12/21/2025
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Dog Poisoned by the Diffuser.
Saturday night I got home late and my Boston Terrier didn’t recognize me.
At first, I thought I had just startled him awake. As a nanny, I’ve seen night terrors before, and that’s exactly what it looked like—confusion, fear, distant eyes. But by Sunday morning, something still felt off. He wasn’t himself. Quiet. Disoriented. Not my usual happy, playful Boston Terrier.
Then it hit me.
I had been running a brand-new essential oil diffuser almost nonstop. I turned it off immediately. By Sunday afternoon, he seemed a little better, and I hoped that was the end of it.
It wasn’t.
On Monday, while I was at work, my dog sitter called and said my Boston Terrier wouldn’t come out from under the bed. Anyone who knows him knows how strange that was—he’s normally social, affectionate, and glued to people. My gut told me something was really wrong.
I left work early. When I got home, my heart sank.
He looked at me like I was a stranger.
Confused. Scared.
I rushed him to the emergency vet.
After tests and a call to pet poison control, we finally had an answer: tea tree oil toxicity. The essential oil I had been diffusing—thinking it was harmless—was poisoning my dog. Thankfully, his liver tests came back okay, but we weren’t in the clear yet. He was given subcutaneous fluids to help flush the toxins from his system, and we monitored him closely.
Both the vet and poison control told me something that shook me:
They’re seeing cases like this more and more often as essential oils become popular in homes.
I’m sharing this because I had no idea. I truly believed I was creating a calm, healthy environment—while unknowingly putting my Boston Terrier in danger.
Please, if you have pets, especially dogs, research every essential oil before using it. Many oils that are safe for humans can be extremely toxic to animals, even when diffused.
I’m incredibly grateful my Boston Terrier is on the road to recovery. If this story helps even one pet owner avoid the same scare, it’s worth sharing.
🐾 Hug your dogs a little tighter tonight—and double-check what’s in your diffuser.
