Many dog parents often use coconut oil for shedding dogs, but is it just a myth, or does it really work? Coconut oil plays an immunological role in reducing excessive shedding in dogs. Thanks to its MCTs, coconut oil hydrate and moisturize your pup’s skin hence helping in reducing the shedding. The coconut oil can be utilized orally or applied to the skin.
So if you adore your dog but are worried about excessive shedding, coconut oil can help mitigate the situation. Depending on your dog’s breed, excessive shedding can be awful and downright aggravating! Although certain shampoos, wipes, and special treats can help your pup shed less, coconut oil provides an all-natural treatment for excessive shedding without ruining your dog’s skin, especially if he has skin allergies.
Is Coconut Oil Good For Your Dog’s Skin?
Yes! Coconut oil is safe and sound for your dog’s skin. Coconut oil has natural and simple ingredients. Typically, you can use coconut oil in two ways, and both methods are safe. Whether you give it orally or apply it to your pup’s skin, coconut oil is essential to your pup’s health. You can even opt for virgin coconut oil for more health benefits.
Why Your Dog Might Shed A Lot
Knowing the root source of shedding is crucial if you want to fully comprehend the effectiveness of the consumption of coconut oil in reducing shedding. Irritated and dry skin is often the primary source of excessive shedding unless your dog has alopecia. This exceptional condition usually causes excessive hair loss in dogs.
Skin dryness in dogs is due to numerous reasons such as dietary problems, type of soap or shampoo used, too frequent bathing, allergies, and many other reasons. Of course, it’s essential to treat the primary cause of dryness while addressing shedding symptoms.
We recommend you visit your veterinarian to confirm the natural source for your dog shedding. Also, you might want to change your dog’s diet, soap, or shampoo to give him the best quality of life.
How To Use Coconut Oil On Your Dog
As mentioned earlier, there are two ways to use coconut oil to mitigate excessive shedding:
1. Oral Use
If you want some added advantages, the oral way is ideal. When given orally, coconut oil can:
- Assist in reducing allergic conditions
- Help fighting infections
- Ensures your dog has a shiny coat
However, it’s critical to know how much coconut oil to use on your dog. The rationale is that coconut oil contains high saturated fats that may be unhealthy for your dog when given in excess. You don’t want your dog to have stomach upsets by gulping too much coconut oil.
Veterinarians recommend that you should introduce your dog to oral use of coconut oil while still young to enhance easy adaptation. Begin using between ¼ and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per day, depending on the size of your dog. However, allow ample time for the dog to adapt. Finally, you can use 1 teaspoon of coconut oil for every 10 pounds body weight.
2. Topical Use
Topical use of coconut oil is ideal if your pup has stomach issues or has difficulties ingesting the coconut oil. Besides, it’s easy and quick! To start, use your fingers to scoop a little coconut oil from its jar. Spread it all over the coat and skin of your dog.
And since there is no specification in the amount of oil to apply, be sure your spread every part of your dog’s coat with the coconut oil. Also, it’s critical to massage your dog’s skin to facilitate the penetration of the oil into the skin.
You can warm coconut oil with your hands or in a microwave for a bit of time if the coconut oil is too firm to spread. However, you need to watch out and prevent the coconut oil from getting into your dog’s nose and eyes. It can be irritating!
After applying the coconut oil, please give it a minimum of 10 minutes to permit the oil to enter your dog’s skin. Afterward, use warm water to rinse off the oil from your dog’s body. Avoid using soap since it could easily strip off all the oil.
Weekly topical application of coconut oil is good for your dog, but note that frequent washing of your dog can cause more dryness to your dog’s skin and make shedding worse.
Pros And Cons For Coconut Oil for Dog Shedding
Coconut oil has its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. So, without far much ado, let’s jump straight into them.
Pros Of Using Coconut Oil
First, coconut oil has a medium-chain made of triglycerides—these triglyceride chains help treat dermatitis. In addition, it lowers inflammation. The chain also works to eliminate skin irritation and prevent allergic reactions.
Secondly, coconut oil has fatty acids that assist in improving the cognitive functioning of your dog. Furthermore, coconut oil has antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Thirdly, coconut oil helps curb thyroid issues, digestive problems, and other metabolic functions.
Last but not least, coconut oil is beneficial in helping issues of arthritis and bone health. As you can see, coconut oil is far more advantageous than just reducing excessive shedding in dogs.
Cons Of Using Coconut Oil
Even though coconut oil has a lot of advantages, it also has some drawbacks. First, applying coconut oil to a dog with allergic conditions may have adverse reactions. Secondly, we recommend closely monitoring the amount of coconut oil you give to your dog. Excessive consumption of coconut oil can be harmful to your dog’s health, specifically if your dog has pancreatic issues.
Final Thoughts
You can use coconut oil to help reduce the excessive shedding rate in your dog. By reducing the shedding rate, you’ll be able to groom your dog better and ensure good health. Coconut oil also provides various health benefits, so be sure to have a jar of coconut oil in hand at all times. It’s always worth it!
