Coconut Oil

This is what coconut oil can do for your dog's coat.  Java is a wolf and shepherd hybrid. She sheds immensely and continuously, but not after 8 weeks of the coconut oil.  She now has a thick, silky coat with almost no shedding.  We are seeing dogs with hair( the non-shedding breeds) get softer coats after just 2 weeks of once daily receiving the coconut oil in their food.  Java gets a heaping Tablespoon approximately 2 Tablespoons in her we food every day.  She weighs about 90 pounds.  Besides making for a beautiful coat, coconut oil contains caprylic acid which kills bad bacteria, especially candida bacteria without harming the good bacteria.  This makes coconut oil great for your system.  Candida bacteria is created by too much starch in the diet.  Starch turns to sugar and that sugar becomes yeast and then a fungal bacterial infection.  Remember canines are meat eaters, with at least 70 percent protein and it should be a meat source.  Poor dog foods full of carbohydrates or starches cause too much sugar in the system which as stated leads to yeast and then fungas.

Have a Yeasty Smelling Dog???  Then improve the quality of food they eat.  Look for dog foods labeled with No Corn- No Wheat- No Soy.  The corn especially is their worst enemy.  They just can't process the corn and are more prone to allergies with corn in their food.  It makes your dog want to eat more because they need protein and they keep eating poor quality food with mostly starches to try to get enough protein.  So what happens?? you now have an overweight dog probably with skin issures like hot spots, you see thinning hair and get a yeasty smelling dog with a lot of times yeasty ears.  These are just some of the issues that can be manifested by a poor diet full of starches.

The Whole Dog Journal publishes a yearly independent report on wet and dry dog foods and how they rate.  You can find them on the web and on Facebook.

The photo at the top of the page is a common brand of coconut oil that can be obtained at any grocery store.  Always, organic is the best.  You have no chemicals in the growing or processing of the oil. Health food stores carry organic coconut oil. You can even order it online in larger sizes of 1 to 5 gallon containers. It can be used instead on shortening and in cooking.  It is great for our skin and wonderful at removing make up ladies. I eat a Tablespoon every morning. And you can find it in my bathroom medicine cabinet. There are lots of uses for coconut oil.  I just wanted to touch on the benefits for your dog in this article.

Of course, coconut oil can't fix everything but it sure can help.  It can easily be added to canned or prepared meals at about 1 teaspoon for a 10-15 pound dog and a Tablespoon for a 30-50 pound dog.  Start with less if needed.  If you get loose stools then reduce the amount.  Add to your dog's food daily.  I'm an advocate for prepared meals for your dog, whether you do a raw diet, cooked meals or canned food.  These are all better choices for your dog.

Coconut oil is good for us humans as well.  Besides getting rid of the bad bacteria it also contains lauric acid that reduces the bad cholesterol.  Studies are beginning to show that it helps with Alzheimer's.  Again, the caprylic acid gets rid of the candida bacteria which in the brain makes you forgetful and not clear headed.  Our older pets are prone to dementia, so again coconut oil is helpful.  It is great for topical applications like hot spots or slight abrasions.  An of course you don't have to worry about your dog licking it.  As the saying goes...if you can't get it in you then get it on you.  I believe a dog thinks in reverse... Anything on you should be good in you.  Well, for coconut oil this is true either way you get it.

Tami Foster