Benefits of Coconut Oil for Pets

I’ve talked at length about how much I love coconut oil and how we use it dozens of different ways at our house. There are some members of our household who also get coconut oil daily, and I haven’t mentioned them much in the past:

Our cat “Peneolope” and our dog “Daisy” (and currently her seven puppies) are also big fans of coconut oil.

Many of the health benefits of coconut oil for humans also apply to animals. From a past post:

“Coconuts are an excellent source of nutrition and have healthful meat, juice, and oil. The oil is arguably the most nutritious and has many health benefits. Coconut oil is over 90% saturated fat and has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
Coconut oil also has antioxidant properties and it helps in the absorption of other minerals.
Coconut oil is an incredible source of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which have been shown to have many health benefits.
Lauric acid in coconut oil in combination with oregano oil, has even been found more effective in fighting the staph bacteria than antibiotics. Lauric acid has also been shown to be preventative against some cancers. Coconut Oil is over 40% lauric acid, the richest source naturally available.”

We’ve used coconut oil with our pets for years. I started researching ways to use coconut oil for pets when our cat went crazy trying to eat food from our plates every time I cooked with coconut oil.

Turns out that coconut oil can help aid pets’ digestion, improve their coats, help prevent infection and more. Carnivorous animals like cats and dogs would have consumed a high amount of saturated fat in the wild and the beneficial fats in coconut oil are a great way to make sure they are getting enough in their diets. Our pets also receive a partially raw meat diet to help keep them healthy.

Doginton Post offers some ways to use coconut oil with pets:

“It can be given internally or applied externally, and can provide remedies for many skin infections. It can disinfect cuts and improve your dog’s general skin and coat condition, making it healthier. Wounds also heal faster with coconut oil, and it helps to deodorize your dog’s skin and clear up some rashes as well.

And unlike most herbal products that are good for your dog’s health, coconut is something that your dog will most probably love to eat. They will most likely gobble up the coconut oil and not be too picky with it. Just as humans can get a bit nutty for coconut, so can our beloved buddies. Mix it with their food – it has cured many picky eaters.

Many vets and researchers today are recommending the regular use of coconut oil for dogs and many other pets as an excellent source of nutrients, which keeps your dog in good health.

The recommended dose is pretty easy; just give a teaspoon of coconut oil per 10 pounds of dog, or you can give a table spoon per 30 pounds. Start with about 1/4 the recommended dosage and build up to the recommended level over 3-4 weeks, as sometimes flu-like symptoms can appear if you hurried it right away.”

How to Use Coconut Oil for Cats and Dogs

We give our pets coconut oil in their food every day and use it externally on their coats. Here’s what we do:

Our cat gets a teaspoon a day in food (we started with 1/4 of a teaspoon and worked up over a month)
Our dog (about 55 lbs) gets 2 tablespoons a day in food (we started with 1 teaspoon and worked up over a month)
To help ward off fleas, both get brushed with coconut oil every few weeks, especially in summer
For any dry skin or skin issues, we use coconut oil (or honey) on the skin as needed
Nursing puppies get coconut oil added to first foods when they start eating

What Coconut Oil to Use?

We order our coconut oil from here. Pets seem to actually prefer their pure coconut oil which is also their most economical option. Any unrefined coconut oil will work for pets though. Try it… they’ll love it!

Other Pet Treats and Food

If you want to make homemade treats for you pets, these dog treats and these cat treats use coconut oil and your pets will love them! Or if you are searching for a more natural pet food option that is shipped directly to you, check out Nomnomnow.

Some brands of the best brands of cbd oil for dogs use coconut oil as a carrier too.

Learn more about how we do Natural Cat Care & Holistic Alternatives in this post.

Do you use coconut oil with your pets? How do you use it?

There are many ways to use coconut oil for pets to improve health and soften their coats. Most animals love coconut oil so it's easy to add it to their diet.

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

337 responses to “Benefits of Coconut Oil for Pets”

Danielle

March 4, 2015

Is it safe to rub the coconut oil on my 10 week old puppies skin and put some in her food? She is always scratching and has little rashes around her underarms. I feel so bad for her and want to put her out of her misery the most natural way as possible. Thanks!

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Robert Powell

March 3, 2015

Will the cooking coconut oil work as well. It is the same consistency as corn oil and you wouldn’t have to warm it up first. Thanks

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Amy

March 1, 2015

We started brushing our dog’s teeth since it has such good reports on brushing teeth with it for humans. We have been doing it for a week she loves to let us brush her teeth now. She knows she gets a little chunk when we finish brushing.

