Will giving my small dog daily fish and coconut oil make him sick?

There are no proven benefits of administering coconut oil to dogs orally or topically. However, there are risks of feeding dogs additional fatty foods and oils, such as the development of pancreatitis and anecdotal reports of causing coronary artery disease. I never recommend feeding coconut oil in any volume due to the risks and lack of benefit.

Yes, it is fine and might help his immune system and digestion too. The key is to start by feeding a tiny amount to start with, as dogs’ tummies need to adjust to digesting the oil. Let’s say you start with the tip of a teaspoon per day for the first three days, and if Phoenix body motions are fine, you can increase it to half for another 3 days. If no tummy upsets are noticed then you can gradually increase it to 1 teaspoon per day, you could divide it into his two meals or just give it first thing in the morning. I would say to continue for a couple of months and then discontinue and start again when the season changes or moulting occurs. Extra virgin olive oil is also very good for the dog’s health but I would not mix the two together, as we risk giving too much fat in one go. I would stick to coconut oil for the time being.! Hope this helps !

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This I will tell you from a medical standpoint but also from experience as my Golden Retriever has a history of chronic pancreatitis. When it comes to it, it is really hard to know what may trigger an episode of pancreatitis. For that reason, I would encourage you to avoid this. The reason is that fish oil can be a bit hard on the gastrointestinal system especially for a dog like ours that is a bit sensitive. I have been debating about starting my dog on fish oil and have decided not to for this reason. It is possible that he will be fine though I would suggest you avoid it. Good luck!

One fish oil capsule a day is fine. There is a risk of giving your dog too much fish oil, and there are serious side effects from that including a tendency to bleed more when injured due to the fish oil interfering with platelet function, interfering in wound healing, and an interference in the inflammatory response of the immune system. I would not add any fish based kibble due to these risks.

Fish oil does tend to make the coat shinier and nicer looking, which will likely be the most obvious benefit you get from supplementing. Fish oil does have antiinflamatory properties that may be helpful with the itching, but I wouldn't expect a drastic change. There has been a great deal of debate about ratios of Omega 6 vs 3, but honestly, the debate is not over, so the 4:1 ratio should be fine. I would just make sure that the omega 3 fatty acids do not get above 1mg per kg of body weight, or you could be giving above the safe upper limit. Probiotics are another supplement that are not bad to give, but is not necessary for a healthy animal. I usually only advise probiotic supplementation for intestinal conditions where there has been some good evidence for its use. Probiotics are also an unregulated product, so depending on the product, it may or may not be have what it claims; or may not have the bacteria that are known to be beneficial. For this reason, I only recommend getting probiotics as directed by your veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Chloe.

I would not recommend using all three of these oils together, as you can cause problems with the liver and pancreas in some cases by "overloading" fats like this. Fish oil has been shown to be the most helpful with skin issues like this, so you could try a good fish oil supplement such as Welactin for dogs - just follow the instructions on the label for dosing, based on your dog's weight.

Hello. Fish oil can be very beneficial for many conditions, from brain function, skin health & anti-inflammatory properties. Too much, while not overtly dangerous, can cause soft stools & gas. The ideal dose is based on the EPA level in your product ( the label should indicate EPA & DHA amounts ). In general, the amount given should be about 180 mg EPA per 10 pounds of body weight, so base your dose off of this. Giving more does not provide more benefits. Take care.