6 Best Essential Oils for Dogs in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

So, you have heard that essential oils can be beneficial for your dog in some way. Many essential oils are touted as offering effective calming support to pooches, while others are thought to promote healing and even repel pests like fleas. No matter the reason that you want to invest in essential oils for your furry family member, you can rest assured that there are many awesome options available on the market to choose from.

The question is, which essential oil products are the highest quality and most reliable? How do you know that you are getting the best bang for your buck? We know how stressful it can be when choosing products for our pooches that could impact their health or well-being. Therefore, we decided to test a variety of popular essential oils for dogs to decipher which are the best to use and which are probably better left on the shelf.

We have created a list of six essential oils that should not be overlooked by dog owners. Hopefully, this list of reviews will help you narrow down your search to one or two essential oil products that you can feel confident treating your dog with.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Warren London Essential Oil Dog Calming Spray	Easy-to-use No artificial ingredients No need to spray directly	Check Price
Best Value		Handcraft Lavender Essential Oil	100% pure lavender essential oil Airtight container Can be administered in multiple ways	Check Price
Premium Choice		My Peaceful Paws Essential Oil	Made with a variety of calming essential oils Gentle on fur and skin Can be used on bedding and toys	Check Price
		Healing Solutions Lavender Essential Oil	Only contains pure lavender oil Smells great Secure lid minimizes the risk of spills	Check Price
		ThunderEssence Dog Calming Essential Oils	Unique blend of three calming essential oils Ready to use on dogs of all breeds Easy-to-understand directions	Check Price

The 6 Best Essential Oils for Dogs

1. Warren London Essential Oil Dog Calming Spray — Best Overall

Warren London Essential Oil Formula is designed to relieve stress and support a calm disposition when dogs are feeling afraid, unsure of themselves, or simply stressed out for any reason. Made with nothing more than lavender oil, sweet orange oil, clary sage oil, and vetiver oil, this is a non-toxic calming solution that is free of harsh chemicals, artificial ingredients, and fillers of any kind.

This formula comes in an easy-to-use spray bottle that closes tightly, so it can be carried in a purse or tote bag while traveling. The essential oils start to work as soon as they are sprayed in a dog’s vicinity. There is no need to spray the solution directly on your pooch. The essence of the oils being released into the air is all that is needed to have a positive effect on your pooch’s overall mood. This essential oil spray can help keep your dog calm while everyone is spending quiet time indoors.

2. Handcraft Lavender Essential Oil — Best Value

Lavender essential oilcan be used to treat itchy skin, relieve joint pain, soothe burns, and reduce symptoms of anxiety in dogs, so it is always a good idea to keep some around the house. But not any lavender oil will do. The oil that you choose for your pooch should be made of 100% lavender and nothing else. Handcrafted lavender essential oil is the perfect option for pooches because it is pure oil.

We think that this is the best essential oil for dogs for the money because it is pure and easy to use and is sealed in an airtight container that keeps the oils fresh for several months before having to be replaced. However, this product does not come with directions about how to use the oil on or around dogs. It should be diluted before topically applied, and it can be diffused into the air. It is best to contact a veterinarian before administering the oil for usage directions and recommendations.

3. My Peaceful Paws Essential Oil — Premium Choice

This essential oil blend is specially formulated to relieve separation anxiety and stress that develops due to uncertain situations or downright scary experiences, like firework shows and thunderstorms. My Peaceful Paws Essential Oil is made with a variety of oils, including mandarin, sweet marjoram, spikenard, and neroli. They are blended with safflower oil to create a gentle formula that is pleasing to the nose and gentle on dogs.

This essential oil blend is designed to be rubbed into the hands and then onto the dog’s neck and chest. The oil can also be applied to bedding and toys for anxiety relief when spending time in unfamiliar places, like a boarding kennel. While the formula comes with a dropper for easy administration, the process can be messy, especially while traveling.

4. Healing Solutions Lavender Essential Oil

This product contains no other ingredients than pure lavender essential oil. This is one of the better smelling lavender oils on the market in our opinion, and it happens to be one of the most affordable. However, the oil is powerful and needs to be diluted with coconut oil or something similar before it can be used on a dog. This means having to invest in two different products to make the lavender oil work for your pooch.

The lid features a click-lock function to ensure that it will not fall off or loosen and allow the oil to drip out of the bottle. The small bottle is made of glass, so it is not safe for travel unless well secured. We found that the oil pours out quickly too, so care should be taken, and pouring should be done over a sink.

5. ThunderEssence Dog Calming Essential Oils

ThunderEssence dog calming essential oil features a unique blend of different oils that help ease tension, relax anxiety, and relieve fear. Three main oils make up this impressive formula. First is the lavender, which relaxes and calms. Then, there is the chamomile, which relieves anxiety and tense muscles. Finally, there is the Egyptian geranium, which soothes and calms mental stress.

This spray is slightly diluted with purified water, so it is ready to apply to your dog right out of the container, without worrying about the development of irritation. It is made specifically for dogs, so you never have to wonder whether you are using the product correctly or harming your pooch in any way — unless the directions are not properly followed. We do not like how the lid easily falls off when the product is being moved, and the smell is not as pleasant as many other options on our reviews list.

