Essential oils are toxic to our furry friends
A viral Reddit thread is shining some light on an often overlooked toxin that’s especially harmful to our pets. In February of this year, a Canadian pet owner returned home to find her cat was “limping and breathing” to the point it was “almost dead”. The culprit? Essential oils. A diffuser was left burning while the cat’s owner was away from the home for just a few hours.
The veterinarian the cat was brought to believes the cat “may have gotten close to or even consumed residue around the diffuser. The issue may have been made worse by the fact that the pet’s owner had “18 different types of essential oils in her home”. That’s right. Nearly 2 dozen essential oils.
The New York Post spoke with a New York City veterinarian that’s seen this type of issue on more than a few occasions, and warned that inhalation of the oils can cause “significant lung damage”. If the worst case scenario occurs, pets inhaling essential oils can “stop breathing and go into respiratory arrest.” Symptoms of exposure may include: burns to the respiratory tract, coughing, watery eyes and runny nose.
Essential oil manufacturers unfortunately haven’t faced many types of regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And essential oils aren’t the only scented threats to our furry friends, potpourri and salt lamps are also of great concern. It’s unclear as of this time whether Marie the cat survived, but we’re all pulling for her!
To read the New York Posts article in its entirety, click here: https://bit.ly/3aDU7B8