A very good customer of ours came into the store the other day and asked me about coconut oil. Her dog has had some problems with itching and bumps on her skin. She said she starting applying coconut oil on her dogs skin and she was giving it to her as a treat as well. She had noticed that her dog's skin had cleared up. I assured her virgin coconut oil was very good for both her and her dog.

There are reports of people feeding it to their tropical birds, cats and dogs. It not only improves the appearance of skin and coat, but can reduce pet odor when added to their diet. It can help dogs reduced scratching who may have skin allergies. It can also be applied topically to scratches, bites, etc. to promote faster healing. Coconut oil can be given to cats to alleviate fur ball problems. Coconut oil is antibacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial.

Coconut oil is a natural way to rid your pet of ear mites. Gently apply warmed oil with a cotton ball once or twice a day being careful not to probe too deeply into the ear canal. You can dropper the oil into the ear to get greater penetration. Coconut oil has reported to be successful in killing mites.

The first step in using coconut oil is making sure you purchase Certified Organic 100% Pure Virgin Coconut Oil. Most commercial grade coconut oils are made from copra. Copra is basically the dried meat of the coconut. If standard copra is used as a starting material, the unrefined coconut oil extracted from copra is not suitable for consumption and must be purified - i.e. refined. This is because the way most copra is dried is very unsanitary. Most of the copra is dried under the sun in the open air, where it is exposed to insects and moulds. The standard end product made from copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD stands for refined, bleached, and deodorized. Both high heat and chemicals (e.g. solvent extractions) are used in this method.

It is recommended to begin slowly, adding liquid or solid coconut oil to the food and gradually working up to about 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight per day. It has been recommended to start with 1/4 teaspoon per day for small dogs or puppies and 1 teaspoon per day for large dogs. If too much is given and your pet has not had the opportunity to adjust to the coconut oil, it can cause diarrhea while the body adjusts.

Coconut oil can be a very effective supplement for both pets and people. We have some on order and will be in the store soon.

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