Coconut oil for dogs????

[Jennifer and Jack]

So on tis website K9 for human training or something like that they have a link about the benefits of coconut oil for dogs.....anti cancer, joints, skin, weight control etc.....I actually use coconut oil for myself...I honestly just eat it because its a healthier oil....

What always pulls on my heart strings is the fact it can prevent cancer...besides for an accidental death..this is my fear for Jack.....

I was going to post in food group...but I think this is supposed to be a supplement, One teaspoon per 10 pounds?????


Thoughts????

[Jennifer and Jack]

Agreed, but for me, opinions don't mean a lot when it comes to making a decision based on my care or Jacks UNLESS it is coming from someone experienced in that area..... 

I don't believe she is selling anything. I believe it was an article..... IT would be more convincing to me if she showed data backing what she says such as 100 dogs were given coconut oil and the response was... the indications were.. etc...

Everyone has an opinion, especially on here.. THat is why I posted, I know a lot of people have a lot of knowledge, some may have experience with using it themselves... some may have experience using it on their dogs etc.

I usually run everything by here even before I do further research because I don't know a group of people who love their dogs more then the people on here..

I am very quick to jump the gun and that is why I appreciate DK so I can bounce things off of them.... THey can Hokum me and I move on :)  LOL.. 

I ultimately make my own decisions..but I do rely heavily on what people on here say because I am a first time dog owner, I totally think with my emotions when it comes to Jack, and I have spent a lot of money on a bunch of crap and things that I bought in the name of making Jack healthier, not that he is sick.. and all it has done was give him diarrhea ... :)

I personally am on a quest for more healthy natural and whole foods in my own diet and I have learned a lot of interesting things recently....I just don't know anything when it comes to nutrition for dogs or for myself....  ANything I know, I learned from here....

I totally agree with you about saturated fats not all being created equal, I am sitting here drinking raw milk.. talk about saturated fats..but I am losing weight on it feel full much longer then I did drinking skim milk.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jen, just remember that just because something is "natural" it doesn't mean it's healthy or safe. Lots of "natural" substances can be toxic and can cause adverse reactions. If something, whether it's an herb, an extract, an oil, or whatever, is potent enough to have any kind of effect on your health, it's potent enough to have an adverse effect as well as a beneficial one. If there is any "natural" substance which has shown any kind of benefit for any human health condition at all, rest assured that the phramaceutical companies will fund the research, because they can make a fortune if it turns out to actually help people lose weight, etc. That's where many of the drugs of today came from, from "natural" remedies of the past. That "no funding for studies" is the excuse that the people who sell some of this stuff use to explain why there isn't any proof for their claims, but it just isn't true.

I recently had an adverse reaction to something that seemed extremely "natural" and safe: cranberry extract capsules. I thought i might have a mild UTI and decided that it couldn't hurt to try the capsules before going to the doctor. After two days, I noticed that I was feeling dizzy a lot. It was my DD who thought to check if there were any side effects associated with cranberry extract. Here's what she found:

• Side effects of cranberry pills may include diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue,  frequent urination, headache, nausea and stomach cramping. Facial redness or blurred  vision  may also occur.

Serious Side Effects

• Cranberry supplements have been associated with kidney stones, due to a high  level of oxalate which can increase the risk of kidney  stones

 

"Natural" doesn;t mean something can't make you sick or harm you.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I totally agree 100 percent, I remember I am not sure if I was already a nurse, or still a nursing assistant but I remember a patient coming into the ER in full cardiac arrest and ended up dying. What we found is his wife was giving him a lot of herbal natural supplements, one was such a strong diruretic it ended up wiping out his potassium supply which of course put him into a funky cardiac rhythm and ended up in full arrest and dying.

I don't remember what his potassium level was but I remember it was barely detectable .....

