Are Beeswax Candles Safe For Dogs?

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Dogs are domestic pets and we should note their presence while making our choices for candles. As pets, dogs can eat candles, they can also inhale the scent when you burn them in the house. If something like this happens what would be the outcome? Will the dog die or will its health be affected? 

However, some candles like soy wax, coconut, and beeswax are safer to use around dogs. They are harmless to the respiratory systems and also easily break down if ingested. There is no doubt that candles made from beeswax are usually beautiful but, are they safe for pets like dogs? If you have been longing to get the right answer to this question then, this article is for you. 

We have got both good and bad news depending on the ingredients the beeswax candle contains. Read on!

A photo of a selection of beeswax candles
Beeswax candles have a beautiful and natural scent but are they safe to use around dogs?

Are Un-fragranced Beeswax Candles Ok to Burn Around Dogs? 

We may not appreciate using un-fragranced beeswax candles until we have learned a few harmful things about fragranced beeswax candles. Unfragranced beeswax candles are the ones made without any fragrance oil, not even a little quantity of it. They are scentless when lit and are the best for people suffering from Asthma. 100% pure beeswax candle is safe for your dogs since contains no material that could be harmful to them.

They are very nice and are among the list of products that come from nature. They also have a lot of health benefits for you and your dogs. These benefits are outlined below;

  1. Unfragranced beeswax candles fights against the activities of microbes, bacteria, and fungi from the air while burning. Thus, it makes for better respiration and can be used to clear the air where the young and elderly are. 
  2. They have a clear and nice smell naturally. 
  3. When accidentally eaten by dogs, they break easily and faster in their digestive systems. This feature helps to reduce its possibility of causing indigestion problems when eaten by dogs or even humans.
  4. Unfragranced beeswax candles burn slowly, are very clean and do not produce sticky wax. Thus, they have long burn hours. 

Some Essential Oils In Beeswax Candles Can Be Toxic To Dogs ​ ​ ​

Essential oils are liquid concentrated oils produced from plants.  These oils have become popular in the manufacturing of candles including beeswax candles mainly because of their health benefits. Regrettably, some of these essential oils could be toxic to dogs to a great extent.  Just a small lick is enough to cause reasonable damage to the dog’s health.

However, some of these essential oils that are very harmful to dogs include peppermint, sweet birch, citrus, tea tree, cinnamon, etc. Dogs that have been in contact with harmful essential oils seem to develop some health symptoms. The level of exposure will determine how severe these symptoms could be. They include the following;

  1. Weakness of the body 
  2. Involuntary oscillation of muscles
  3. Drooling 
  4. Difficulty in breathing 
  5. Significant burns on some parts of the body like; lips, gums, tongue, or skin.
  6. Vomiting. 

More so, Essential oils have been recorded to cause nervous system damage and liver problem. They can also cause throat and mouth irritation. Asthmatic dogs or dogs with impaired breathing may not survive a one-time exposure to essential oils. A strong scent could also trigger an allergic reaction for allergic dogs. Your dog could be having an allergic reaction to candles with essential oil if it’s itching, sneezing, coughing relentlessly, and wheezing. 

Stick With Plain Beeswax Candles If You Have A Dog

When you burn a beeswax candle with a sweet smell around your dog, the scent may attract the dog to the candle. Having been attracted, the dogs may want to eat these candles that produce this nice fragrance.  When the dog eventually eats the candle, it could start having significant problems with food digestion. Poor food digestion or total indigestion could lead to other sicknesses for the dogs.  

More so, beeswax candles emit some chemicals as they burn which may be harmful too. When your dogs inhale them filling up their lungs and bloodstreams with these toxins, it could be dangerous. That’s the more reason why it’s good to stick with plain beeswax candles if you have a dog as a pet. 

By plain beeswax candle, we mean beeswax candle produced from 100% pure beeswax without any fragrance oil or other chemicals. It’s the purest, most convenient to use, and harmless. Avoid candles that have any in the list below, they have a very harmful effect on dogs;  

  • Lead – When a dog inhales this from a burning beeswax candle, it could harm its nervous system. In-coordination is part of the symptoms.
  • Acetaldehyde. Formaldehyde and Acrolein – This brings down the air quality around the environment where the beeswax candle containing it is burning. These could lead to challenges in respiration for dogs within the area.
  • Toluene – This is very harmful when inhaled.  It affects the nervous system.
  • Paraffin Wax – When combusted, they produce carcinogens that are very harmful to dogs.
  • Beeswax candles containing colors and or artificial fragrances are also on the list. If synthetic oil from these candles combusts, they give out carcinogenic substances which are not good for your dogs. 

Conclusion 

Depending on the composition of the beeswax candle, it could be safe or toxic to pets who eat them including dogs. Although most beeswax candles are 100% organic dogs who eat candles may have some serious digestive problems. The degree of damage is dependent on the amount consumed, the dog’s size as well as its existing health condition.

However, for the safety of your dog, ensure you stick to only 100% pure or plain un-fragranced beeswax candles. Beeswax candles with scents may attract your dog to eat them. But you can freely burn un-fragranced sticks around them. Only inhaling this type of beeswax candle will not pose any health effect except if the dog already has some health issues.

Andrew Scents and Aroma
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