Using Tea Tree Oil to Support Your Dog's Yeast or Bacterial Infection

Our concentrated USDA organic dog shampoo features tree tree oil to help cool your dog's hot spots, irritated and inflamed skin and reduce the presence of bacteria and fungus including yeast.

What is tea tree oil and is it safe for your dog? 

Botanical Name: Melaleuca alternifolia (USDA Certified Organic) 

INCI Name: Melaleuca alternifolia leaf

Country of Origin: Australia

Extraction Method: Steam Distilled from the leaves

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Melaleuca, or tea tree oil, was all the rage. We tried to list all of the products we remembered that contained tea tree oil. Suffice to say, tea tree oil was in everything from toothpaste to laundry detergent. 

Then came along stories about tea tree oil toxicity and skin sensitivity and people started saying, "Tea tree oil is toxic for dogs." 

There is even an unsubstantiated story about three reported cases of breast enlargement in boys which sparked a concern about tea tree oil altering hormone levels and warning that people with hormone sensitive cancers and impaired immune systems should avoid tea tree oil. The science doesn't support these warnings and no scientific literature can validate these warnings.

There are documented reports of toxicity from misuse. The documented skin sensitivity issues in animals (humans, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc.) were from very high and even undiluted skin application of tea tree oil. This is of course not a surprise as applying essential oils undiluted on the skin is both irresponsible and unadvisable as it will without a doubt, cause an adverse reaction. 

The Quality of Tea Tree Oil 

When recently asked how we can tell the difference between a high quality and low quality tea tree oil, the response came quickly - the smell!

If you've smelled a lot of tea tree oils and compared them to their key constituents, you will train your nose, much like a master wine sommelier can identify the differences in a good or bad wine based on organoleptics - using your senses to identify differences and quality. It is truly a trained skill. 

If you study essential oils you will find there are vast quality differences.

In general, the quality of tea tree oil is based on the key constituent concentrations of Terpinen-4-ol (which has the anti-microbial properties) and 1,8-Cineole (a natural organic compound better known as eucalyptol, the main ingredient in eucalyptus oil). Better quality tea tree oils contain higher concentration levels of terpinen-4-ol and lower levels of 1,8-Cineole along with low levels of p-cymene (which is indicative of oxidative degradation). 

The high quality standard is between 30-40% for Terpinen-4-ol and less than 7% for 1,8-Cineole.

Our USDA Certified Organic tea tree oil is pure and exhibits exceptional quality. We love that it is USDA Certified Organic so it has never been exposed to pesticides or herbicides and is free of GMO  or other practices that are damaging our environment. 

Proper Dilution of Tea Tree Oil 

Another factor to consider when using tea tree oil is dilution. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has recommended limiting the concentrations of tea tree oil to a maximum of 1% for topical application using unoxidized tea tree oil.  They further recommend using antioxidants (like the rosemary extract used in our organic dog shampoo) in the product to limit oxidation as well as packaging in a dark bottle to limit light exposure.

A Higher Standard of Safety for Your Dog

Taking a look at our our new USDA Certified Organic Peppermint and Tea Tree Oil Dog Shampoo you will see 4-Legger has taken the recommendations seriously to achieve the highest levels of safety - from packaging it in a dark bottle, proper dilution of the oils, and the first aloe based USDA organic dog shampoo formulation - it is exceptional. 

When we were trying to come up with what we would call this shampoo, we had so many names - concentrated tea tree dog shampoo, antifungal dog shampoo, a flea shampoo for dogs, and a yeast shampoo for dogs. All of the names apply! 

Ingredients in our anti-fungal dog shampoo

This multi-purpose blend is truly exceptional as are the ingredients: 

Organic aloe juice, organic saponified oils (coconut, shea butter, olive, sunflower & jojoba), organic vegetable glycerin, organic peppermint essential oil, organic tea tree oil, organic eucalyptus essential oil, organic rosemary extract 

Because our peppermint and tea tree shampoo is USDA organic, ALL of the ingredients are Certified Organic. It also means it is non-GMO, no pesticides, no herbicides, and zero opportunity for contamination of the ingredients.

Some of the benefits in 4-Legger concentrated tea tree dog shampoo 

Our shampoo is silky smooth and moisturizing thanks to the coconut oil, shea butter, olive, sunflower oil, and vegetable glycerin. 

The peppermint essential oil is naturally cooling to irritated skin and a natural antibacterial and anti-fungal that helps to balance oily skin, moisturize dry and itchy skin and soothe hot spots. It also helps to reduce inflammation. 

The tea tree oil is an excellent insect repellent that excels at reducing the presence of bacteria or fungus while reducing skin inflammation.

This blend is truly something to howl about! 

 

As a side note, we do not recommend this blend for cats as they would not especially care for the scent.