Animal Aromatherapy Case Study – Lola a quarter horse
I began my journey into animal aromatherapy in 2017. Working with animals is similar but different than humans due to many differences in our physiology. We are also similar though in that our bodies will react to the positive benefits of natural medicines.
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As I worked through achieving my certification as an animal aromatherapist I was required to complete several case studies. At the time I was volunteering at Celestial Farms, so I asked the owner if I could work with the animals to complete my case studies. We had talked several times about the benefits of natural remedies, so she was thrilled that I wanted to work with all the rescues.
I didn’t expect to fall so in love with the wide variety of farm animals but am so grateful that I have a wider understanding of all animals. I think being able to work with such a wide range from chickens all the way up to horses has allowed me to be a better aromatherapist.
Lola the horse
Lola, a female quarter horse, was the first animal I was able to work with. She began limping so we assumed something was wrong with her hooves.
Now, I will admit that I have been horseback riding and have always had a love of horses, but from a distance. It was a blessing that the barn manager was supportive of my desire to help the animals and she could answer so many questions. We were able to teach and learn a lot from each other.
During our first few sessions with Lola, I learned the detailed structure of the hoof and all the things that can go wrong. As we explored Lola’s hooves and legs we discovered she was suffering from an infection of thrush. This is something that was recurring in her so it was pretty easy to identify. As perfectly defined by www.equisearch.com* it is: “A noxious rotting odor emanating from the underside of a hoof…”. For any animals that live in a moist climate this is a common struggle.
Man Made versus Natural
The barn manager had been using Kopertox (https://www.drugs.com/vet/kopertox.html) which is commonly used to treat thrush in horses. One of the ingredients in Kopertox is copper naphthenate, which is supposed to provide resistance to water, unfortunately it also burns skin. The use of Kopertox created a whole new issue within Lola’s hoof as you can see in the picture, she developed a nasty sore.
We immediately discontinued use of the Kopertox and cleaned out her hooves as well as we could. My instructor Kelly graciously shares a blend for a healing skin mist spray in her Facebook group Animal Aromatherapy (Safe Use) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1595932084001505/. This spray includes colloidal silver, witch hazel, and herbal tinctures of calendula (Calendula officinalis), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). We began using this blend on Lola’s sore and the bottom of her hooves, within a few short days we saw extreme improvement. With daily cleaning the sores and thrush cleared up.
After about a month Lola developed thrush again, thanks to a raining spring. Since she was not experiencing the sores that we had seen previously I created a blend utilizing aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) and lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus) at a (less than half percent) .5% dilution. Lemongrass has been shown to be a skin sensitizer, to learn more read this article so you have to be cautious when using it. After just 3 days of use her hooves were clear again. We continued use for 5 days total to ensure the infection was cleared up.
