All About Tea Tree Essential Oil

Tea Tree, also known as Melaleuca essential oil has historically been used to promote skin health, as well as support immunity. Melaleuca has reported health benefits from maintaining beautiful hair to purification and freshening the room, cleansing the air, keeping skin clean, toned and healthy looking, supporting nails and ear health, and so much more… No wonder everyone wants a little bit of this oil! However, this oil is not safe for all species.

Tea tree is very useful in supporting the skin, hair and nails. This oil is also very useful in dealing with emotional issues of codependent relationships, particularly horses that cannot leave a particular friend.

So let’s talk about how to use it with animals…

With Dogs: Not typically indicated for use with dogs without veterinary oversight. It is included in several blends, and these blends can be diffused using a water diffuser (2-4 drops maximum), and ensure the dog can leave the area. I have used this oil in rare circumstances with dogs under oversight by a veterinarian or trained animal aromatherapist and diluted properly. However, it’s best to start with an oil like Geranium, Myrrh, Arborvitae, or Melissa which are safer as well as powerful in their own right.

For Cats: Not for topical or internal use. If diffusing a blend with Tea Tree oil in it, ensure the area is well ventilated and the cat can leave the area.

For Equine or Large Animal Use: use this oil topically directly over the area of concern. It is particularly useful with for scrapes or minor cuts, or even itchy skin mixed with lavender and frankincense or helichrysum. This is very helpful for hoof health as well. A must have on any farm!

Birds and Poultry: Water diffusion or used in combination with other oils as an ointment. This oil can be used in chicken coops to help keep them healthy and… bonus: it can repel unwanted creepy crawlies as well.

This oil mixes very well with many oils… citrus oils, lavender, Rosemary, or eucalyptus are the most common ones I use it with.

The use of Melaleuca alternifolia, or Tea Tree essential oil, is controversial in small animals, and almost every veterinarian I know will tell you that it is toxic. So let’s talk about it…

In January 2014, JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) published a study entitled “Concentrated tea tree oil toxicosis in dogs and cats: 443 cases (2002–2012).” This article took all of the toxic exposures to Melaleuca that were reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center of dogs and cats over a 10 year period and analyzed them. This included reported toxic exposures throughout the US and Canada. The article concludes by stating that use of tea tree oil in dogs and cats is not recommended. And this is why your veterinarian tells you it is toxic.

They analyzed 443 cases – over 10 years… a little over 44 cases reported each year. To put that into a little bit of perspective, it’s estimated that 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the United States alone. Granted, not everyone uses essential oils. Of those cases, only 31 were classified as major illness.

The brands of the essential oils that caused toxicity were not disclosed in this study, it is likely that they are not known. Being that different purity levels and potency exists between brands, I believe this is a contributing factor in toxicity of this oil in most cases.

The amount of oils that caused toxicity was “dose dependent.” In other words, the larger the dose or amount of oils used, and the smaller the animal, the more severe the symptoms were. The animals ranged from 0.2 kg (less than 0.5 lb. newborn/ juvenile kittens) to 71 kg (156 lb. dog). The toxic dosage ranged from 0.1 mL to 85 mL – in terms of standard sized essential oil bottles, that is 5 drops to over 5 Bottles worth of essential oil. Two dogs were reported with applications that resulted in death – one was accidently given 0.4 mL of this essential oil IV (in the vein) which is about 20 drops. The other was a small dog (miniature poodle) that was given 28.5 mL (that’s a little less than 2 full bottles) topically for 3 days straight. None of the cats that had toxicity died from exposure. There were no reports of toxicity from diffusion.

The symptoms of Tea Tree toxicity in dogs include depression, lethargy, listlessness, somnolence or appearing subdued, paresis, weakness, or hind limb weakness, ataxia, muscle tremors and fasciculation, and rarely: coma, collapse, recumbency, dermatitis, pruritus, rash, stiffness, increased salivation, and high serum liver enzyme activities. In cats, symptoms include salivation or drooling, ataxia, coma, recumbency, unresponsiveness, unconsciousness, or a semi-comatose state, muscle tremors or fasciculation, dermatitis, pruritus, or rash. These symptoms will develop within 2-12 hours and may last up to 72 hours. If you think your dog or cat has had a toxic topical exposure, wash your animal with mild dish soap and rinse thoroughly. If you think your dog or cat has ingested this oil, do not induce vomiting. They can be fed activated charcoal. Contact your veterinarian if either of these is the case.

Interestingly, in one year (2003), the American Association of Poison Control Centers recorded 787 exposures to Tea Tree in humans; 518 of these were in humans less than 6 years of age, 57 in those 6 to 19 years of age, and 212 in those over 19 years of age. Based on these numbers compared to those in the 10 years of reported dog/ cat cases, Tea Tree oil may actually be safer for pets than humans! (If we were basing it solely on reported cases).

In summary, Tea Tree should not be feared and avoided at all costs around animals, but must be used with some caution. Because this oil is so common, we tend to think it is very safe to use on ourselves, but the truth is it is very potent and should only be used in small amounts or diluted, even with people. Be knowledgeable about the information that is out there. Be sure to look at all the facts and ask questions. The margin of safety for this oil may be larger (or smaller) than what you may have originally thought. That being said, there are other oils (such as Melissa, Geranium, or Arborvitae) that are equally as effective as Tea Tree and have an even higher margin of safety for dogs and cats.