Wellness Tips

Each month we’ll share with you some interesting facts, ideas or information about ways we can improve the quality of our pets lives.  We hope you find the information on these pages interesting and useful.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED COCONUT OIL FOR YOUR DOG?

One of the newest health foods for pets and people is "coconut oil." Coconut oil is a saturated-fat vegetable oil. Coconuts have always been a staple of tropical cuisines and people following a coconut-based diet. These people rarely suffered from heart disease, cancer, diabetes or other illnesses that haunt modern America.

According to the people who use coconut oil regularly it can reduce the risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions, improves cholesterol levels and helps to fight heart disease, improves digestion and nutrient absorption, contains antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents that prevent infection an disease.

The benefits of supplementing your dog’s diet with coconut oil has been glowingly written about various pet health oriented publications, including the well respected Whole Dog Journal.

This is good news for people and their dogs since most of coconut oil's human benefits are the same for canines. There are two main types of coconut oil. One is refined coconut oil (might be labeled RBD for Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized). It is made from copra, or dried coconut meat, then treated to remove impurities. Most RBD coconut oil is relatively inexpensive. It does not contain all the nutrients found in unrefined coconut oil and in most cases the coconuts used are of low quality with chemicals like chlorine and hexane used in the refining process.

The other type is Unrefined or "virgin" coconut oil and is made from fresh coconuts. At Just For PETS we only carry a USDA certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. You’ll find it in our Health & Diet Section within our web store.

This high quality oil is colorless when liquid and pure white when solid, never yellow or pink and it should not contain residue or have an "off" or rancid odor.

There are also hydrogenated and fractionated coconut oils. Neither is suitable for your dog. Hydrogenated coconut oil is not recommend for your dog because it contains harmful trans-fats. Fractionated coconut oil is a message oil and aromatherapy ingredient and is sold as a cosmetic ingredient.

At Just For PETS we recommend starting with about 1 tablespoon per 30 lbs. body weight daily. You need to watch for changes in your dog's energy, skin, coat, breath and body odor. We have added the oil to our dog’s diets to combat dry skin, body odor issues . We have also seen results in treating dogs that seem to have chronic skin irritations, scratching, itching etc…..

Check it out!

You can also apply coconut oil topically to cuts, wounds, infected ears, bites and stings for both you and your pets.

 

Information on Wellness Tips site is offered for educational purposes only. As always, please, consult with your veterinarian in regards to your animal's health.