Replied By Frank (Greenwich, CT) on 04/06/2009
I researched this because I have used tea tree oil on my dogs a number of times over the years without any problems. There's a rumor that some of these side effects reported on tea tree oil for dogs are faked. I came across a very similar post recently on another web site about paralysis. Not to say it can't be true, but if they're posting fake reports all over the internet about the dangers of giving garlic to dogs (which has been used for centuries), I imagine it could be the same for tea tree oil.Replied By Kb (Jupiter, Fl) on 07/07/2011
Just wanted to comment on this: We experienced exactly the same problem with tea tree oil. We have a 108 lbs Newfoundland (big dog) who has skin problems. Several months ago I had the bright idea of applying some tea tree oil on his skin, without doing any further research. Trust me that was not smart and a very scary experience. I applied maybe 7 or 8 drops of tea tree oil to a cotton ball and rubbed it on the spots that bothered him. Within an hour our big boy had trouble getting up and walking. He literally walked like a drunk and very soon did not want to walk or get up at all. After calling the emergency vet and they did not know anything about tea tree oil, one of the vet techs recommended to wash him with dawn dishwashing liquid to get the oil out of his coat (makes sense, they do the same for birds that are covered in oil). So we did - it helped but it took a total of at least 24 hours for our dog to be back on his feet.
I did look this problem up online afterwards and yes it is a neurotoxin to dogs, so be very careful with it. Some dogs may be ok but I would never ever try this again on any of my animals. So just because something works on humans does not mean it has the same effect on animals, and I usually trust tea tree oil.
Replied By Sindee (Santa Cruz, Ca. ) on 07/27/2016
Just an FYI: Tea Tree Oil in pure form is toxic to humans as well. I was foolish enough to experiment with a couple drops on my big toe trying to kill fungus and the surrounding skin was burned which took weeks to heal. It must be diluted if it's going to be used on skin otherwise it's a great product.