Lemongrass essential oil is not safe for dogs. The ASPCA lists lemongrass as toxic to dogs due to its essential oil content and compounds called cyanogenic glycosides. While the lemongrass plant itself poses a mild risk if chewed on, the concentrated essential oil is significantly more dangerous and can cause harm through skin contact, ingestion, or inhalation.
Why the Oil Is More Dangerous Than the Plant
There’s an important distinction between a dog nibbling on a lemongrass stalk in your garden and being exposed to lemongrass essential oil. The oil is a highly concentrated extraction of the plant’s volatile compounds, making it far more potent. A dog would need to eat a significant amount of the raw plant to get seriously ill, but even a small amount of the pure oil can irritate skin and become toxic if swallowed.
This concentration issue is what makes essential oils in general riskier for dogs than their plant sources. Dogs also metabolize many plant compounds differently than humans do. Their livers lack certain enzymes needed to break down and clear these substances efficiently, so compounds that are harmless to you can build up to toxic levels in your dog.
Signs of Lemongrass Oil Poisoning
The most common symptoms after a dog ingests or absorbs lemongrass oil through the skin include vomiting, excessive drooling, lethargy, loss of appetite, and unsteady movement (walking as if drunk or disoriented). These signs can appear within hours of exposure.
In more serious cases, dogs may develop tremors, seizures, a dangerously slow heart rate, or a drop in body temperature. Severe poisoning can lead to skin ulceration at the contact site, liver failure, kidney failure, or rear-limb paralysis. Respiratory complications, including dangerously low oxygen reaching the brain, have also been reported in severe cases. The severity depends on how much oil the dog was exposed to, whether it was diluted, and the size of the dog. Small breeds are at higher risk from smaller amounts.
Diffusing Lemongrass Oil Around Dogs
Diffusing lemongrass oil in your home creates airborne droplets that settle on your dog’s fur and are inhaled into their airways. Dogs then groom themselves, licking those oil particles off their coat and ingesting them. Even without grooming, the fine mist can irritate mucous membranes in their nose, mouth, and eyes.
If you do use a diffuser with lemongrass oil, keep it in a room your dog cannot access. Make sure the space is well ventilated and your dog has the ability to leave the area freely. Passive diffusers like reed sticks release less oil into the air than active ultrasonic diffusers, but they still pose a risk if a dog knocks one over and contacts the liquid directly. The safest approach is to avoid diffusing lemongrass oil entirely in a home with dogs.
Topical Products and Flea Sprays
Some commercially sold “natural” flea and tick products contain lemongrass oil, typically at concentrations between 1.5% and 4.5%. However, a retrospective study covering 2006 to 2008, published in the Journal of Veterinary Science, found that plant-derived flea products containing mixtures of essential oils (including lemongrass at those concentrations) were associated with adverse effects in dogs. PetMD lists lemongrass among oils that can be toxic from both skin exposure and ingestion, advising it be avoided in liquid potpourri and essential oil form.
For human use, lemongrass oil is generally recommended at no more than 0.5% dilution, roughly one drop per two teaspoons of carrier oil. But even at very low dilutions, applying lemongrass oil to your dog’s skin is risky because dogs will lick treated areas. There is no veterinary consensus establishing a safe topical dilution of lemongrass oil for dogs, and the potential for ingestion through grooming makes any topical application a gamble.
Don’t Confuse It With Other “Lemon” Oils
Lemongrass oil comes from a tropical grass (Cymbopogon), while lemon oil comes from citrus fruit peel. They smell different and have different chemical profiles, but neither is safe for dogs. PetMD lists both citrus oils and lemongrass oil among the essential oils that should be avoided around dogs entirely. If you see “lemon” on an essential oil label, assume it’s not dog-friendly regardless of the specific plant source.
What to Do if Your Dog Is Exposed
If your dog licks or swallows lemongrass essential oil, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control hotline immediately. Do not try to induce vomiting on your own, as essential oils can cause chemical burns in the esophagus if brought back up. If the oil got on your dog’s skin or fur, wash the area thoroughly with mild dish soap and warm water to prevent further absorption and grooming-related ingestion.
Watch for vomiting, drooling, wobbliness, or unusual tiredness in the hours after exposure. Even if symptoms seem mild at first, essential oil toxicity can progress. Smaller dogs, puppies, and dogs with existing liver conditions are especially vulnerable and should be seen by a vet promptly after any exposure to undiluted or lightly diluted lemongrass oil.