[Sully’sMom]

My dog Sully (1 yr, 7 mo yellow lab) has recently been diagnosed with allergies, most specifically to dust and storage mites (there are others, but these are the biggies). I was reading an article in the Nov 2013 issue of Whole Dog Journal about the wonders of coconut oil, and I thought this might help. Can anyone offer opinions/advice? Recommendations? It seems from the picture accompanying the article that there is no shortage of product options!

Appreciate any help I can get, as I’d like allergy resorts to be a last resort, not a first. Thank you!

[Shasta220]

I’ve honestly never dealt with an allergy-prone dog (except food allergies), so I honestly have no idea if it would help or not. I’d go ahead and give it a shot though, coconut oil is great for dogs, mine all get a scoop of it! I’ve heard someone say they have dogs with awful skin problems, not seeming to be food-related. He got the dogs on a good multi-vitamin and a tablespoon of local RAW honey twice daily. They cleared up in a few weeks.

I’m sure other people on here will have better suggestions, as they’re much more experienced I’m sure.
I hope you can find something that works for your guy! 🙂

[theBCnut]

Anything that helps skin quality and repair helps with environmental allergies. I’m sure you know that avoiding all grain is necessary for the storage mite issue, but did you know that putting a couple drops of neem oil, clove oil, lemon oil, or any of the others that naturally repel bugs, in a sprayer of water for dusting helps with dust mites? Never dry dust, always use a damp rag, so the dust doesn’t get in the air.

If your dog was having allergies to pollen producing plants, I would definitely recommend feeding bee pollen granules, but I don’t know if they would be any help in your case.

[Sully’sMom]

Thank you both, Shasta220 and Pattyvaughn!

You know what? Yes, I definitely knew about grain-free dog food, Sully’s been on it for months, even before we knew the cause of his allergies, but I didn’t put together until I read the way you worded it (avoiding all grain) – I need to be buying grain-free treats. Duh!

The dusting suggestion was helpful too…many household changes coming up here!

So thankful for DFA 🙂

[typhoon]

Hi, I heard coconut oil to be good to give dogs but does anyone know the amount to start them on ? Swansons has a 1000mg. cap in which I take but I am not sure what to start a 100 lb. german shepherd on? There are a lot of folks who give their pets Swanson health products and most seem to like them? Thanks!

[Shasta220]

Typhoon, I’d probably just go ahead and buy a jar of coconut oil (extra virgin cold pressed is best), then add maybe 1-3tsp to his food. I’m not sure how many mg that would be, so I’m not sure how much of the capsuled stuff he could get. If it was my dog, I’d prob do one capsule daily 🙂

[Sully’sMom]

Hi Typhoon,
I’m quoting from the November 2013 issue of Whole Dog Journal:

“…The optimum dose for dogs is about 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight daily, or 1 tablespoon per 30 pounds. These are general guidelines, as some dogs need less and others more.
But don’t start with these amounts. Instead, introduce coconut oil a little at a time in divided doses. Because coconut oil kills harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, and fungi, the burden of removing dead organisms can trigger symptoms of detoxification. Headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms are common in humans who consume too much too fast, and similar symptoms can occur in dogs.
Even in healthy dogs, large amounts of coconut oil can cause diarrhea or greasy stools while the body adjusts. Start with small amounts, such as 1/4 teaspoon per day for small dogs or puppies, and 1 teaspoon for large dogs. Gradually increase the amount every few days. If your dog seems tired or uncomfortable, or has diarrhea, reduce the amount temporarily.”

Hope this helps….we’re just starting Sully on it too!

[Sharon Buchanan]

Saw the coconut oil issue and came to see what others were saying. Discovered a few great suggestions in the process!

Patty~
As always, I learn something new every time I read one of your posts. I’ve been damp dusting with water (I don’t care for oily sprays that seem to attract fur, not repel it), for years but never thought to add anything to my wet cloth. Do you think just adding a touch of lemon juice to the cloth would work as well as lemon oil?

Typhoon ~
Just to confirm what Sully’sMom said, Dogs Naturally Magazine also recommends starting with 1/4 teaspoon per 10 lbs to begin with.

My Mystery had a severe skin flaking problem when I first brought him home. Literally, a dense layer of skin in and outside his crate every morning. We tried omegas for a month with no difference noted, then it was a special shampoo (that turned out to have a carcinogenic ingredient in it), and the breeder suggested canola oil (more cancer, no thanks).

