Dog is one of common pets people like to take care. You can easily find dog lovers at your surrounding. Dog festival is also routinely held in some cities as well as other dog events. Caring dog, therefore, begins to become nowadays people’s life style. They choose to care the dog for various reasons ranging from private motivation, surrounding influence or even for business. It could be very clear when you visit pet shops or animal hospitals. Variety of dog cares are available including service, nutrition food, medicine, treatment even dog beauty salon.
Anyway, if you are caring and feeding a dog (or dogs), you may likely feel that you are willing to invest time, energy even money for your dog care. This normally applies particularly for those who can afford the cost, have strong motivation to care the dog or have done the hobby for a long time. How a dog looks like reflects its owners so dog lovers would do almost everything to assure their dogs’ health, beauty, and good look. A dog does not only become a sort of pet, but also a symbol of pride and prestige.
If you are one of the dog lovers, you may have special tricks as well as time to do your dog care. Additionally, it is possible that you also have a favorite dog salon, dog hospital, dog meal product, dog cosmetic and so on and so forth. However, it looks like there is only a few dog lovers who exactly know that some of natural essences could be very helpful in assuring dog health and beauty care. Most of them tend to choose and buy any packaged product for practical reason. Whereas, natural essences actually do have same even more valuable and useful essences for supporting dog health and beauty care. Natural essences generally have no side effect so they are not only good for human nutrition, but also for animal, particularly dog.
Among some natural essences, one of the most popular and most valuable one is coconut oil, just same as the oil you use for frying purpose. Some of you may get surprised knowing this fact but if you pay attention to the ingredient of packaged product for dog care or consumption, you would likely find the coconut oil in the ingredient. Anyhow, this writing would particularly talk about the benefit of coconut oil for dog.
First of all, the first part of this writing would talk about essences of coconut oil particularly on how it could be beneficial for dog.
Coconut Oil Essences
Coconut oil contains these following essences;
- 90% saturated fats
- 2% linoleic acid
- 6% oleic acid
Among those three, it is saturated fat which takes the biggest portion. The fat itself mainly consists of so called Medium Chain Triglycerides or shortened into MCTs. The MTCs has various components including lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic. Each of those has different main functions so that combination of those all would give best treatment for your dog.
Anyhow, if you have no idea about what those essences are for, you do not to worry because the following information would give you simple yet thorough basic information you have to master. Make sure to pay very much attention on the following part since it would enlist the benefit of coconut oil for dogs;
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Dogs
As mentioned above that 90 % essence of coconut oil consists of MCTs, it is also known that it is MCTs which offer the most benefit. In particular, here are the details of its and its various sub-types function;
MCTs are mainly functioning to
- Improve brain energy to support metabolism
- Decrease the Amyloid protein in older dogs
- Maximize the body metabolism and provide immediate source of fuel and energy to move and do daily activities.
- Help the overweight dog loses the weight significantly
- Balance the thyroid
- Help sedentary dog to be active again
Meanwhile, here is the list of each sub-variation of MCTs essence
- Lauric acid functions in offering anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties
- Capric and caprylic acid functions at most with its anti-fungal character
Anyhow, apart of those specific essence function, coconut oil is beneficial for dog at general term as it would be explained below;
In general, coconut oil mainly serves in caring the skin, helping digestion process, improving immune system, maintaining metabolic function and keeping the bone health. Below is the detail benefit of coconut oil for dog;
Skin Care
- Preventing as well as treating any infection caused by fungal and yeast, including the most common one, candida
- Clearing up skin problem like itchy skin, flea allergies, eczema and contact dermatitis
- Reducing dog’s odor and giving pleasant aroma
- Moisturizing the dry skin and gleaming the dog’s coat
- Supporting healing process of cuts, hot spots, wounds, stings and bites when applied typically
- Reducing allergies reaction and improving the health of skin
Immune System, Bone Health and Body Metabolism
- Generally protecting from any illness
- Elevating the metabolism
- Supporting the brain health, particularly thorough improving brain energy metabolism and decreasing the amlyoid protein
- Supporting lose weight program—through balancing dog’s metabolism rate—while providing much energy and vitality, including for sedentary one
- Preventing diabetes through balancing insulin hormone level
- Promoting normal thyroid function and heart disease or infection
- Helping the recovery from ligament and arhtritis problem
- Supporting the diet program
- Reducing cancer risk
- Preventing from any parasitic threat including gardia and other types of protozoa
Digestion
- Helping to recover from cough
- Eliminating as well as reducing breath problems
- Improving the absorption of nutrient and digestion process
- Helping to recover from any digestion problem
As you could see, coconut oil offers almost everything that you need to assure your dog’s health even beauty. Now is the right time for you to introduce your dog about the oil although in general, dogs would likely like to consume coconut oil just like human do.
Anyway, if you still have no idea about the reliable source you could trust in the sense of coconut oil for your dog and how much you should give, including how often, you could keep reading this writing into the last passage.
How to Pick, Average Portion and Ideal Schedule
Almost all dog lovers would not like to spend too much time for producing the oil coconut by themselves because it would be harder than making coconut milk and so do you. Therefore, you could rely on any packaged product by picking the best one in any pet shop. There are some products available but please make sure to choose any product with high quality coconut (if possible, certified organic coconut) with minimum essence of fertilizer and other chemical essences. Pay attention to the ingredient and information mentioned at the package and do not forget to consult with the dog lovers you know so well, including the pet shop keeper.
For an average portion, you could consult with you dog’s doctor or simply follow the instruction on the product. Usually, dog lovers would give a spoonful of oil coconut for every meal. Some of them even bathe the dog using the coconut oil after mixing it with plain water for the consideration of cost. In the very first trials, it is advised that you do not hurry to follow the recommended dosage, a tablespoon of coconut oil, because it could possibly cause any flu-like symptoms on your dog. Give ¼ dosage first, and then add it gradually during next 3-4 weeks so your dog’s body could adjust with the newest supply they consume. One more recommendation in feeding your dog with coconut oil is by mixing it with their foods, particularly if you have a picky dog. Therefore, you could also set the schedule every meal time.