When you hear about coconut oil, you immediately think about a fancy-shmancy recipe that you’re going to learn about, or a new study that’s just come out that talks about how coconut oil can benefit human life.
But, have you ever thought about giving your dog some coconut oil? Not the most common of thoughts people have now, is it? But hey, you’re here reading this article, so this is exactly the question you have in mind!
You’re wondering whether or not you can use coconut oil as part of your furry friend’s diet, and whether coconut oil has a good or bad effect towards their overall health.
You’re not alone on this, as just the other day I got an email from someone worried about their dog’s health after it ate some food they prepared with coconut oil.
So, without further ado, let’s get right into the good stuff!
Is Coconut Oil Good For Dogs?
You betcha!
A lot of the benefits that coconut oil have towards your health and mine also apply to our dog’s health, including:
- A Whole Lot Of Anti’s: Coconut oil is loaded with antioxidants; as well as notorious for having antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties. Need anymore anti’s to float your boat? Well, coconut oil has been proven to have anti-lethargic effects on your dog, which is excellent news for dog owners who always complain that their dog is sleepy all the time and leads an inactive, unhealthy lifestyle.
- Cancer Who?: Need anything else be said about this one to convince to to start using it as part of Fido’s diet?
- Did Anyone Say Arthritis? Coconut oil is also incredibly useful in promoting mobility in dogs that suffer from annoying arthritis/join problems.
- Coat Condition: Coconut oil is just, well, magical when it comes to improving your dog’s skin and coat condition. Apply coconut oil on your dog’s skin for a set period of time on a frequent basis without missing any of the “dosage times”, and you’ll be full of thanks later after you see all the softness, moisture and glowing of the coat! Not to mention that coconut oil is a miracle for dog owners who suffer from smelly dog coats! Just ask anyone who’s been there and done that, they’ll attest to that fact first hand.
Doggy, Your Breath Stinks: Speaking of stinky coats, there’s also the problem of stinky breath! And, it’s no wonder that the first tip dog owners who used to suffer when it came to their dog’s bad breath is to brush your dog’s teeth with some coconut oil! All credits go to the lauric acid found in the coconut oil that make this a reality.
- No More Nasty Allergies: Many dog owners swear by the fact that ever since they started giving their dogs coconut oil, their allergic reactions drastically decreased in frequency; even completely going away in some cases.
- Wound Healing: Applying some coconut oil on your dog’s open wound can be one of the most effective treatment methods you could ever go with in such a situation.
- Improved Digestion: Not only does coconut oil drastically improve the ability of your dog’s body to effectively absorb nutrients they get from their day to day diet, it’s also known to aid in treating several different digestion problems as well.
How Much Coconut Oil Can I Give My Dog?
Phew! So, we’ve gone over some of the most important health benefits that coconut oil can offer your dog.
Now, exactly how much coconut oil can you give your dog on a day to day basis if you’re looking to stay on the safe side? When it comes to supplementation in your dog’s diet, caution is key and you must follow a certain set of rules at all times.
As a general rule of thumb and best practice, it’s recommended that you give your dog one teaspoon of coconut oil two times a day for every 40 pounds of their body weight.
So, that would mean that you could also go with giving your dog 1/2 a teaspoon of coconut oil two times a day for every 20 pounds of their body weight, or 1/4 a teaspoon of coconut oil two times a day for every 10 pounds of their body weight. Yes, I hate math just as you do, so I tried making that process as simple as possible just in case you can’t be bothered with some calculation just as I can’t! 🙂
Just a quick note that, at first, try to stick to lower amounts of coconut oil just to make sure that your dog’s system can actually handle coconut oil and that your dog isn’t allergic to it. Better safe than sorry!
If your dog starts having diarrhea or greasy stools during their trip to the “potty”, these two signs are usually indicative that either your dog’s system can’t properly handle coconut oil or you’re giving them large dosages during the beginning stages, so you have to go back to the drawing board and re-plan things out.
