While you want to give the best nutrition to your beloved doggy, you are quite confused about supplements. However, you also know that fish oils are tremendously beneficial for your pooch. Maybe you will feel surprised to know that there are many oils each of which has a different type of goodness for your pets, the most prominent among which is coconut oil. Let’s see what the benefits of coconut oil for dogs are.
Healthy Composition of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains over 90% saturated fats and traces of some unsaturated fatty acids, like mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids. The saturated fats contained in coconut oil are mostly Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs mainly contain lauric acid, along with caprylic acid, capric acid, palmitic and myristic acid. Coconut oil also consists of around 6% of oleic acid which is a monounsaturated fatty acid and around 2% linoleic acid which is a polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Because of this healthy composition, coconut oil imparts lots of benefits not only to humans but also to dogs. Most of its benefits are due to MCTs. Lauric acid, for example, in it has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. Capric and caprylic acids too have same properties.
Moreover MCTs are metabolized efficiently to offer an instant source of energy, improving athletic performance and helping weight loss. The same benefits are seen in dogs too, as MCTs work for them to balance the thyroid and help overweight dogs achieve healthy weight. They also help inactive dogs to feel energetic.
Certified naturopathic doctor and nutritionist, Dr. Bruce Fife, says that coconut oil increases the rate of metabolism gently, gives higher amount of energy, safeguards you from diseases and accelerates healing process. In addition, it also enhances the dog’s digestion, and skin and coat, and alleviates allergic reactions.
If you feed coconut oil regularly to your dog, it imparts the following benefits:
Skin Disorders
Digestion
Immunity, Bone Health and Metabolic Function
How Much to Give?
It is extremely important to start slowly. Your dog’s body will need some time to adjust to the oil; so, if you start with large amounts, that might do bad instead of good, with side effects like greasy stools and diarrhea. So, start with ¼ teaspoon per day for puppies and small dogs, and 1 teaspoon for a large dog. Once the dog gets adjusted to this amount, you can increase the dose. The optimal dose is around 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds or around 1 tablespoon per 30 pounds of body weight per day.
Coconut-Oil-Uses.com is an extremely useful portal dedicated to offering you lots of info about coconut oil and its uses in your daily lives. It also brings you product reviews and comparisons which can be of great help to you to make wise purchase decisions. There are also different types in coconut oil which you will come to know by visiting this website. So, don’t forget to visit it when you want to know anything about coconut oil.