I came across this article: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/. I started giving Mystery about a teaspoon in the mornings only to be sure he didn’t have loose stool problems in the night. Within a few weeks his skin flaking had completely stopped. He’s about 60 lbs now and I’m giving him about a tablespoon (I eyeball the measurement), and because it seems to be enough, I still only give it in the mornings – he never did have any stool issues, thank goodness.

Coconut oil seems to have a variety of benefits and while I’m taking supplements (I can’t stand the texture of solid coconut oil), in the hopes it will help with my eczema, I wouldn’t give a supplement to Mystery. Shasta220’s recommendation to just get a jar of it is best, organic, extra virgin, cold pressed, and I would add non-GMO. You can see my review of the brand I use here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2U61OLT76XK5I/ref=pdp_new_read_full_review_link?ie=UTF8&page=1&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R1YWGCBPDX00JI

I’d like to emphasize Shasta220’s suggestion about giving LOCAL honey to help with allergies. We live in an area called Apple Valley, for obvious reasons – lots of apple farms, local apple festival every year…, so there are fruit stands everywhere. These are the best places to find local honey.

[theBCnut]

Lemon juice is a lot better than nothing, but not as good as lemon essential oils.

Apple Valley, wow, I haven’t been there in forever!!

[Shasta220]

Apple Valley? Just curious, where is that at?

I’m on the Oregon Coast, so raw honey is crazy expensive. But we just got 2 beehives last year (funny thing. We originally had a swarm given to us, but they moved out right away. About a week later, a wild swarm moved in and produced a whooooole lotta honey). When we harvest the honey this summer, I’m definitely reserving some for the dogs.

[Sharon Buchanan]

Our Apple Valley is in western NC. Blue Ridge Mountains area. It isn’t the formal name of a specific place, just what it’s called because of all the apple farms. Of course, we have a lot of businesses called Apple Valley this and that, which includes Apple Valley Animal Hospital – where we take our furry ones.

There’s about a one to two week window when the apple trees blossom along a stretch of road down the mountain that takes me to town. I try to get out as often as possible during that time just to see the blossoms.

Patty, have you been here? I have a furry home you’d be welcome to visit the next time you’re in the area.

Shasta, good for you for getting your own bees! My husband says if it’s sharp I’ll cut myself and if it’s hot I’ll burn myself – so I design and build stained glass. Ha! I’d love to have a beehive or two but I’d have to have a suit made from mithril (think Lord of the Rings chainmaille) or I’d probably get stung to death. I’ve actually been stung three times in my life – my left shoulder when a bee ricocheted off my mirror and in through the open window while driving, my thumb at an outdoor restaurant in northern Germany and my head while working in my garden. Head was the worst. I apparently disturbed an underground hive of European wasps cohabiting with yellow jackets. I was swarmed and did probably the worst thing I could have done, I stripped my shirt off (in the front yard), and when I did, they got their retribution. Burned like you-know-what for seven hours. Hope you have a good suit of armor! LOL!!!

[Shasta220]

Ironically, my dad has not once used a bee suit while handling the bees. I try to avoid them, as they tend to sense a lot of tension, and if you dare swat one, it’s game over. If I had them swarming around me, I’d be tense AND swatting! But he goes with a friend, a beekeeper, to remove swarms from peoples’ houses. Neither of them use suits, and don’t even smoke the bees. They scoop the bees up by the handful, and dump them into the boxes, then locate the queen and put her in. My jaw still drops when I hear that they didn’t get stung one single time! I’m not as fortunate though, of course. I get near the hive and get stung 2-3 times, ahhh!

[dogspotindia]

I heard about the coconut oil is good for the skin n coat. You can incorporate it directly into your dog’s meal by adding a 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon, reckoning on the scale of your dog. like any extra fat to a diet, you’ll need to start out slowly thus your dog will properly absorb and method the oil and avoid diarrhea.

[theBCnut]

Hi Sharon

Yes, I’ve been all over western NC. I vacation there almost every year. I have a ton of family all over WNC and east Tenn, so I’m never lacking for a place to stay. We like to rent a cabin outside of Franklin, in Cowee, right on the edge of the Nantahalla. Then we take day trips to all the different communities and just have a blast.

To anyone who wants the most incredible mountain getaway vacation, just google Bates Cabins, but you better be a brave driver, because you will be driving up the side of a mountain, straight up, except when you’re driving straight down. Just amazing!!

The Apple Valley that I haven’t been to in forever is in northern California.

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