Essential oil
Tea Tree Oil and Concentrated Essential Oils
Contact a vet the same day. Birds can be affected by diffused oils alone.
SevereCatsDogsBirdsSmall mammals
Illustrative cover using relevant category imagery; it does not depict the exact subject.
What to do right now
- 1.Move the animal to fresh air and turn off any diffuser
- 2.Wash oil off the skin with mild dish soap and lukewarm water
- 3.Call a veterinary practice for advice
Symptoms
- Drooling
- Wobbliness and weakness
- Tremors
- Skin irritation
- Laboured breathing in birds
Details
- Category
- Essential oil
- Toxicity
- Severe
- Species affected
- Cats, Dogs, Birds, Small mammals
- Routes of exposure
- Applied to the skin, licked from the coat, or inhaled from diffusers
- Urgency
- Contact a vet the same day. Birds can be affected by diffused oils alone.
Veterinary notes and prevention
Cats cannot efficiently glucuronidate phenols and terpenes. Never apply undiluted essential oils to any animal, and avoid diffusers in homes with birds.
Prepare the information your vet needs
- For Tea Tree Oil and Concentrated Essential Oils, report the exposure route: Applied to the skin, licked from the coat, or inhaled from diffusers. Tell the clinic the time, possible amount and your pet's species and approximate weight.
- Photograph the packaging, ingredient list or plant if safe. Do not handle contaminated material without protection or delay the call to identify it perfectly.
- Keep other animals away from the source. An animal may appear normal before signs develop; do not wait for symptoms or calculate a home 'safe dose'.
- Follow the clinic's transport instructions. Do not give food, medicines or home remedies unless instructed, and take packaging with you if available.
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Guidance libraries and further reading
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