I am very cautious and skeptical of most supplements and just take vitamins prescribed by my doctor for the most part. The milk I just drink instead of skim milk.. it is very creamy and very filling which keeps me satisfied longer... so I am not craving food again so fast.... No supplements it is just whole milk that has not been processed..... 

I take over 40 pills a day when I am not sick, so I am always concerned about drug interactions... 

The thing I DESPISE about ads or articles if you will is they always pull at my heart strings, just the way I suppose they are intended too.. I read something the may prevent cancer and I automatically get a picture in my head of someday Jack getting cancer and me kicking myself for not doing everything I could to prevent it..

I know crazy... Jack is my first dog and I have had amazing relationships and amazing people in my life but I have never in my life loved someone the way I love Jack.... plus I have never felt responsible for anything but me, of course when I worked, my patients but that was different...

That is why I am so glad for this sight.. I am completely comfortable admitting I don't know anything and I am inexperienced.... I do know a lot of stuff about certain things but this is not my area. I am so grateful so many of you are willing to share your knowledge and experiences, warnings and precautions..

As a funny side note, talk about pharmaceutical companies cashing in, one of the main medications for Cystic Fibrosis treatment and proven drug to help extend our lives is called Pulmozyme.. It is made from a Chinese hamsters ovaries DNA.. Now who in the world would have thought that a Chinese hamsters ovaries DNA would be a good mucolytic ?? It is though...weird That is a naturally occuring substance too. It cost 100 dollars a day to do this medication two times a day....

[F, Calla & Luca]

Are you talking about raw cows's milk?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

All opinions are not created equal, either, lol. The opinion of the person who is selling a product is extremely biased at best, and at worst, misleading.

If you were going to buy a car, or a TV set, and you were not sure which brands were most reliable, would you ask the Ford or Panasonic dealer? No, you would check Consumer Reports and other impartial sources.

How much more careful should you be, then, when it comes to products that affect your health, or the health of those in your care? "Opinions" should have no place in making health decisions unless they are the opinions of trained medical or science professionals.

If there have been "lots of studies" of the health benefits of lauric acid, could someone please post a link to just one? Just one scientific study conducted by someone unrelated to the coconut oil industry? I'm fairly good at researching, and I have been unable to locate information on any such study. The only reliable research I have found is in regard to the saturated fat and its effect on serum cholesterol.

[F, Calla & Luca]

All in all it seems there is not enough study and there may be a few things that coconut oil may benefit if it doesn't do more harm then good. Here's a article that states coconut oil might not be as bad as it was said to be.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all...

and one from LiveStrong:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/440590-what-is-lauric-acid/

and one more:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/alternati...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, I found those same articles the many times I've researched it. Again, no proof of anything other than that it might not be as bad as was originally thought in terms of the saturated fats and the effect on serum cholesterol.

[Chelsie]

The Live Stong website has lots of great information on coconut oil and lauric acid. In their articles they list specific studies and where they were published. Check them out! I wouldn't ever tell anyone to start consuming virgin coconut oil, but this gal asked for info on the topic and I merely passed on an article I found interesting. I would guess that even though the author sells certain coconut products that she also probably knows a lot of the health benefits of said products, more than any of us! I also know the importance of studies done in an unbiased way as well. But sometimes they just are not there and a person sometimes tests it anyways to see if it works for them. Nutrition is an ever changing field and even the "experts" disagree is so many areas. I hope whoever reads the said article finds it thought provoking like I did and would ultimately do more research.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I disagree that a salesperson knows more about the health benefits of the product that they are selling than someone with formal education in medicine and nutrition, which is what some of us who are participating in this discussion have.

Salespeople do and say what they have to in order to sell a product. That's how they pay their bills and put food in their family's mouths. "Articles" of this type are advertising, pure and simple.

I would strongly discourage anyone here from "testing" products  by having their dogs consume them, especially when the research isn't there. If you want to be a guinea pig, that's your right, but please don't use your dog as one.    

