PetScentials

21/02/2026

At the end of last summer someone contacted me to find out if essential oils might help her dog with separation anxiety. The dog is a lovely golden retriever who would bark and howl and pant/salivate excessively (enough to steam up the large floor to ceiling window next to the door) when his owner went out. He lives with another younger goldie who does not have a problem with separation. The issue had been going on for a few years and the (very experienced) owner had run out of things to try.

I went along and did self-selection with the dog - dogs are great at knowing what they need! He gave a lovely clear selection on two oils, which the owner then started diffusing throughout the day. About a week after starting oils the owners daughter was over and instantly noticed that the dog was much calmer. It wasn't an instant fix but gave the owner room to work with training tools to help the dog be calm while she was out.

When we caught up just before Christmas the dog was doing much better - he wasn't completely over his separation issues but was progressing. However, the owner was now concerned about the other dog who had become extremely anxious when her young grandchildren had come over a week or so before. He had got really distressed with the noise and movement to the point of producing a lot of gas 🤢, shaking, and almost shutting down. He had calmed when things quietened down but the owner wanted to see if anything could be done to help him cope better in the future.

So I went along and did self-selection with the second dog - he chose two different oils. The owner started diffusing both sets of oils at once. Before I left we noticed that the second dog had laid down next to the owner, completely chilled out - the last time I was there he got into 'super-excited cos there's a visitor' mode!

A week later when we spoke the owner said that within an hour the gas had stopped (she realised it had not actually gone away after the children visited)! Both dogs were much now calmer and the separation anxiety in the first had completely gone. AND when the children came round neither dog showed any distress.

Working with these two lovely dogs taught me so much 😀
- self-selection is so important, and the needs of one animal may be very different to those of another even within the same household
- animals can really hold onto anxiety and the signs may be so subtle that they are hard to spot
- reducing the anxiety in one animal can have beneficial effects on others they live with and across the whole household.

If you'd like to see if essential oils can help you pet, please get in touch

09/11/2025

I recently was asked to go back see if I could help one of the first dogs I worked with back in 2023. Rosie is a lovely friendly collie but tends to get scared if around loud noises, and this had led to her being afraid to go out on walks. When I first met her she very clearly selected her oils and within a week was already much calmer and coping better on walks. Over the next couple of months Rosie got better and better on walks and people who knew her started commenting on how much calmer she was. By then bonfire night was looming and so we put a strategy in place to help her cope with fireworks - though she was scared at times she coped much better than in previous years.

Two years later and Rosie's owners contacted me as they were having problems with her on walks again - she had been struggling with the noise of motorbikes revving and tearing up and down the street. This was a couple of weeks before bonfire night and so I was keen to see Rosie as quickly as possible to see if we could help her through it. Rosie selected different oils to the previous time and so we started diffusing them around her, while continuing some of the other oils that had helped her before. She coped well with bonfire night - was scared but able to be coaxed and reassured. "Rosie fairly calm despite all the fireworks. Just some loud music and the essential oils, thanks Julie Eastgate for the advice on the oils. What a difference!🐕🐕🐕"

And now when asked if she wants to go for a walk, she has started going to the front door rather than being scared of going out😃

05/10/2025

https://www.thehealthfuldoctor.com/events/2025/10/16/menopause-belly-fat-blaster-workshop/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNPCIJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF6eUY2aWtpNFpwQ3BjV3V4AR6guMpzKbU-K9hDXnL9Xd-SgJXhG9CCUbhJIJyQwNiJ6EkG0HrkB1q2YMGKpg_aem_P6uHaT2Qym3lnstUu0BdTg

Anyone interested - message me 🙂

Want to Rid Menopause Belly Fat in 8 Weeks Without Starving Yourself During this live workshop on Thursday 16th October 2025, you will discover the root causes of stubborn menopause belly fat and the most effective diet, exercise, and lifestyle strategies to combat it, so you can confidently take co...

04/10/2025

A few weeks ago, the little speedy one hurt her paw - wrestling with her brother🙄She was limping pretty badly on it the first evening and by the next morning wasn't weight bearing. We had an enclosed field slot booked, so I took her along thinking she could just have a mooch about - within 15 minutes she had taken herself back to sit in the car, poor soul.

As she was obviously in a lot of discomfort, I gave her vet-prescribed pain relief! But added in a couple of anti-inflammatory oils and my go-to blend for all joint issues, and started her with some red light therapy. Within a couple of days she had started to bounce around and challenge her brother to play - so I stopped the pain meds and continued with the red light and oils, and tried to miminise the play in case she made it worse.

On Day 5 we had another enclosed field session booked - so I took her again, so she could have a mooch about. As soon as she got there she started her usual running about - there really was no stopping her! I was expecting her to suddenly start limping again, but no that was her all fine and no looking back!

06/09/2025

I'm lucky enough to have a network of essential oil people around me who I can discuss any unusual animal aromatherapy issues with. One of the people in my network (The Healthful Doctor) is also an A&E doctor. Anyone who gets oils through me can join her members page, which has numerous amazing resources for using oils with both animals and humans.

