4 Questions That Should Clear If Peppermint Is Ok for Dogs or Not!

Helping your canine friend stay healthy and happy is essential for you as a dog owner. Knowing what kind of ingredients to add to your pal`s diet is crucial. So, this is how our question arises today: Is peppermint ok for dog?

Natural remedies have become more and more popular in the attempt to treat various ailments. Dog owners have turned to essential oils and various herbs to get rid of fleas or treat different medical conditions, such as arthritis.

Mentha balsamea Wild, more commonly known as peppermint, represents a hybrid mint, which is nothing more than an actual cross between spearmint and watermint.

Does Peppermint Smell Bother Dogs?

Dogs are able to smell essential oils. The smell sense of our canine friends is very powerful, and this is something that you need to remember when using any type of essential oil in the comfort of your house.

According to Sciencedirect.com, the diffusion of peppermint into a canine environment encouraged notably more vocalising and movement than other kinds of scents.

Peppermint might be considered a good essential oil, given that it can get rid of pesky fleas as well as stimulate circulation.

However, how do you know if your pooch is bothered by the smell of the essential oil in your diffuser or not? It`s simple!

You`ll see them with their noses starting to wiggle after they just took in this new scent, trying to figure it out what`s going on.

You might see them sneezing, which might be a clear sign that this new scent is definitely bothering them.

Body language:

• Raising ears
• Sniffing
• Twitching whiskers.

Additional signs:

• Looking all over for this new scent
• Sniffing he air around.

Are Peppermint Candy Canes Any Better?

The short answer to this is “no,” this type of products aren`t healthy for our furry friends. Peppermint candy canes shouldn`t be given to dogs.

Although extract of peppermint might not be harmful for dogs, it isn`t a great idea to fed your canine candies, like mint or candy cane.

This item of products don`t just contain peppermint as their main component, they have toxins included in their composition which are quite harmful or pooches.

More importantly, peppermint candy canes have Xylitol, which is very dangerous for dogs as it`s an artificial sweetener.

It`s vital to understand that you should never ever fed your little friend any type of sweets that contain xylitol as you`ll make your dog sick, and can at times be even fatal.

Other treated you should avoid are:

• Candies
• Fruitcakes
• Chocolate
• Nuts
• Pies and cobblers
• Anything that contain xylitol.

What About Peppermint Oil?

There`s a lot of research that highlights about the level of toxicity of peppermint oil when it comes to our furry friends. More than that, the jury is out on just about how efficient it really is when talking getting rid of fleas anyway.

Peppermint oil, just like any other type of essential oil, is an aromatic oil which is generally extracted from different parts of the herb. Menthol is the basic ingredient of peppermint essential oil.

Studies have proven that menthol kills some bacteria, fungi, yeasts and mites. It also has some relaxing properties, such as for coughs when placed on the skin.

Peppermint essential oil has gained a lot of popularity for a large selection of medical conditions in human beings.

Still, even in human beings it has been related to health issues, like mucous membrane irritation and muscle pain. There are people who even have severe allergies to mint.

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In recent times, some holistic vets and dog owners have proposed peppermint essential oil as an alternative for dogs to prevent and treat fleas.

A lot of this popularity is mainly based on well done marketing campaigns by companies that sell this type of pet items. Scientific studies have offered no evidence of their efficiency. – Read more!

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Why Isn`t Peppermint Ok for Dogs?

This is a question that bothers some of the dog owners out there, one of whom might be even you if you are reading this.

Unfortunately, in this particular situation, it is. Peppermint has been considered unsafe for dogs by the ASPCA for quite some time now.

Some of the reasons we outlined above when we talked about about the toxicity level from peppermint oil or about peppermint candy canes not being healthy in general to offer us treats.

If you decide to grow peppermint in your backyard, you should be extremely careful about leaving your little friend wandering around this plant as it might put your pal`s health in jeopardy.

Still, if your pooch consumes a rather small amount of this peppermint, things will probably be ok. It`s just a plant you have to be aware of when your dog is around it.

Overall Conclusion

For just about any dog owner out there, getting rid of fleas and mites is a complete nightmare since it can lead to a lot of havoc to our canine friends and real headaches to us dog lovers.

Still, you need to always double check if you are thinking of using herbs and natural remedies. Our dog safety is a priority and should always talk to a veterinarian first before adding anything to your dog`s life.