Essential oils aren’t only popular among humans, sometimes they are used for pets such as dogs, cats, and other animals too as essential oil sometimes works as a good insect repellent, soothes anxiety, calms gastrointestinal systems, and many other issues.
Thus, as sandalwood oil makes a good essential oil too, you might want to know if it makes a safe option for dogs, cats, and other animals (other pets). Read below to know about the answers to this query.
Is Sandalwood Oil Safe For Dogs?
Sandalwood oil is safe for dogs because it contains relaxing and antiseptic elements that help dogs relax and calm down, treat fungal infections, heal wounds, and repel fleas. However, consulting a vet is a must before using sandalwood oil on dogs, and use only a little amount for external uses.
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Many essential oils are highly beneficial for dogs, and sandalwood oil is considered one of them which indicates that sandalwood oil is safe to be used for almost breeds of dogs.
Sandalwood oil is one of the well-known and highly valued essential oils in the field of medicine due to its antiseptic properties, thus, sandalwood oil is considered even safer for use on or around dogs.
Just one drop of sandalwood oil that is diluted in water makes an effective antiseptic agent that heals external wounds of dogs and deters pathogens from distressing wounds and infections.
Not only that sandalwood oil effectively treats fungal infections on dogs’ skin too. Also, sandalwood oil is beneficial in repelling fleas from dogs’ bodies, beddings, and toys as well.
But sandalwood oil is mostly popular among dog owners for having natural relaxing properties in them, the soothing scent excellently works on dogs to release their anxiety, make them calm down, and relax.
Thereby, sandalwood oil has been chosen as one of the essential oils that can be diffused around dogs to make them relaxed.
Note one thing that sandalwood oil is certainly a beneficial essential oil to be used on or around dogs but you must use the 100% pure sandalwood oil.
And you must dilute the sandalwood oil in water or another essential oil before you use it for your beloved dog. Also, it’s strictly suggested to use only a little amount each time.
Can Dogs Smell Sandalwood Oil? Are Dogs Allergic To Sandalwood Oil?
Dogs certainly can smell sandalwood oil, in fact, dogs can smell the scent of any essential oil because dogs naturally have a very powerful sense of smelling scents around them.
Moreover, as a health fact know a dog owns 300+ million olfactory receptors, which makes it more evident that a dog’s smelling sense is incredibly strong and they surely can smell sandalwood oil.
Other than it, if you notice a pup’s nose is wiggling, it’s sniffing the air, raising ears, and twitching ears upon diffusing sandalwood oil in the air, know that it’s smelling the scent of sandalwood oil.
Also, know another fact that most breeds of dogs are not essentially allergic to sandalwood oil as long as you properly dilute sandalwood oil before using it on a dog’s skin or before diffusing it in the air around a dog.
However, even though dogs are externally not allergic to sandalwood oil that doesn’t it an edible oil either. Their health can deteriorate too. So to make you aware of the health condition a dog can face, below it has been listed.
Throwing Up:
If a dog has ingested sandalwood oil, potentially it’s going to throw up immediately or sooner. And you will smell sandalwood oil-like smell in its vomit.
Upset Stomach:
An upset stomach is another health condition that a dog possibly will be having if it has eaten sandalwood oil. You will notice that your dog is suddenly showing symptoms o diarrhea.
Drooling and Foaming:
After ingesting sandalwood oil, a dog will be seen to drool a lot suddenly and at the same time his mouth will be foaming.
Lethargy:
Lethargy is the other visible sign of deteriorating health due to ingesting sandalwood oi, you will find your pup has become unresponsive to activities or it’s sleeping most of the time.
Weakness:
A dog can show symptoms of weakness which can be caused by eating sandalwood oil.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats Sandalwood Oil?
If you are quite much sure that your dog has ingested sandalwood oil, immediately rush to a vet’s clinic with your dog or call the vet instantly to seek medical advice to treat your pup at home at least so that the dog doesn’t face any fatal health situation further.
Or call on the helpline number of the Pet Poison Helpline of your state/region/area.
And if a veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline number isn’t available right at that moment, do not waste time and rush to the nearest animal emergency medical center with your dog to seek medical attention.
Is Sandalwood Oil Safe For Cats?
Sandalwood oil doesn’t make a safe option of essential oil for cats because if sandalwood oil is diffused around cats it’ll cause them respiratory irritation, vomiting, labor breathing, drooling, and watery eyes and nose. Also, if sandalwood oil is eaten by cats, their health will be badly affected.
There isn’t any essential oil that can be considered completely safe for cats, many vets and even the ASPCA have said in their statements that essential oils potentially can harm cats to a great extent.
Thus, it makes the first point clear that sandalwood oil isn’t safe to be used on a cat’s fur, skin, paws, or as a diffuser around cats.
Besides, the antiseptic and relaxing properties of sandalwood oil aren’t beneficial to cats either to make them feel relaxed, to help them release their anxiety, or to treat their wounds/ infections.
Instead, if sandalwood oil is used on or around cats, it causes essential oil poisoning in them which can be fatal for their overall health.
Sandalwood oil diffuser also can’t be used around cats, it will cause respiratory irritation in cats from diffused sandalwood oil. And respiratory irritation further causes vomiting, drooling, labor breathing, and watery eyes and nose.
The bad effects of sandalwood oil don’t end here, if accidentally any cat ingests sandalwood oil he quite surely will be throwing up, having an upset stomach, mouth sores, decreased breathing rate, and some other harmful health conditions.
Sandalwood oil can cause a mild allergic reaction to a cat’s skin as well which will make its skin itch and red, and it certainly is a bothersome condition for a cat.
Therefore, with the above explanation, it surely can be affirmed that sandalwood oil isn’t safe for cats at all.
Can You Use Sandalwood Oil For Ticks And Fleas On Dogs And Cats?
Being an essential oil, sandalwood oil releases anti-parasitic molecules when it’s used correctly on a pet animal (not on every pet because it’s not suitable for every pet) skin for removing ticks and fleas permanently.
And it’s already mentioned above that sandalwood oil is suitable for use on dogs to remove fleas which means you can use sandalwood oil on dogs’ skins for terminating fleas and ticks.
while using sandalwood on your dog for terminating fleas and ticks, do not use it directly on its skin.
Just take a few drops of sandalwood oil and dilute it in a cup of water, shake it well, and pour it into a spray bottle. And then spray on your dog’s skin but do not spray on its face.
However, you shouldn’t use sandalwood oil on cats because it’s unsafe and unsuitable to use sandalwood oil on cats to remove fleas or ticks as their skin will itch and turn red.
Is Sandalwood Oil Safe for Other Animals Or Pets?
When it comes to pets, many of you pet birds, rabbits, and other animals as well, thus, out of your curiosity you might want to know if sandalwood is safe to be used on birds and rabbits as well or not.
Birds:
There isn’t any specific information regarding whether sandalwood oil can be used on birds or not.
However, the list of safe essential oils for birds recommended by many vets don’t contain sandalwood oil as a safe essential oil to be used for birds, thus, it’s suggested not to use sandalwood oil as it can be threatening for birds.
Rabbits:
Similar to the birds, the list of safe essential oils doesn’t have sandalwood in it, so it may not be safe to use on rabbits. If you still want to use sandalwood oil on rabbits, seek a vet’s suggestion first and be sure about it.
Final Thoughts
Sandalwood oil is listed as a safe essential oil only for dogs as its antiseptic and relaxing properties are beneficial to dogs. However, sandalwood oil is unsafe to be used for birds, and it’s potentially unsafe for birds and other animals as well, thus, take a vet’s suggestion before using it.