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????

[Chelsie]

I guess my main point has been completely over shadowed by all of this. I was not advising anyone on this subject, just merely stating that I read an article about the topic at hand.

Just because one study says something does not mean there isn't another study to prove other wise. We would have to look into the study as a whole to see how they got their conclusions before saying that so matter of factly. I was just stating what the article I read said. The article did explain why she said it helps support healthy gastrointestinal system. It is quite long, but for the sake of not getting belittled here it is.

"Allergies, particularly food allergies, can result in gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, gas, and even anal gland issues. Medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are easily digested and improve vitamin and mineral absorption. When consumed orally, coconut oil functions as an effective internal anti microbial substance. Lauric acid/monoglyceride is absorbed through the intestinal wall, keeping the gut bacteria in a healthy balance. The anti-inflammatory effects of coconut oil help soothe and heal inflammation and injury in the digestive tract. In a double blind clinical study, diets enriched with medium chained triglycerides were shown to significantly improve chemically induced colitis in rats. The severity of colitis was evaluated pathologically, and tissue myeloperoxidase activity was measured in colonic tissue. The study showed that diets enriched with MCTs may be effective for the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease."

The article goes on to explain how the coconut dietary fiber could also benefit the GI tract. I am not agreeing with this article, just stating what it said.

As stated by another poster, there are certain brands of dog food that do contain coconut oil, which is why I was curious if it really was harmful to dogs. I would never give a recommendation on here that would be harmful to a dog. My only recommendation, if any, was for the original poster to read the article if she felt so inclined to do so, I guess that was wrong of me since her original post was concern for cancer and this article had nothing to do with that.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The information in that article is incorrect and misleading, about both allergies and about inflammatory bowel disease in dogs. Period. Again, consider the source of any health inforamtion you read., especially when it is authored by someone with a vested interest in the product being discussed. I urge anyone whose dogs have these incurable diseases to consult a specialist before giving them coconut oil or putting their faith in this kind of information. Your dog's life might depend on it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Exactly. But probably a good moisturizer.

[Christine & Camus]

There are a few links in PubMed regarding coconut oil (abstracts), but nothing conclusive and most are related to wound healing and moisturizing.  Here are a few

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17966176

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19115123

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20523108

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No anti-cancer benefits, no weight loss benefits, no joint benefits, no gastrointestinal benefits, no immune system benefits.

[Christine & Camus]

Right, and there is still very little follow-up scientific research available to prove out what was found in these studies, which do not address cancer, weight loss, joints, GI or immune system benefits.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank God I didn't try giving this to JD, with even a possibility of lauric acid irritating the mucous member of the GI tract, he'd be back in the Critical Care section of the Vet Clinic from this stuff.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I recently noticed there's coconut oil in the kibble that I sometimes give the boys.  It's the Now (Petcurean) grain free turkey, salmon and duck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I believe there's coconut in some of the Honest Kitchen formulas, too, and some of the members of my IBD support group don't use it for that reason. Yet we know that it helped some dogs with digestive issues. So who knows what's up with that. Maybe it depends on the amount and the form.

[Richard Crowe]

We have used coconut oil for a rescue dog that had been hit by a car and dragged, losing a lot of coat + skin.  He weighed about 8 pounds and we gave him a half teaspoon a day.   Seems like it helped - well, at least it didn't seem to hurt!

 

Back in the "god old days" before we found out that bacon was bad for us.  I gave my springer spaniel a dollop of bacon grease about once a week.  It really helped her dry skin