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Heather

February 27, 2015

I adopted my cat from my local shelter a couple months ago. Poor thing had been there for YEARS (just because she’s a black cat) and she had a terrible problem with ear mites. She had sores on the backs of her ears because she was scratching so much =(
I read all over the internet that coconut oil was good for dealing with ear mites because a.) it smothers the mites, and b.) it soothes the skin and helps promote healing. Well I gave it a shot.
IT WORKS SO WELL!
I melted about 2 teaspoons and dipped 2 cotton balls in it, then gently placed them just in her ears (she didn’t fight me at all but then again she is a really great cat) and I just rubbed her ears like an everyday ear rub to get the oil worked in. She stopped scratching, her sores cleared up, the fur on the backs of her ears grew back, and inside her ears cleared up beautifully.
I LOVE coconut oil!

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Lee

February 26, 2015

Great article! Thanks so much for the helpful information! The benefits of coconut oil seem to be endless 🙂
I shared this article on our facebook wall!
Coconut Oil is fantastic for dogs! It is so healthy and not to mention delicious- dogs do seem to like it.

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Nicole

February 17, 2015

Hi there, I have a lab x who licks her legs until they are raw. I’m wondering if adding coconut oil to her food daily would help stop this. Also she itches alot and she doesn’t have fleas at the moment.

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Diane

February 14, 2015

Katie, I love your site.
I have a question I hope someone can give a suggestion to. I have a lovely 9 yr old Cocka poo who has bladder stones. Vet wants to operate of course, being a senior I can’t afford the 1000.00 bill and can’t see myself putting her through another surgery. She had surgery in 2006 to supposedly correct a urinary leaking problem which did not help. That vet told me she had ectopic ureters, she was spayed at same time. She is on a med to help slow in down.
This vet said the stones are because of the food. I bought the best I could afford and I thought was a better kibble from pet store. The vet said she needs to be on MediCal Urinary SO formula they sell.
Through out the day I am giving her homeopathic meds, a little fresh lemon juice, pure cranberry juice and ionic silver at night in her food, Probiotics in morning. I will add coconut oil in her food. Any other suggestions would be very welcome. Molly was 5 months old and a gift from my children after my dear husband suddenly passed away.
With gratitude.

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1. Rachel
  
  January 29, 2018
  
  You could try a raw diet. There’s lots of information out there, but I’ve found The Raw Life on youtube to be a good introduction.
  
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Clover

January 26, 2015

Thank you. I was looking for confirmation that coconut oil would be affective as a flea treatment for my cat. If nothing else it will moisturize his skin. I was glad to read it is also an antibacterial, since he has been scratching and has lots of scabs.

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courtney

January 18, 2015

We found out my cat had a congenital birth defect when she was 6 years old. Her liver was in her chest cavity. She became ill suddenly and lost a lot of weight from vomiting and then not eating very much but started to eat clay cat litter (i guess it had a nutrient she needed?). 2 vets told us she was not a candidate for surgery however we didn’t want to put her down right then. They gave her a steroid shot that gave her a bit of an appetite for the first time in a couple of weeks. She was only 5 pounds.
She was switched over to only canned food, as much as she could eat. she was ravenously hungry which gave me hope. After the steroid shot wore off things weren’t looking good as she had stopped grooming herself entirely by then. So I brushed her and wiped her down. And realized that she probably wasn’t grooming herself because if she got a hairball it would be more painful for her. I immediately thought about coconut oil since it’s so healthy and I knew that some people used it to keep fleas away. How much harm could a little mixed in with her food be? She loved it! She gagged the first bite, like normal, but not after that. If it was a hairball it slid through. It must have also helped her food absorb and pass easier because she is up to 8 pounds now and no longer eats litter. I suppose the food passing faster by her squished chest-liver-stomach has helped her. She looks so much better now and her coat is nice and shiny too. Thank you for sharing the other uses and the amount you used.

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Sarah

January 12, 2015

Is oil of oregano safe to give to dogs?

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Jocelyn Claflin

January 8, 2015

So glad I found this! I usually give my dogs a tablespoon a day mixed with their food and now that I’m staying with my inlaws I tried it on their dogs. (I have two and they have four). I couldn’t figure out why my inlaws dogs were getting sick off the coconut oil and mine weren’t. All the other articles I found never mentioned to gradually give it to them. So glad that I now know better!

Also, thank you to the person who said to use 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup warm water and coconut oil for the dogs skin. My inlaws have a black lab mix with schizophrenia and anxiety issues so she pulls out all her hair on her back. I tried the mixture and it worked wonders! Her skin is healing and the fur is coming back along with her anxiety lessening. Coconut oil is seriously a miracle!

