peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint

Personally I don't think there is an oil on the market that is going to kill your pet any faster than a bottle of bleach so take the same precautions you do with your cleaning supplies. Relax a little and let your pet tell you what it likes and doesn't like.

Below you will find a few videos you can watch to learn more about which doTERRA oils we should and shouldn't use on our pets. A lot of myths will be dispelled between the two of them. The reason that I chose these as my sources for this post is because they are sources that talk specifically about doTERRA oils and pets.

Here is a video from a panel doTERRA held with Veterinarians across the country who use doTERRA in their clinics and at home.

Here is another video with The Essential Oil Vet, Janet Roarck. She busts some myths and shares some stories.

Next time we'll talk about all of the great things oils can do for our pets! Hope you found this helpful!

XO, Meg

Cork Wall Tutorial

I promised you some info on this cork wall after Hazel's room reveal. Let me start with an apology for the lack of photos. We had a few other projects going on the same day and I had no idea you would all be so interested in this one! I'm going to do my best to explain how we put this cork board together. It was an easy project, that only took an hour or so and came in around $85.

PROJECT LIST

Cork Sheet 4' x 8' 6mm thick - $53

Rubber Cement - gallon - $8

Thin plywood or paneling 4' x 8' - $10

Paint Roller - $3

Plastic Paint Tray - .50¢

Razor Knife

Tarp

Rolling Pin

Trim - $10

The first thing we did was determine the size of the cork board that would work best for this wall. Initially I wanted to cover the whole wall but cork is more expensive than I thought. If you want to cover an entire wall you could use this same method and skip the trim.

I found this 4 x 8 roll of cork and the reviews were iffy but the price was right. I took a chance and it worked out great. When it arrived we rolled it out for a few hours and put books on the ends to flatten it out. One end was crumbly as the reviews said it might be but it was also 6" longer than the 8' it was supposed to be so it worked out.

While it was flattening out we measured and marked out the area where we wanted it. I just eyed up a good height and centered it on the wall. Then we marked out all of our studs above and below it's destined place on the wall.

We had previously purchased a 4' x 8' sheet of birch panel which is similar to a thin plywood. (Any thin wood sheeting would work, it's only meant to protect the wall.) Jake held it up and I leveled it and then secured it to the wall with screws along the studs. We probably used 40 screws. We hit every stud on the top and bottom and every other stud on a few rows in between.

The birch panel was a step I almost got lazy on and skipped. It would have been easier to just glue the cork to the wall. I'm glad I didn't though because if we ever want to remove it we can just peel off the cork, remove the panel and fill the screw holes. If I had glued it to the wall it would have ruined the drywall.

For the next step you will definitely need two people. First OPEN ALL THE WINDOWS! The rubber cement smells TERRIBLE so use a mask. Hazel slept in our room the night we did this and I left her windows open and shut her bedroom door for the night and it was cleared out by morning. I ordered two small cans of the rubber cement because of a tutorial I read but I wished I had more because we just barely had enough. If you do this project in this size I would spring for the gallon to make sure you have good contact. It's very sticky so use a tarp to protect your floors!

We trimmed the crumbly bits off of the cork with a razor knife while it was still on the floor. You want to put a layer of rubber cement on the cork and the birch panel. I poured it out in a paint tray and rolled it on the cork and panel with a semi smooth nap roller just like paint. Then Jake and I picked it up together and lined it up at the top and smoothed it down the birch panel. I used a rolling pin to make sure it made good contact everywhere.

Like I mentioned earlier the cork was bigger than the panel. We waited an hour or so and then trimmed off the excess with the razor knife.

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of us trimming it out. We chose the same trim we used on the baseboards and windows in a 1 1/2" width. We cut the trim to size and used our nail gun to attach it to the wall. You can do this step without fancy tools! If you have a saw and a measuring tape and a hammer, you can do this!!

That's it. So far it's held up great. The only hard part of the project was dealing with the rubber cement smell for a few hours.

I got Hazel a few cute tacks (I'll link you to below) and jammed those right in all over the place to make sure the cork was keeping good contact while it dried.

Here are some easy links to the things I purchased online for this project. The clip push pins are really great because she can hang art and photos without putting holes in them!

Send me photos on Instagram if you make your own cork wall! I would love to see! If you have any source questions about Hazel's room you can probably find them right here.

XO, Meg

How To Layer Rugs Like a Pro

Layering rugs is a great way to change up a space, define an area, and add texture and color. It's easier than you think and it doesn't have to break the bank. Room-sized vintage rugs, like a 9 x 12, can be pretty expensive but often a smaller version of your dream rug can be just as great when layered over an inexpensive base rug. The even less expensive route is opting for a look-a-like version of your dream rug.

My best advice is to start with a good base rug. Pick a neutral base like a jute, sisal, stripe or black and white pattern. This is what I have done in almost every room in our house. All of our base rugs work on their own when we are feeling minimal or want a clean slate but can be totally transformed simply by layering another rug over the top.

Once you have a good foundation rug that you like the sky is the limit. Think of it like mixing pillow patterns or outfits, a neutral and a pattern always compliment each other just as a small pattern and large pattern always work together. A stripe and a pattern work together just as well. Try to pick patterns and colors that compliment each other.

You absolutely can layer a rug over carpet as well. In fact, I recommend it. Rugs are the best way to define an area. Use them over the carpeting in your living room, under your dining table, and at the end of a bed! It will break up the sea of carpet and give you the layered look.

If you have an open concept house a rug is your best friend. Throw a few rugs down where you want to define specific areas and build your room around it.

How you layer them is up to you; there are no rules. You can layer a skinny runner at the sides of a bed, a wide runner at the end of a bed, throw one down in your foyer for a pop of color or pattern, or chose a larger size for the middle of your family room. You can't go wrong.

I have put together some examples below. All of the rugs are linked below the photos and there is a round up at the bottom.

Here are a few examples of layered rugs in our house.

Rug Layering Examples

This would be a beautiful combo anywhere but I see these two in a bedroom or living room. I used a larger size top rug for a living room example but a smaller version would work just as well at the end of a bed for any of the combos below.

bleached jute rug | multi-colored rug

Stripes and patterns play so well together. This combo reminds me of Hazel's room but I can see this in a boy's room or playroom too. Here I've added a smaller rug towards the end of the larger rug to show you what it would look like at the end of the bed. These work together because the colors compliment each other so well.

gray striped rug | rusty rug

Mudroom, foyer, playroom, this combo goes anywhere. The plaid would be great on a smaller pattern like this or a jute. Layer this one over your beige carpet to kick it up a notch!

neutral rug | plaid rug

These two both act as neutrals but the layers make it so much more cozy and inviting. These would be beautiful in a den, master bedroom or family room.

bleached jute | blue black rug

I have to include my old foyer rug which has been a great base for so many vintage rugs. Hazel has the same rug in her room. On it's own it acts as a graphic neutral but pair it with any of the above and they'll be best friends. The rug I chose with it below comes in a ton of color ways and the quality can't be beat especially for the price.