BEWARE of these Natural Oils! Tee Tree Oil: Tea Tree Oil and Dogs, Tea Tree Oil and Cats Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil produced from the Australian tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) plant. Tea tree oil is known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, and possibly for its antipruritic, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic effects. Tea tree oil is often found in varying concentrations and should never be used on pets. As little as 7 drops of 100% oil has resulted in severe poisoning, and applications of 10-20 mls of 100% oil have resulted in poisoning and death in both dogs and cats. Clinical signs include a low body temperature, weakness, walking drunk, inability to walk, tremors, coma, increased liver enzymes, and even death. ASPCA | Tea Tree Oil Sheltie Nation - Did you know? Tea Tree Oil is toxic to dogs. Veterinarywatch : Tea Tree Oil Toxicity Tea Tree Oil Poisoning in Dogs | eHow.com Citrus Oil/ D-Limonene: Citrus Oil Toxicity in Dogs and Cats Toxin Citrus Oil Extract (Limonene and Linalool). Source Citrus oil extracts such as those found in insecticidal sprays, dips, shampoos, insect repellents, food additives, and fragrances. General Information d-Limonene and linalool are citrus oils with insecticidal properties. These are metabolized in the liver resulting in liver damage or failure. Toxic Dose Cats are more sensitive than dogs. The toxic dose for ingestion of d-limonene in dogs is 308 grams per pound of body weight. If cats are treated with dog products, the result may be fatal. Linalool exposure causes more severe clinical signs for a longer duration than d-limonene. If the product also contains piperonyl butoxide, the toxic effects of citrus oil extracts may be increased. Signs Strong citrus smell to the skin, drooling, depression, weakness, hypothermia, trembling, ataxia, falling, low blood pressure, and dermatitis especially severe in the scrotal and perineal areas. Death may occur. Immediate Action In cases of dermal exposure, bathe pet with liquid dish soap and warm water repeatedly until the citrus smell is gone. Dry thoroughly and do not allow the pet to become chilled. Seek veterinary attention for dermal exposure or ingestion. Veterinary Care General treatment: Gastric lavage is performed and activated charcoal is administered, if the citrus oil was ingested. Vomiting is not induced because aspiration is a risk. Bathing is repeated in cases of dermal exposure. Supportive treatment: Administer IV fluids, keeping the patient warm, and treat any other symptoms. Specific treatment: Unavailable. Prognosis Usually good to excellent, however, deaths have occurred and are more common in cats. d-limonene poisoning Check out what Chuck the exterminator says in post #19. "The synergist "Pipernol Butoxide Technical" and "MGK40" in natural pyrethrin shampoos can cause d'limonene poisoning if used within two weeks of each other. So if you use d'limonene do not use natural pyrethrins and visa versa." Check out what it says here: Merck Veterinary Manual d-Limonene: This is used for the control of fleas on cats and for other insect pests. Adult fleas and eggs appear to be most sensitive to d-limonene, which is more effective if combined with piperonyl butoxide. At recommended dosages, the solution containing d-limonene appears to be safe, but increasing the concentration 5-10 fold in sprays or dips increases the severity of toxic signs, which include salivation, muscle tremors, ataxia, and hypothermia. The inclusion of piperonyl butoxide in the formulation potentiates the toxicity in cats. Allergies have also been reported in people in contact with d-limonene, and it appears to increase dermal absorption of some chemicals. When orally administered to dogs, d-limonene causes vomiting (median effective dose 1.6 mL/kg). There are cases of dogs & cats (more common in cats) dying after their groomer used a natural flea shampoo containing d-limonene. The cases are extremely rare. The animal can be poisoned by a small amount of d-limonene received externally. Symptoms take about 24 hours to show ('Signs' above). Check the ingredients in your natural flea shampoos, if it contains d-limonene, toss it! From a Maltese Forum, TY to the poster! | NBC New York |
Wow! Thank you for this wealth of information, Jenny. So good to know. |
THANK YOU SO MUCH...for sharing this. REMEMBER folks absorption through the skin is just as dangerous... |
This should definitely go into the library! Thanks Jenny! |
Thank you Jenny for this important information. I've always been wary of tea tree oil and bothered by the many pet products that contain it. |
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Great post :thumbup::thumbup: |
I just emailed the company that makes the Kissable Toothpaste, and asked them why they are putting dangerous ingredients in their toothpaste, and told them I wouldn't be using their product any longer. I wanted an explanation from them, I'll post when I hear back....Emy loves the toothpaste too....it makes me so mad.... |
Is there a way to warn everyone on YT about Kissable Toothpaste containing Tee Tree Oil? I'm sure that there is more than the 2 of us that have used it on our dogs. |
I got a reply email from the company as follows: I understand your concern but please know that we would never market a product that we thought was potentially harmful to any animal. This toothpaste formula was tested on 860 dogs and 350 cats. We got back a result of 100% conformance, in all the exhibitions, no secondary reactions, allergies, diarrhea or any other disease related to the ingestion of a toxic ingredient has been reported or found. 100% of the material used in the test was quarantined first in order to evaluate the proper compounding of the formula. In order for tea tree oil to be toxic to dogs (or humans for that matter) it has to be consumed in very large quantities (think drinking a liter). Our formulas have less than 1/10th of 1% so even if the dog ate the whole product, it would not be toxic for the dog. While tea tree oil can be toxic in very large quantities, it has tremendous benefits when used correctly. It is a natural antiseptic and helps get rid of plaque, which can be extremely detrimental to an animal’s health possibly leading to heart disease and kidney failure. There are many vitamins and herbs that are so good for us when used correctly but toxic if not - vitamin a and other oil based vitamins are prime examples because the oil can build up in your body if you consume too much. We have been selling this toothpaste for over 6 years now. We've sold nearly a million units and do not have one case of adverse side effects.. We truly appreciate your concern and I hope you know that our company is made up of animal advocates like yourself. Thanks, Casey Cook Operations Manager don't know what to think now...they assure us its safe....maybe there so little of it in the toothpaste that its not harmful...but why put it in it at all is my question... |
