Coconut Oil For Dogs

It's been a while since I've blogged, my husband and I have been a little busy preparing for our new addition to our family! We are expecting our first baby this Feb 2013. In preparing for the baby, we did some research on various vitamins and nutrition during pregnancy and benefits of fish oils and coconut oils for me and the baby. Coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid, a powerful anti-microbial fatty acid that protects the immune system of the fetus and newborn. Pregnant and nursing mothers should eat coconut oil to increase the quality of the womb environment and breast milk. I take 1 table spoon a day of Barlean's Organic Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. I also apply coconut oil to my belly, breast, and thighs to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy, and to keep my skin moisturized. It not only smells great but it tastes great too.

There has been a lot of research lately discussing how the environment of the womb can affect the long-term health of the baby with respect to autism, allergies, asthma, food sensitivities and other chronic conditions. Coconut oil provides pregnant moms with a vital combination of vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins that are so good for their babies. That's also why infant formula usually contains coconut oil. I discovered that coconut oil is very good for not just me and the baby, but it is also great for dogs too!

Coconut, and especially coconut oil, is gaining a reputation as a health food and natural healer. People are using it to improve digestion, clear up skin problems, boost energy levels, aid in weight loss, fight off infections, balance blood sugar, and bring improvement to numerous other conditions. Pets, like humans, suffer from a variety of health problems. Coconut oil offers a simple, inexpensive, and easy remedy to many of these problems. Coconut oil has shown to be of benefit to all types of animals including dogs and cats as well as horses, cows, and other farm animals. Some of the benefits owners have reported include reduced or elimination of body odor and bad breath; healthier skin and elimination of rashes, itchiness, etc.; coats becoming shiny and healthy looking; improved energy; better digestion; reduction of excess weight; relief from arthritic-like symptoms; cleared-up infections; expulsion of worms; and improved overall health. Rhino recently had an itchy ear where he scratched it so bad he created little cuts and scabs. So I started applying the coconut oil to the inside of his ear where his cuts were and within 5 days his scabs healed and he no longer scratches his ear. Coconut oil when applied topically it aids in the healing of cuts, bites, stings, and infections. There have also been some reports of healing from very serious conditions such as poisoning, cancer, and diabetes.

The best thing about coconut oil, is that Dogs love the taste of it, my dogs go nuts when I open the jar and put a table spoon on my finger for them to lick off. You'll never have a problem giving your dog coconut oil. Just be sure to slowly add a little amount of coconut oil to their daily diet as it works as a detox so too much at once can give your dog diarrhea. The most common type of coconut oil used by pet owners is virgin coconut oil (VCO), which is the type sold for human consumption at health food and grocery stores. In Canada you can buy Virgin Coconut Oil at Superstore and most health food stores.