Essential oils are great for smelly dogs. Some of the best essential oils to get rid of that “dog smell” include lavender, lemongrass, tea tree, orange, rosemary, and lemon. It’s best to create your own essential oil deodorizer by combining 2 cups of water with 20-25 drops of essential oil.
Dogs are curious creatures who love to adventure through the world. Grooming and ensuring you have a clean pup should be routine for you. However, you may find times where they are exceptionally smelly. As essential oils grow in their use for humans and dogs, you may find them beneficial for your dog’s smell.
But that raises a few more questions…how should you use the essential oils? Which oils should you use? Are there any oils that are harmful to dogs? How much is too much?
In this article, we will answer all the above questions and a lot more. If you want your dog to finally smell fresh and clean, this article is for you!
Essential Oils For Dogs
Essential oils work a lot like deodorizing spray. Deodorizing spray eliminates odors on your dog’s fur through a spray formula.
Essential oils are a great alternative to bring a natural deodorizer to your dog. These oils are extracted from the plant directly and collected to offer a pure oil.
Essential oils have a lot of uses with dogs, such as aiding in reducing anxiety, improving digestion, combating nausea and preventing diarrhea…and yes, they can even help your dog smell much, much better!
As with any natural remedy, ensure you are avoiding oils that are toxic along with brands that have additives in their oils.
Avoid These Toxic Oils
Though there are beneficial oils, be sure you are steering clear of ones that are toxic to your pup.
Potpourris and diffusers are popular in many homes now as essential oil use grows in popularity. Essential oils that are toxic to dogs include cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree, wintergreen, ylang-ylang, anise, clove, thyme, juniper, yarrow, and garlic.
These oils should never be administered to your dog, diffused in the home, or given topically.
These can cause skin irritations or internal injury when they are ingested. Essential oils can cause burning on the paws, skin, and mouth.
What if Your Dog Was Exposed to Toxic Oils?
If you have any of these oils in the home, store them in a place away from your dog’s reach.
If you find your dog’s behavior or health changing, it could be due to exposure to these essential oils.
Signs to look for with oil ingestion include weakness, difficulty breathing, difficulty walking, vomiting, burns in the mouth or on the skin, and pawing at the face.
If you notice any of these symptoms and believe your dog has been exposed, contact your veterinarian or pet poison control immediately.
Beneficial Oils for Deodorizing
Making your own essential oil deodorizer at home is beneficial for many reasons. First and foremost, you know the ingredients going into your spray and can avoid harmful additives other products may contain.
Second, you can determine the scent that works best for your dog’s natural smell.
Last, you control how much of the oil goes into your product for your dog’s exposure.
Some oils that you can use to create your deodorizer that have been deemed safe for dogs include:
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Tea tree
- Orange
- Rosemary
- Lemon
These can be used individually or mixed for a combination scent.
Creating An Essential Oil Deodorizer
The easiest way to create a deodorizer for your pup is by combining water with your essential oil or oil combination.
Not all essential oils are created equal, so when looking for an essential oil, make sure you are purchasing oils from a safe, organic brand.
Combine 2 cups of water with 20-25 drops of the essential oil. Mix and add to your spray bottle.
This spray can be used to deodorize your dog’s bedding and common areas that hold on to odors. You can also spray this on furniture and the carpet in your home.
My Favorite Essential Oil Combination For Smelly Dogs
My favorite essential oil combination for a smelly dog is a mixture of water, witch hazel, and Rosemary.
The recommended amounts are 4oz of witch hazel to 4oz of water. Combine these then add 10-15 drops of Rosemary.
This is a gentle spray that can be applied to your dog’s fur and bedding.
With anything you introduce to your dog, start with only a small amount in case your dog has a poor reaction.
Talk To Your Veterinarian First
Before introducing essential oils to your dog, talk with your veterinarian to ensure it is safe and appropriate.
Your veterinarian knows what will work best for your dog. They can also advise against certain brands that can cause reactions.
If, during the use of essential oils, you find your dog having a reaction, contact your veterinarian and discontinue its use.
Keep Your Dog Smelling Fresh and Clean
Once you use essential oils on your smelly dog, they should smell much better! It’s your job as the owner to keep them smelling fresh and clean. Here’s the routine we use to keep that “dog odor” off our dogs.
Get in a Bathing Routine
It’s common for dogs to get into areas in their environment that leave them smelling less than ideal. Playing in the rain and mud is natural for many dogs.
Like children, they are curious about the world around them and love to explore using their nose.
With this instinct, you may find your pup getting into things that require bathing more often than usual.
Consistent bathing should be incorporated into your dog’s routine. It’s recommended that your dog is bathed at least monthly with more washes as necessary.
When bathing your pup, use a gentle shampoo to prevent potential for allergens or drying out the skin.
If your dog is prone to skin disparities, it’s best to contact your vet to ensure you are using an approved shampoo for their skin condition so you do not worsen it.
Alternative Cleaning Methods
Bathing your dog may feel like a battle for you. Your dog may not like water or has too much energy to sit still for long without making a mess. Others may have anxiety towards bath time from past trauma.
Although you can’t escape baths forever, some alternatives to bathing your dog include grooming wipes, dry shampoo, and deodorizing spray.
Grooming wipes are great to use, especially if it is your dog’s brushing day. These clean the fur while not posing much threat to your pup.
Dry shampoo allows you to clean your dog’s fur without the use of water (which some dogs hate).
Deodorizing spray is a formula to eliminate strong odors on furniture, bedding, and other areas of the home. You can use any of the combinations we talked about in this article.
Essential Oils Are Great For Dog Odor
Look at the list of approved essential oils mentioned above. Combine any of those oils into a spray bottle and use it on your dog’s bed, furniture, toys, etc. Talk to your vet before spraying the deodorizer directly on your dog.
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Bryan Harkins is an avid dog lover and the proud owner of dogdorable.com, a website dedicated to all things canine. With years of experience working with dogs, Bryan is passionate about providing valuable information, tips, and resources to help pet owners provide the best possible care for their furry companions.