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Thanks for the information. We have had quite a flea problem this summer and I have been using Vet's Best Hot Spot Spray http://www.vetsbest.com/pdf/8ozHotSp...3165810007.pdf thinking it was a safe spray to help sooth Buster's itching. I just researched Aloe Vera and it is toxic too! |
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Since products that contain tee tree oil are diluted (i.e. shampoo), it would be safe to use. But I still would not use it on my little guys or any other dogs & cats. I would not be comfortable using a product that my fur babies ingest, like toothpaste. There are other safe natural ingredients/oils they can use in place of tee tree oil...which is proven to be poisonous in just a couple of drops in big dogs. Just a few from Sheltie Nation: Patti Ann April 1, 2012 • 8:54 am I have a 14 year old assie,She was itchy,soI bought some sergeant’s fur so fresh med. sham.with tea tree oil. iwashed her really working it in the back area, next thing I know her whole back was raw.I figured she must have knawded herself .I took her to vet he treated her with antibiotics,then my friend told me her old dog had a reaction to tea tree oil an almost died.Now I realize what happened to her and I’m very up set! Iwas just planning to wash her again. So glad I found out! Kelly March 5, 2009 • 12:47 pm Thanks for the catch Dan. I have clarified. The toxic level ranges between 2 and 5 g per kg body weight. Angela January 13, 2012 • 3:11 pm Hi, I know your post on Tea Tree Oil was posted a couple of years ago, but I just found it when I was googling “tea tree oil on dogs”. First off, I want to thank you so much for your post because this was the first thing I saw to know I needed to take my dog to the vet right away. I unknowingly put tea tree oil on my dog Sunday night, (on her front paws)I noticed she layed in the exact position I placed her on the bed and didn’t move, which wasn’t like her. I googled, tea tree oil in dogs, and learned from you first, and other sites, that it was toxic. It was 3am and my vet was closed and I didn’t know of an ER for pets in my area. I washed her paws with dish soap, and I ran to the 24 hour pharmacy and got some activated charcoal. She was not walking; her two front legs were limp. I did not put any tea tree oil on her back paws so they seemed fine. I wasn’t sure how much activated charcoal to give her and didn’t want to make things worse, but didn’t want to do nothing so I gave her half a capsule of activated charcoal that was marketed for humans. She seemed like she was happier and started walking around but her two front legs were still a little weird when she walked. We waited for our vet clinic to open and took her in first thing Monday morning. The vet said I did everything right by using dish soap and activated charcoal. They took blood and they gave her fluids via IV. They said she would be ok, and I took her home after a few hours. She is ok, but it’s been a few days and she still sometimes walks funny with her front legs. It’s as if they are numb. It only happens when she has been laying for a while, and then she gets up, and it seems like she notices they aren’t right by the way she looks at her legs like she’s not sure what’s wrong with them. After she walks around for 5 minutes or so, she is normal again, until the next time she sleeps and gets up again. She isn’t old, and she hasn’t had this happen before the tea tree oil. I told my vet about this and she said tea tree oil is mostly deadly to cats, and my dog should be ok. I’m wondering if this is permanent damage where she will always wake up that way or if it will go away over time. Does anyone have any experience with having permanent damage done to a dog with tea tree oil? I’ve read a lot about dogs being saved, but nothing about the quality of life after they survive it. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the original post! I think it saved my dog’s life. mwilson July 29, 2009 • 1:46 am I have a 110 pound american bulldog who had allergies to our carpet due to high dust from a neighboring lumbermill. One night, thinking that the itching and sores on his tummy seemed bad, I used about 6-10 DROPS of tea tree oil on several cotton balls (a total of 6-10 drops in all spread over several cotton balls). I rubbed his paws and his belly and he went to lay down beside my daughter, which was common. In the morning we woke and found it odd that he was in the same location and would barely lift his head when we called to him. He seemed to struggle as we encouraged him to get to his feet to go outside. It was obvious that something was wrong and he was unable to get up on his own. I phoned the vet who looked it up and said it could be seriously toxic to the dog and that we should ‘make him comfortable’ as he was not likely going to live. I was not in a position to pay $1000 in vet bills, so we gave him water and just pet him and did our best to comfort him. A few times he tried to stand to go outside to pee, but he wabbled like he was drunk out of his mind, and there was no semblence of balance at all. He could not get up the steps, and would come in and literally fall back down. Later that night, we noticed he started to walk a little better and late that night, he actually got up and walked and even chased a ball. I believe that TEA TREE OIL is EXTREMELY TOXIC to dogs. The vet told us that he assumed the reason our dog lived was that he was 110 pounds — had he been a smaller dog, or a cat, he would likely have died. I have told other vets about our experience and we no longer use this on any animal. |
Citrus oil and Aloe are common ingredients in shampoos for pets and humans. I think some clarification is needed, otherwise every single grooming product on the market is going to be deemed toxic. |
It can also be detrimental to a liver compromised dog. |
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