I went to these resources about a year ago when I decided I really needed see if I could do something about my cholesterol levels. They had been going up for a while but because it was 'good' cholesterol I'd been told I didn't need to start statins. I'd made all the dietary changes and while my levels hadn't gone up over some time (4 years) they were still considered high. I'm active (I run, canicross, do yoga) and my weight is OK (I'd like it to be less but who wouldn't). Having discussed with my practice nurse, we agreed that there wasn't much more I could do in terms of lifestyle changes. I knew that if any of my cardiovascular risk factors worsened I'd need to go on statins.

I should say I'm not anti-statins - they are really important for helping a lot of people manage their cholesterol levels. But I wanted to see if oils might help first.

So I started on a blend of oils that I've been taking it for almost a year. I had my blood tests redone this week and the results showed that my cholesterol is down by 0.6 (despite having had a big birthday this year and doing lots of 'celebration eating' over the last few months😉). As a result my cardiovascular risk (which wasn't too concerning before) is also way down. Needless to say I'm delighted to have seen such an amazing reduction.

If you are already a member of the Healthful Doctor members group, check out her resources - there may be alternative options to support your health and wellbeing. For those of you who aren't members, if you are interested in finding out more about using essential oils for yourself message me and I can put you in touch with the Healthful Doctor.

22/08/2025

A great way to get fit with your dog

🏃‍♀️🐾 New to fitness? Returning after a break? Want to try something fun with your dog?

This Sunday we’re running a Beginner-Friendly Canicross Class – the perfect way to get active, bond with your dog, and meet like-minded people!

📍 Sunday Aug 24 – 11:00am – Cani-Hike to Run @ Eglinton

No experience needed , just bring your enthusiasm and your four-legged teammate. We’ll guide you through everything step by step.

✨ What to expect:
✅ A supportive, social atmosphere
✅ Kit & harnesses available to borrow
✅ A great workout for you AND your dog

🔜 Upcoming Beginner-Friendly Sessions:
📍 Aug 31 – 10:30am – Fullarton Woods (Beginners Pop Up)
📍 Sept 2 – 7:00pm – Linwood (Beginners Pop Up)
📍 Sept 6 – 10:30am – Plean (Beginner Friendly)
📍 Sept 14 – 8:30am – Palacerigg (Beginner Friendly)
📍 Oct 6 – 7:00pm – Mugdock Country Park (Beginner Friendly)

📲 Book your place via the link in comments – search by area or date to find the right class for you

🐕💨

08/08/2025

Anyone have a dog that struggles with fireworks (or loud noises in general)? Now is the time to start putting strategies in place to help your dog cope on bonfire night. The Healthful Doctor is running a workshop 'Freedom From Fireworks : Start NOW, Not November' on 20th August.

If you think this might help or need a refresher, drop me a message 🙂

30/07/2025

So this wee girly was feeling a bit sorry for herself this morning. Lots of gurgling from her tum and refused her breakfast 😲. Rubbed a little bit of digestive oil blend on her abdomen and half an hour later she was wanting to eat!

22/07/2025

Free workshop Thursday 24th 7pm - Quiet Confidence: Helping Anxious Dogs Thrive In A Busy World

Message me for details

03/07/2025

A little update for those of you who listened to the podcast I did a few weeks ago with the The Healthful Doctor, talking about supporting our blind dog with a brain injury (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1qPoXYvBTnca74TUSKtKxe?si=V4pWBTZ9Tx6Ob1TZlLLTyg&fbclid=IwY2xjawLTU9NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF6eUY2aWtpNFpwQ3BjV3V4AR5TZr-vEa2jk_yXQgy7DGr0suiorocdngiSqqOES_W6coRBp-j4cbN2Khr8NA_aem_YUkWYAO-b9enKWrWwv9lRA&nd=1&dlsi=fd941ec56fd04dd4). Clovis is now calm enough to be out and about in the house - we still supervise him and Zaira so that things don't get too excitable but they are now best buddies.

We've continued the oils (and added in some of those suggested by Dr Helene) to support his movement and it is getting so much better - he still bunny hops but is more likely to walk both legs independently. When he does bunny hop (when he wants to get somewhere quickly) it's much less 'bouncy' and there's more of a push forwards. In general his back end is much stronger and is even able to c**k his leg every now and then!!!! The reacting to having his back legs touched while napping has also got much better.

He's doing so well and is such a happy affectionate boy, though sometimes a bit of an oaf, and definitely part of the family 😀

18/06/2025

Let's talk lumps and bumps! A couple of months ago Zaira developed a small, solid lump on the inside of the flappy bit of her ear - it was pale pink, not really inflamed, and didn't seem to be bothering her. We were visiting friends in a pretty rural location, so I assumed an insect bite and kept an eye on it.

Nothing really changed over the next week but by about 2 weeks it had got a bit oozy - I suspect she was scratching and kept breaking the skin. I tried making up an oil blend to help heal the skin, reduce any itching (though she still wasn't scratching it much), with some antimicrobial oils. It tended to look drier and less oozy in the morning but would look worse as the day progressed (again, I thought she was probably scratching and opening it up).

Just as I was about to take her to the vet, I happened to see another animal aromatherapist. She suggested trying an essential oil blend specifically designed for lumps and bumps. After 2 days of applying the blend to the lump it was visibly smaller and flatter. Over the next few days it dried up and within 2 weeks had gone completely.

Lesson for next time - take photos so everyone can see how well it worked 😐