Last Updated on March 9, 2023 by Woody Pet

Can Dogs Eat Coconut?

If you think of coconuts, you would always associate that particular nut with it being the epitome of summer; men in trunks or women in bikinis walking around the beach, some of whom are carrying coconut husks with the top open with a straw and a tiny little umbrella perched on top.

Coconuts, if you are not yet aware, is a trifecta in terms of what it is. It is in all respects a nut, a seed, and a fruit. The “tree of life” as it is colloquially regarded as coconuts have proven itself useful for over four thousand years, but it has only been as of the last century or so has its uses have been tapped fully to their maximum potential. 

From the husk of the coconut, trunk, leaves, roots, and especially its meat, no part of such a useful plant is useless.

But what does the coconut bode for our four-legged companions?

And has this piqued your interest further and made the query as to if can dogs eat coconut or not?

The direct answer to that particular query is a resounding yes, but in order to know why coconut is beneficial for your pet dog, you must read further.

Going Nuts With Coconuts – How Good Is It For My Dog? Here Are The Numbers!

If we are going to talk about coconuts and their benefits health-wise, we must discuss down to the molecular level how it stands out in the sense of providing your dog with all the nutrients and vitamins it needs for growth, development, and well-being.

As for the meat, it is quite high in terms of fat content and calories per serving of eighty grams. It is within the particular median spectrum in measurements of carbohydrates and protein in the same eighty-gram serving.

If we are talking about raw numbers of nutritional content on an eighty-gram serving basis, coconuts have more or less two hundred and eighty-three calories, approximately seven grams of fiber, an estimated ten grams of carbohydrates, a rounded-off figure of about five grams of sugar, a range of around twenty-five to twenty-seven grams of fat, three or four and a half grams of protein. 

Furthermore to discuss in more detail the various minerals that have more significant % Daily Value (DV) that coconut is comprised of, starting with Manganese constituting around fifty-five to sixty percent of the Daily Value, approximately thirteen to fifteen percent of the daily value is occupied by Selenium, with the rest of other minerals namely Zinc, Potassium, Iron, Phosphorous, and Potassium occupying much smaller yet consequentially significant percentages on each of their respective Daily Values.

The part of the coconut wherein the healthiest content is greatly concentrated is its oil. Coconut oil both for humans and dogs has benefits that greatly aid in the minimization of onsets of various diseases such as those of the heart, due to its effects in lowering cholesterol. With the lowering of the substance, the heart is less likely to suffer arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions, and stroke.

These benefits are especially helpful for aging pets, due to their vulnerabilities to such ailments due to old age.

How To Serve Coconuts To Your Dog, Inside Edition!

Coconut sprinkles! These shredded pieces of coconut are one of many things that can be derived from its meat. Most often found in macaroons and chocolate bars, coconut sprinkles can be a good and healthy addition to your dog’s diet. 

Simply by adding a few tablespoons of coconut sprinkles on top of your dog’s usual meal is going to do wonders not only for your dog’s daily dose of vitamins and minerals but will actually help in accentuating the taste of its food due to its sweet flavor.

Coconut meat can be served directly to your dog. Simply scoop up a couple of spoons full of coconut meat and either feed them directly to your dog or put some of it in its feeding dish. 

There are over-the-counter edible coconut oils that you can purchase for your dog as well.

Putting one or two teaspoons of edible coconut oil extract in your dog’s water bowl will allow your dog to hydrate itself as well as gain all the vitamins and minerals present in the extract.

Can Dogs Eat Coconut Oil? Well, It’s Better if You Apply it ON Them

There are also coconut oils that are meant to be applied externally. Coconut oils have soothing properties as well as anti-inflammation capabilities. 

One good external application of coconut oil for your dog would be if it has suffered an irritating rash from poison ivies, thistles, or burns after it has accidentally leaned on something extremely hot.

A simple application of a handful of coconut oil will not only soothe the irritation or burning pain but will provide a protective layer of antibacterial properties that can protect your dog’s skin from potential bacterial or yeast infection.

With the slippery nature of coconut oil, one overlooked benefit that it has for the fur coat of your dog is that when applied, fleas will have a hard time attaching themselves to the fur of your dog, and when some do successfully manage to attach themselves, the already slippery and moisturized fur will lessen the biting grip of these fleas over time and when bath time comes, more of these pesky parasites are going to be removed without much issue.

After much further deliberation and dissemination on all the good and beneficial things that coconuts have for both you and your dog, it begs to repeat the query which is: “Can dogs eat coconuts?”

As to why the answer to it is yes, coconuts are packed with all sorts of nutritious goodies as well as vitamins and minerals. 

Not only is coconut good internally, but it is also good for your dog externally, too!

Coconut oil does wonders from moisturizing your dog’s fur to soothing all sorts of burns, inflammations, allergic reactions, and irritations to the edible version being a good additive in your dog’s water bowl.