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Ten Reasons to Add Coconut Oil to Your Dog's Diet
My K9s get a loving spoonful of the stuff at every meal -a teaspoonful, to be precise, straight from the bottle- and I do all my cooking with it (coconut oil makes the best-ever stir-fries). I even give a bottle to my neighborhood falafel place; trust me, chickpea balls are out of this world when they're bathed in hot coconut oil.
Fed regularly to pets, coconut oil can have many health benefits - for their skin, digestive and immune systems, metabolic function, even their bone and brain health! Here are the top 10 reasons to add coconut oil to your dog's diet:
1. Coconut oil improves overall skin health, and clears up skin conditions such as eczema, flea allergies, contact dermatitis, and itchy skin.
2. Incredibly emollient, coconut oil helps moisturize the dryest K9 skin and makes a dog's coat gleam with health - whether you add it to her diet, her shampoo, or both!
3. Applied topically to the skin, coconut oil promotes the healing of cuts, wounds, hot spots, bites, and stings.
4. The antibacterial andantifungal properties of coconut oil help reduce doggy odor, and its pleasantly tropical aroma imparts a delightful scent to a dog's skin and coat.
5. Coconut oil prevents and treats yeast infections, including candida. Its antiviral agents also help dogs recover quickly from kennel cough.
6. Digestion and nutrient absorption are improved by the addition of coconut oil to a dog's diet. It can, however, cause stool to loosen; if that happens, just add a few spoonfuls of canned pumpkin to your dog's diet (go here for more stool-firming tips).
7. Coconut oil reduces - and sometimes eliminates - doggy breath. Some dog lovers even brush their pets' teeth with the stuff! Which makes sense, as dogs love the taste of coconut oil, and that makes the chore less arduous for brusher and brushee.
8. Like cinnamon, coconut oil helps prevent diabetes by regulating and balancing insulin. It also promotes normal thyroid function, and helps prevent infection and heart disease.
9.Helping to reduce weight and increase energy, coconut oil also promotes mobility in dogs with arthritis and other joint issues.
10. Again like cinnamon, coconut oil is excellent for brain health; it's being used to stave off dementia in humans, and it's a must to keep senior dogs' minds from becoming cloudy.
Have you had a positive experience with coconut oil and your dog's health? Please share in the comments!
Julia Szabo | Jul 26th 2011 |
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