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do agree that the Livestrong article has some GREAT info, though. Let's take a look at that:

Lauric acid is representative of a class of biological  molecules called fatty acids. It is a white or colorless organic solid with  needle-like crystals. Coconut and palm kernel are the major sources of lauric  acid. It exhibits strong antimicrobial activity and thus is used by  pharmaceutical companies that prepare antimicrobial drugs. Lauric acid tends to  irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Consult your  physician to determine if lauric acid-based medications are safe for  you.

Adjunct Acne Therapy

A team led by Teruaki Nakatsuji, a postdoctoral fellow  from the University of California-San Diego Division of Dermatology,  investigated the antimicrobial property of lauric acid against Propionibacterium  acnes, a common-gram positive bacterium that causes the disease acne vulgaris.  The results showed that lauric acid treatment resulted in decreased numbers of  P. acnes in the mouse and ear epidermis. These data highlight the potential of  using lauric acid as an adjunct to standard antibiotic therapy for acne  vulgaris.

Nutritional Benefits

The extra nutrients found in coconut oil, including  lauric acid, provide greater health benefits than conventional soybean, corn and  peanuts oils, according to a study at the College of Consumer and Family  Sciences of Purdue University conducted by Ben O' Neil and Laura Willis. Because  of its high percentage of fatty acids, the consumption of foods containing  coconut oil may also reduce serum and hepatic cholesterol levels. In addition,  lauric acid is a nutritional component of breast milk.

Refuting Evidence

Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D., Editor Chief of the Harvard  Health Letter, casts doubt on the health benefits of coconut oil, the most  concentrated source of lauric acid. Overall, evidence for the immune  system-boosting property and anti-tumor effect of coconut oil is weak to  nonexistent, explains Dr. Komaroff. In fact, regular consumption of foods and  beverages containing large amounts of coconut oil, such as Thai curry or pina  coladas, may be harmful to your health.

Precautions

Coconut oil contains high amounts of trans and saturated  fats. It has been known for years that dietary saturated fat like that in  coconut oil increases serum cholesterol levels, which can raise your risk of  atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries, is the  principal cause of heart disease and stroke.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/440590-what-is-lauric-acid/#ixzz2...

So, once again: Some antimicrobial properties, may be good for the skin, some controversy as to whether it might be helpful or harmful for serum cholesterol levels, and a warning that it not only doesn't help the GI tract, it can actually irritate it.

 

[Chelsie]

See...I said it had great info. These are just sampling of info out there. People please do your research and make an informed decision. Giving your dog coconut oil has not been proven to be harmful..if it has it would be interesting to look at the study for me since i have seen some dog foods contain it. My dogs do not get coconut oil, but I do consume it at times. Like I said before, not all saturated fats are created equal.

I would never doubt anyone's intelegence on here, just as I would hope none of you doubt mine, but not all sales people are evil. I just thought the article was interesting and that Jennifer could read it and would maybe get some info for a great place to start her research. Nothing more than that, but obviously we got more than that!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Chelsie, I don't mean to belabor the point, but your original post about the "article" written by the coconut oil saleswoman said:

"The article was called Allergies and Coconut Oil. It went on to list several benefits of coconut oil including; helps against bacterial infections and inflammation, helps against yeast and fungal infections, helps support healthy gastrointestinal system"

Right above this post, right there in the Livestrong article, it says:  "Lauric acid tends to  irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract"

So doesn't this prove that the salesperson's info was wrong?

And how in the world could that article be "a good place to start her research"?

And as far as coconut oil not having been proven to be harmful to dogs, if it irritates the mucous membranes of the GI tract, it can be extremely harmful to dogs, especially those who have GI diseases like mine.

This is why this issue is so important to me. Everyone is free to read, believe, and try whatever they want, but when you are advising other people about health issues, it is really important to be sure of your facts.  I know that it is done with good intentions to be helpful, but we all need to be careful not to provide anyone with any information or recommendations that could potentially hurt their dogs.