If you haven’t heard of oil of oregano, you’re missing out. It can help fight some of the most common health problems in dogs including ear infections, yeast infections and even cancer. And it can do it without the harmful side effects of conventional antibiotics and antifungals.
Which is The Right Oil Of Oregano?
There can be some confusion when it comes to oil of oregano. So before you learn how amazing it can be for your dog … you should know the difference between oil of oregano, oregano essential oil, and oregano oil.
Choose Oil Of Oregano For Your Dog
Oil of oregano is a concentrated extract that’s prediluted in a carrier oil, such as olive oil or almond oil. It contains the active ingredient carvacrol (more on this later) and you can use it topically or orally for healing.
Oil of oregano is sometimes called oregano oil extract or oregano oil (to make things confusing). But in this article, we’ll just call it oil of oregano. You can find oil of oregano with the vitamins and other supplements in grocery stores, pharmacies and health food stores.
Can You Use Oregano Essential Oil?
Oregano essential oil is also a concentrated extract from the oregano plant but it’s much more potent. Look for a product made by drying leaves and then extracting the oil using steam distillation. This protects the potency and purity of the essential oil.
Oregano essential oil also contains carvacrol so it can also offer medicinal benefits. But because it’s more potent than oil of oregano … you should only use it internally if you’ve consulted a professional.
Don’t Use Oregano Oil
Oregano oil is oil that’s infused with oregano. It’s used for cooking to add flavor to your food. You can find it at grocery and specialty food stores but it doesn’t have any medicinal benefits.
7 Ways To Use Oil Of Oregano For Your Dog
Here are 7 important ways oil of oregano and oregano essential oil can help your dog.
Kills Bacteria
Oil of oregano’s claim to fame is that it’s a natural antibiotic. This is thanks to the carvacrol it contains. Carvacrol is an organic compound known as a phenol, which gives oregano it’s taste and aroma. While there are many phenols in oil of oregano, carvacrol is the most abundant. It’s also found in oregano essential oil.
Studies show carvacrol can stop the growth of many different bacteria. That includes MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which causes staph infection. Oil of oregano may even work for antibiotic resistant bacteria like E coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (P aeruginosa is a common cause of ear infections, which you’ll learn more about in a bit).
Combined with cinnamon bark, oregano essential oil is even more effective. In one study the combination completely eradicated the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (B burgdorferi).
Boosts Antioxidants
Carvacrol isn’t just an antibiotic, it’s also one of three major antioxidants found in oregano. The other two are thymol and rosmarinic acid.
Out of 39 commonly used herbs (culinary and medicinal), oregano had the highest concentration of antioxidants. And gram for gram, it has 4x more antioxidants than blueberries and 42x more than apples.
Fights Yeast Infections
Yeast overgrowths are a major cause of ear infections in dogs and can cause skin and gut issues as well. Conventional vets will prescribe antifungal medications. The problem is that these drugs have harmful side effects and yeast can build up resistance to them.
Oil of oregano is a natural yeast fighter thanks to carvacrol and thymol, which is a natural antifungal. Studies on dogs show it could even be an effective alternative treatment to conventional meds.
In one study oregano essential oil was effective against 5 different types of Candida yeast. And another showed that carvacrol may even help fight oral candida.
Improves Gut Health
Earlier you learned that oil of oregano can kill E coli and other harmful bacteria. This alone helps improve your dog’s gut health. But oil of oregano can do so much more.
Leaky gut is becoming an epidemic in dogs. It happens when the intestinal lining of your dog’s gut gets damaged and lets foreign substances leak into your dog’s bloodstream. This includes food particulates, bacteria, viruses and other microbes. Over time, these invaders can cause food allergies, inflammation and chronic disease.
Oregano essential oil can help improve leaky gut by strengthening your dog’s intestinal lining. This stops invaders from leaking into your dog’s bloodstream. Carvacrol also has anti-ulcer properties that help improve gut health.
Helps Fight Parasites
Oil of oregano can also help fight parasites. In a 6 week study, 600 mg of oil of oregano reduced parasites in human participants. 77% of participants were completely cured. It’s also effective for giardia and as a dewormer.
Oregano essential oil can also help with ringworm because of its antifungal properties. Ringworm is a fungal infection on the skin caused by mold like parasites. (The same antifungal properties can also help fight valley fever.)
Helps Prevent Cancer
The antioxidants in oregano oil help prevent free radicals that increase the risk of cancer. But Carvacrol has an even more direct effect.
In a test tube study, carvacrol helped inhibit cell growth and increased cancer cell death.
Ear And Skin Issues
You already know that oil of oregano can help kill microorganisms that are responsible for many skin and ear infections. And that’s because it’s both an antifungal and antibiotic.
In fact, one study looked at the effectiveness of oregano and thyme essential oils for ear infections. They tested the combination on 100 bacteria and fungus associated with ear infections in dogs. In vitro, the combination was so effective it even killed highly drug-resistant bacteria and fungus.
How To Use Oil Of Oregano For Your Dog
Most oil of oregano is prediluted so it should be safe for internal use. But be sure to read the bottle carefully. If the product does not contain a carrier oil, look for a different one or follow the instructions for essential oils below.
To give it to your dog internally, add a drop or two in your dog’s food. This should help protect your dog against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. It can also help prevent waterborne illnesses.
You can also add it to your dog’s toothpaste to help with oral health. This will help reduce bacteria in your dog’s mouth. And that’s important because the bacteria that causes gum disease may also lead to heart disease.
Topically, you can apply oregano oil to skin 3 to 4 times daily. For ears, you can add oregano essential oil to 1 oz of warm aloe vera juice or use prediluted oil of oregano. Soak a cotton ball in the oil and clean the visible parts of the ear.