(Prey) animals experience tremendous stress in unfamiliar surroundings and unpredictable situations. Stress has adverse effects on the animal’s immune function and healing process. Much evidence points to environmental enrichment to improve animal welfare. While mostly associated with toys and hideouts for prey species, olfactory enrichment -the addition of scents to an animal’s enclosure- can also be a valuable tool in veterinary medicine. How animals perceive the world is mainly based on scents. The olfactory bulb, that recognizes scents, is part of the limbic system, that deals with feelings and memory, assuring a strong connection between scents and emotions. The olfactory epithelium and the olfactory bulb can be divided into separate zones. Certain odors activate glomeruli in the dorsal domain, involved in fear responses; others activate glomeruli in the ventral domain, involved in learning. Essential oils are liquid extracts from aromatic plants. The effects of essential oils have extensively been studied. Olfactory enrichment with essential oils from Lavandula angustifolia and Santalum album, for example, has been proven to have an anxiolytic effect on rodents. 2-Phenylethanol, a main component of Rosa, acts anti-depressant, while not affecting cognitive function, activity level, muscle strength or aggression in mice. A synergy of essential oils (Cupressus sempervirens, Cananga odorata, Lavandula angustifolia, Citrus aurantium, Litsea citrata) can help to reduce stress during transport of rabbits. This presentation aims to give a review on the effect of essential oils and the practical applications in veterinary practice.