Any of these essential oils safe?

[NightOwls]

Would like to do some nosework with the dogs inside the house. Anyone know if any of these oils {Anise, Pine, Wintergreen, Birch, Clove, Cypress, Vetiver, Myrrh} are safe to use in the same room as Casey?

 

[Mizzely]

I don't know what you mean by nose work... Something the dog sniffs out? How are the essential oils used?

Diffused I wouldn't use any of them; we really don't have a lot of good data for parrots yet; since their respiratory system is so different they absorb things in the air a lot more than people do.

I know Birch is not recommended at all for children of any age, so I would be very hesitant to use it at all in any capacity.

Anise, Pine, Clove, and Wintergreen I have read are toxic to dogs.

Not sure about the others.

 

[NightOwls]

I don't know what you mean by nose work... Something the dog sniffs out? How are the essential oils used?

The oil is put on a qtip or cotton ball, which is then usually placed in a little metal tin with opening, and hid for the dogs to sniff out.

 

[Destiny]

As long as you are not actively diffusing the oil in the air, applying it directly to the bird, or allowing the bird to ingest the oils, it will probably be fine. I do not think occasionally using a small amount as a scent lure would expose the bird to dangerous amounts of oil fumes.

I recommend storing the oils and preparing the metal tin in a different room, so as to minimize the amount of scent released in the room with the bird. And when you are done, I would dispose of the oil-filled cotton outside of the house, so there is no chance the bird might get to it by accident. Wintergreen oil is highly concentrated and quite toxic when ingested. It makes people ill and could potentially kill a small animal. Not sure about the other oils, but I would treat them all as potentially hazardous.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[Mizzely]

I agree that if prepped in a room away from Casey that what you describe is probably fine. Just make sure that the oils you use are safe for your dogs too.

 

[opalwings]

Hello! i agree with using them in a different room to be safe- i have heard of a bird going into respiratory arrest from Tea Tree Oil. However thats a super strong one. I have heard that the really 'minty' ones, like eucalyptus, etc can be troublesome especially. Conversely i have heard of some floral and citrus to be a little more 'safe'... orange, lemon, rose and lavender for example. I accidentally sprayed water that i didnt know had rose oil in it and my baby was fine.
Since i am paranoid however, i never use EOs, i just use natural food extracts instead to scent the rooms- vanilla, coconut, almond, etc. even rosewater (like a food grade hydrosol, not essential oil) so maybe you could try those if you want to do it in the same room as the birdy? Good luck!