6. Vetnique Labs Furbliss Calming Spray with Essential Oils

This Calming spray is fortified with an essential oil blend that is known to help relieve anxiety and stress, whether at home, at the vet’s office, or while at the park, where your pooch is not comfortable around a bunch of strangers. The spray can be administered to a dog’s fur, collar, and bedding without creating any residue, and it can be added to dog shampoo before bath time if a stressful situation is anticipated afterward.

Vetnique Labs Furbliss calming spray is made in the United States and does not contain any perfumes, chemicals, or artificial ingredients. However, the ingredients list does not specify what essential oils are included in the blend, which could be a problem for dogs with sensitive skin. Also, there is only a handful of uses in each container, so you may find yourself buying a bottle often.

Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Calming Essential Oils for Dogs

Purchasing essential oil for dogs is a tricky business. Not all essential oils are safe for dogs, and the oils should not be used in all the ways that we might use them ourselves. There is also the fact that not all essential oil products are created equal. While some are pure oils, others are diluted with water, oil, or other ingredients. Still others include artificial ingredients and chemicals that are questionable. We have put together a buyer’s guide to make comparing, choosing, and investing in essential oils for your dog easier. Here are important buying tips to remember.

Know What Oils Are and Are Not Okay

The most important thing that you should do before buying essential oils for your dog is to find out which oils are safe for them. This will ensure that you focus on the good stuff and completely avoid the questionable and risky stuff. There are many more essential oils that dogs should avoid than ones that they can benefit from. So, knowing which are safe and sticking to those is an easy way to keep your pooch safe as time goes on. The essential oils that can benefit your dog include:

When choosing a product that features a combination of multiple essential oils, it is important to scan the ingredients list and make sure none of these oils are on the list.

Always Read the Ingredients List

Even if the product you are thinking of investing in says that it is pure lavender oil, you should read the entire ingredients list. You may find that the oil is diluted with vegetable oil, water, or even artificial colorings. There could be ingredients such as polysorbate-20 and glycerin lurking inside the product that does not offer any benefit to your pet’s health. Ingredients other than the essential oils themselves are not necessary unless you are looking for a diluted option. If this is the case, choose an option that uses purified water over those that incorporate vegetable oils. You can always dilute pure essential oils using water yourself at home.

Let Your Dog Take the Lead

Just because an essential oil is known to benefit dogs does not mean that your pooch will like the oil in question. If they do not enjoy being around lavender essential oil, for example, it is best not to try and force them to sniff it or spend time in a room where it is being diffused. Doing so could cause more stress and anxiety, which is likely what you are trying to prevent in your dog to begin with. Before applying any oil to your dog’s fur or skin or diffusing some in your home, open the essential oil bottle and hold it out for your dog to sniff.

Either they will come toward it and enjoy smelling it, or they will turn the other way and ignore it. If your dog does not show interest in an essential oil at first, try again the next day just to be sure. The smell might grow on them and start to interest them over time. Because multiple essential oils have healing and stress relief benefits for dogs, you can try another if you find that your pooch is not interested in a particular option.

Try More Than One Calming Oil for Dogs

Even if your pooch does like the first essential oil that you expose them to, it is worth trying other options too. The second or third option you try may be more enticing or effective than the first. You may find that the different options you try are all effective in different ways, and you could customize a treatment plan that optimizes your dog’s overall quality of life.

For instance, lavender oil might be relaxing for your dog and help them get to sleep at night, while frankincense invigorates them in the morning and makes them want to get active. You might even find that combining multiple oils provides your dog with the most benefits when all is said and done. But you will never know if you stop trying new options when you find one that your pooch likes.

Talk to Your Veterinarian

Before exposing your furry family member to any essential oils, it is a good idea to schedule a checkup with your veterinarian. If any underlying health conditions are discovered, it may not be safe to expose them to certain oils, if not all of them. The oils could exasperate any health problems that your pooch is dealing with, especially if exposed to the oils regularly over time.

Your veterinarian can tell you which essential oils to gravitate toward and which to avoid based on your dog’s specific health situation and needs. They can also recommend administration techniques that will benefit your dog the most. Consider heading in for another checkup two to three weeks after you start exposing your dog to essential oils, to make sure that the oils are not negatively impacting their health.

Conclusion

Any one of the essential oil products on our reviews list should help your pooch relax and enjoy their life more, especially in new and different situations. We highly recommend our first choice, Warren London Essential Oil Formula, because it is easy to use and free of artificial ingredients. It is affordable and smells good too. Our second choice, Handcraft Lavender Essential Oil, is also worthy of serious consideration. It contains nothing but pure lavender oil and can be administered in multiple different ways.

Each option has a unique aroma, texture, and application process, so you may have to experiment a little until you find the perfect concoction for your beloved pooch. Which essential oil options on our list interest you the most? Are you planning to use just one essential oil or a combination? We want to know what you think! Feel free to leave us a comment with your thoughts down below.

Featured image credit: iAmMrBenjamin, Shutterstock