This is a guest post by Dr. John Hanover, DVM, who teaches courses such as Essential Oils for Pet Professionals and other pet health and nutrition classes at Harper CE.

Our pets may be seeing more of us right now and their daily routines are affected by ours. If you are feeling stressed, you pets will pick up on that and may start to show behaviors that are not part of their normal routine.

Here are a few tips to help your pets during the pandemic:

1. Their own spot: Your furry friends needs to have their own place to get away when they want. Having humans home all day can be overstimulating.
2. Don’t make food changes: So many changes are happening, keep his/her regular food at regular feeding intervals. Do NOT give pet table scraps.
3. Give your pet exercise: Take your dog for a walk around the block or play in the backyard Give your cat a new ball or favorite toy to play with.
4. Give healthy treats: Try frozen green beans or sardines as an occasional treat.
5. Try essential oils:

Keeping a calm and positive outlook, is important. Diffusing essential oils can be just “what the Dr. ordered”! Many of these oils can be combined in your diffuser to make a blend specific to your needs. Help you and your pets by using essential oils to create a more serene and peaceful home environment. Try putting a few drops of oil on your hand, then rubbing on a collar or bandanna for your pet or use a water based diffuser. Be sure to use QUALITY essential oils and check with your veterinarian with any questions. Suggested oils include:

Citrus oils – Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, or Tangerine. Citrus oils are very uplifting and can help elevate mood.

Tree oils – Frankincense, Black Spruce, Pine, Palo Santo, or Balsam Fir. These oils help ground us as well as connect us to our higher powers. Think of the roots in the earth and the branches with their leaves reaching to the sky and beyond.

High Frequency oils – Rose, Sandalwood, Melissa, Blue Spruce, and even Lavender. Everything on earth has a vibrational frequency and when stressed, that frequency decreases. Lower frequencies can be associated with feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable.

Oils to help with grounding and focusing: Cedarwood, Vetiver, Valerian, Lavender, Rosemary, or Lemon.