The use of Aromatherapy in animals
The Law!
A Veterinary Surgeon is the only person able to give Aromatherapy
treatment to an animal. It is totally against the Law for anyone else to
do so. Only a vet can diagnose an animals' condition, recommend the right
course of treatment and administer that treatment... this includes aromatherapy
remedies.
Aromatherapy is a powerful form of Medicine
and, by their very nature, the very small size of the airborne particles
of any "scent" get straight into the bloodstream from the nose,
more quickly than in almost any other method of administering medicine (except,
perhaps by injection)!
If anyone other than a vet gives aromatherapy treatment to
an animal they are contravening the law!
There has been little recorded use of aromatherapy in animals, but it is
a very effective and powerful medical option, using concentrated and powerful
medicines. Some vets are now turning to it but, maybe because of the rather
quaint-sounding name, aromatherapy can be written off wrongly as a sort of
cottage hobby, rather than serious medicine. Make no mistake, though, aromatherapy
used unwisely has a serious potential for harm, in addition to its therapeutic
benefits. Some can cause abortion in pregnant animals and over-enthusiastic
use of Lavender or Tea Tree has been suspected of causing hormone disruption
in young boys. Furthermore, it will leave residues in tissues and milk, so
cannot be used in a food animal and residues may show on a doping test, in
competition animals.
Practical Application
Although the medicines are derived from plants, their use differs from herbal
medicines of the same plant name. This is entirely logical, since they are
only the volatile fraction of the plant. Since they are very concentrated
and powerful medicines, they must be used with care and understanding. Do
not be fooled by the gentle way in which they are applied; this is no quaint
cottage remedy but serious medicine, which ought to be subject to proper controls.
At the Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre, we have used aromatherapy
in patients of many species, over the years. Oils in the waiting room and
consulting rooms can be very calmative or invigorating, depending upon the
effect required. Cats will happily submit to aromatherapy. We have even used
it in seriously ill cats, suffering sinusitis and congestion from Calicivirus.
It is easy to set up an inhaler for cats, by putting oils in a bowl of steaming
water in front of a cat basket and draping a towel over both. Dogs respond
rapidly to administration of oils, by smell or contact. An anxious or over-excitable
dog, for instance, will usually respond almost instantly. Horses are very
‘natural’ and sensitive animals and respond wonderfully to the use of aromatherapy,
even showing an ability and willingness to select their own remedy. It is
not, however, possible to guarantee that a horse, so medicated, would pass
a competition ‘dope test’. On the farm, residues can occur in meat, milk or
eggs, so the use of this form of medicine has to be carefully considered.
A simplified list of some common aromatherapy remedies follows, each with
one of its many properties:
| Remedy |
Property |
Remedy |
Property |
| Basil |
digestive |
Garlic |
disinfectant |
| Bergamot |
analgesic |
Hyssop |
vulnerary |
| Chamomile |
nervine |
Lavender |
calmative |
| Camphor |
stimulant |
Myrrh |
astringent |
| Clove |
anaesthetic |
Peppermint |
carminative |
| Eucalyptus |
expectorant |
Rosemary |
stimulant |
| Fennel |
galactagogue |
Tea tree |
disinfectant |
| Frankincense |
tonic |
|
|
Wherever it is used, there is the ability to clash with concurrent homeopathic
treatment. It is possible, with care, to integrate the two but the vet needs
to be skilled in both therapies for this to be successful. Furthermore, it
can summate, sometimes dangerously, when used in conjunction with modern drugs
given for a similar purpose. Casual use of aromatherapy is therefore to be
discouraged and you should always tell your vet, if you have given any aromatherapy
medicine to your animal.
The Law
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (other
than your own) with aromatherapy, by anyone other than a fully qualified vet.
The powerful and potentially dangerous nature of this form of medicine makes
regulation of its use in animals especially important. The above Act would
appear to be a simple and available tool for that purpose. There is a movement
to circumvent this law, claiming that animals ‘self-select’. If this were
truly the case, no skill would be needed, so why do these same people see
a need for training in animal aromatherapy? However cunningly the practice
is presented, it is still medicine and a very serious medicine at that, with
powers on a par with some of the trickiest modern prescription drugs.
© Christopher Day MRCVS – principal of the Alternative
Veterinary Medicine Centre, Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire