I've had customers ask why we put Tea Tree oil in our Barkin' Good Paw Salve when it has been proven toxic to dogs. Here is what you need to know about tea tree oil safety for dogs, and why tea tree oil is in our best-selling Chic Puppy product.

A Note on Essential Oils and Pets

Animals are much more sensitive than humans when it comes to essential oils, and we carefully considered that when creating this product. When using essential oils on pets, we must be very respectful of the power of these oils and the effect they have on our furry friends. Even with humans, essential oils must be used properly, as toxicity levels can be reached easily when not handled and applied with care.

That being said, when used correctly, essential oils are incredibly healing, soothing and effective at assisting with emotional and spiritual change within, and we are fortunate to have them in our lives. 

Prior to formulating our Paw Salve, we knew that Tea tree oil was one ingredient we definitely wanted to include, simply for its amazing ability to soothe and heal. Even in small concentration, it works wonders. We looked at studies of toxicity levels of tea tree in dogs, and kept that in mind as we went forward with the product. As with most natural ingredients (for humans or pets), many are safe to use, provided they are delivered in a dilution that is appropriate for the receiver.

So How Much Tea Tree Oil Is In There?

To give you the numbers, Tea tree oil toxicity in dogs ranges between 2 and 5 grams of oil per kilogram of body weight. Our Barkin’ Good Paw Salve contains 0.00238% organic Tea Tree oil, which translates in the 35 gram jar that we create to 0.0833 grams of the oil in the entire jar.  

When you take a small swipe of the salve to apply to your pets’ paws or other necessary spots (and let’s assume that you’ll get 150 ‘swipes’ out of the jar), this translates down to less than 0.0005 grams per application.

In order to reach the toxic level of 2 grams of oil per kilogram of body weight to your pet, you would need to use approximately 24 jars of paw salve all at once, per kilo of body weight.  That's a whole lot of salve! 

Final Verdict

This trace amount will not harm dogs when applied onto the skin or even when occasionally licked by them. With that in mind, we are confident that this product is safe for use on your most discerning dogger. 

Thank you so very much to our savvy customers for always asking such thoughtful questions -- we appreciate your discernment and so happy that you choose our products. 

We hope this alleviates any concerns you may have about this product loved by humans and fur-babies alike!