by Helen Stroud, Proprietress of OLIVINE in Uptown Park
A dog’s sense of smell is by far their most highly developed sense. The average dog can sense odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans. For instance, a dog is able to smell one drop of blood in five quarts of water! This is because dogs have more than 100 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to humans having only 5 million.
Dogs have long made significant contributions to public health as police dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs and even as family pets. They can be trained to sniff out explosives and drugs, track criminals and find missing children. Dogs are used to warn their owners about such things as upcoming epileptic seizures, low blood sugar and heart attacks.
Recent scientific evidence shows that dogs can be trained to detect both early and late stages of breast and lung cancers. Their extraordinary scenting ability has also been used to detect both melanoma and bladder cancers. During one scientific study, the dogs detected the diseases with an accuracy rate of 88% and 97%, even at the very earliest stages of the cancers.
Dogs have this ability because they can smell multiple layers of chemicals. Therefore, we should be mindful of the scents and household cleaners we use in our homes; what smells good to us could be overwhelming or even toxic to our pets. Many animals have been sickened and even died as a result of their owner’s cleaning products.
The best products to use around our furry companions also happen to be the best products to use for our own physical health. My favorite brands use essential oils in their formulas, such as Good Home, Mrs. Meyers and Method.
Please be careful when burning candles as well. Many candles are overly fragranced with synthetic scents and have lead wicks, adding insult to injury. There are natural odor-neutralizers available at pet stores that are not toxic and will make even the most sensitive noses happy.
Bathing and grooming your four-legged family members go a long way towards contributing to a pleasantly fragranced home. At OLIVINE, we have a new product that has become my favorite – Fur Moringa Seed and Calendula Cleanser and Fur leave-in conditioner. They are formulated with botanical extracts, essential fatty acids, and anti-oxidants. It is PH balanced especially for dogs and naturally repels fleas and ticks. This stuff is amazing!
Also, at OLIVINE we sell Antica Farmacista which are lovely, European fragrances that naturally scent the home using reed diffusers. In addition, we have naturally fragranced candles with lead-free wicks.
Smell and memory are intimately linked as smell influences mood, memory and emotions. So let us inspire happy memories while also bearing in mind the special sensitivities of our best friends.