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Louise

January 8, 2015

I am new to all things herbal and natural, but have been hearing so much about the alarming dangers of chemicals, that I decided to see what it was all about. After searching a bit, I very quickly came across this blog site. I’m hooked and have spent the last 5 days reading everything I can on this site and trying to take it all in at once. I immediately went out looking for ingredients so that I can try everything and am looking forward to the new regime and seeing my family’s (including the dog’s) reaction. Commercial toothpaste was the first thing to land up in the bin and I am experimenting with various essential oils and toothpaste powder vs paste. Thank you Katie for sharing all this valuable information with us!

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Amanda Smallwood

January 7, 2015

I have a miniature labradoodle… How do I get the coconut to go through all them pretty little curls if I’m rubbing it on her? Thank you so much!!????

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1. Jan
  
  January 8, 2015
  
  Hi Amanda, let me just say that it will be a labor of love. I get my Golden down on the floor, spread out sheets on the carpet, warm the oil in my hands and then massage into her (and we use a lot!), getting as close to the skin as possible. The dog should relax as it feels good to them….but it may take a while depending on how big your dog is.. Then, the oils will naturally get to your pooches skin especially if you continue to rub and brush her. Hope that helps.
  
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Jan

January 7, 2015

I feed coconut oil to my dog, she loves it.

She is currently battling lice (I know, ick!!!!) and although we opted for one dose of Frontline to try to relieve some of her misery, it has basically failed. After much research (there’s loads out there on fleas and ticks, and some on lice but seems quite limited) I have coated her in coconut oil 2 times a day and then dusted her with Diatomaceous Earth. She is a Golden Retriever with long thick fur…..YOU CAN IMAGINE!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, it seems to be helping as lice will suffocate with both the oil and DE and I am finding mainly dead lice on her. It doesn’t kill the nits, but we’re working on that with bathing and combing. The places where she has scratched so much she’s raw is benefiting greatly with the oil. I don’t wish this on my worst enemy!

Anyway, since she already loves to eat her daily coconut treat, this has been a wonderful solution – lets hope it continues to work on the lice.

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Lynn Proctor

December 27, 2014

I didn’t know that not all coconut oil tastes/smells like coconut, which for me and my cats was a problem. My cats wouldn’t touch anything with coconut oil in it, as they were repelled by the smell. By accident, I found that some coconut oil is tasteless and odorless, and that is what I use now, exclusively. My cats like it, and I like it very much. One of my cats licks the container if I’m not watching her. It can be mashed into wet food, but take it easy at first. Also, if you leave little blobs on a plate, they should come and eat them. But don’t overdo it. They say keep things proportional in treating pets, by weight. So if a 175 lb person is taking 2 Tbsp a day, and you have a 30 lb dog, divide it out as best you can, and approximate. I don’t think there is any hard and fast rule as far as amounts. But try Nutiva coconut oil, as it is one of the ones with no taste/smell.

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Bellaisa

December 22, 2014

You said that giving coconut oil is a great way to make sure they are getting enough saturated fat in their diet. We feed a raw diet, so they already get a lot of the fat that they need.

I’m just wondering if coconut oil will provide too much fat or if it will still be beneficial. I can’t see it hurting them, but it is just a thought I had when considering that a lot of people feed kibble when you referred to the lack of saturated fat.

Any thoughts?

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  December 22, 2014
  
  It’s really up to you, but my feeling is that coconut oil tends to get converted to energy almost immediately, rather than being stored. So it should still be good.
  
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Diane

December 18, 2014

When using the coconut on the fur, do you bathe them afterwards? Or leave the coconut on the fur?

Thanks!

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  December 20, 2014
  
  I just leave it on. It gets absorbed.
  
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Maurine

December 7, 2014

Hi, I see two different sites you list in your blog of where to purchase the coconut oil. Can you please let me know which you buy now. Also, is one for topical and one for cooking?

Here are the links you list: https://wellnessmama.com/go/tropical-traditions/

and

https://thrivemarket.com/search/results?q=virgin%20coconut%20oil&utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=wellnessmama_products&aff_id=1004&t_id=1022193e96346c2257d237224463a2&o_id=8

thanks

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1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 9, 2014
  
  I love both brands and both can be topical or internal. I bought my most recent coconut oil from here https://wellnessmama.com/go/thrive/ because I was already purchasing a lot of other groceries from there.
  
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Tamika

December 6, 2014

I’m considering adding coconut oil to my kitten’s diet on a regular basis, in addition to his raw diet. Have you thought about feeding your pets a raw diet?

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Lynn

November 23, 2014

Will coconut oil help with hair balls? My 14-yr old kitty is having trouble with them. She hates (hiss, bite, attacks) to be brushed. Any healthy home remedy suggestions would’ve greatly appreciated!

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