Can Dogs Eat Coconut? Yes, But It Is Fat, Not Fruit

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Quick Facts

This is our own research, not veterinary advice. For nearly every food there are many sources, and they do not always agree with each other. We check each claim against the veterinary and poison control sources, and we say plainly where they disagree. Even so, if you are in any doubt, contact a vet and do your own research before you feed anything to an animal in your care.

Coconut is not toxic to dogs, and the portion is a teaspoon rather than a piece, because it is a fat rather than a fruit. Almost all of the calories in it are fat, which is why the amount is measured in teaspoons and why dogs do not need it at all. I give a little to my own dogs. I do not give it to anyone else's, and on a sit I stick to what the owner told me, because that protects the animal and it protects me as well.

I give coconut to my own dogs, and only a tiny bit. Just the flesh, from a fresh coconut, and every now and then a small amount mixed into their food to add some fats. I cook with coconut oil, I eat coconut, and I drink the water regularly.

What I would never do is give any of it on a house sit, or to somebody else's dog. That is not really about coconut. It is about being the person in charge of an animal that is not yours.

The rest of what is safe is on the safe food list, and the sardines page is the fat I would reach for first by a wide margin.

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Can Dogs Eat Coconut? Yes, But It Is a Fat

Coconut is not toxic to dogs, and the fresh flesh is safe in small amounts. It brings antioxidants, magnesium, and lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid that the sources credit with various benefits.

The number that should stop you is the fat. Raw coconut meat is 354 calories and 33.5g of fat per 100g. Put that next to the other things on this site and the difference is absurd: a peach is 39 calories, an orange 47, a pear 57. Coconut is roughly seven times the calorie density of a peach, and almost all of it is fat.

That is why the published portions are measured in teaspoons. An eighth of a teaspoon for a very small dog, up to one and a half teaspoons for a large one, per day. A piece of coconut the size of your thumb is already several servings.

Too much fat in one go is what gives a dog an upset stomach, and in a dog prone to pancreatic problems it is worse than that. Coconut is not a food to be generous with.

Fresh, Dried and the Husk

The gap between fresh and dried coconut is the same gap as between a grape and a raisin, and it is worth knowing the size of it. Take the water out and you concentrate everything that is left: the dried version carries nearly twice the fat of the fresh flesh, at 64.5g per 100g.

That fits a rule I already hold for everything: I would not give a dog anything dried up or processed in any way. It would have to be organic, normal and natural for me to consider it, and a bag of sweetened desiccated coconut from a baking shelf is none of those things.

The husk is a separate matter and an easy one. The hard outer shell is a choking hazard and can cause an intestinal blockage, so it never goes near a dog whatever else you decide about the meat.

Coconut Oil and the Coat Claim

Coconut oil is the version everybody asks about, and it is the one with the least honest writing around it. What the sources actually say is that it is likely safe in very small quantities, such as a lubricant for giving a pill, unless the dog has a history of digestive or pancreatic problems, and that too much causes diarrhoea.

The coat claim is the interesting part. With my own animals I have used it often enough to notice a difference, and their coats did seem shinier a couple of days later. That is an observation on my own dogs and I am not going to dress it up as more than that.

But there is a detail worth knowing: the source endorses coconut oil for a shiny coat applied to the coat, not fed. It also suggests it on chapped paw pads. So the claim you have probably read is better supported as something you put on a dog than as something you put in one.

My own conclusion is that people should know about it without being told to do it. The best approach is to research it yourself, and if you are going to try it, give a very small amount so the digestive system is not overwhelmed. If the dog gets diarrhoea, or starts acting differently or uncomfortable, stop completely and do not try it again.

And I would not swap it for something better. Given the choice I would hand over sardines, or the water from a tin of them, before a spoon of oil.

Coconut Water and Coconut Milk

Coconut water is a treat at best and never a water source. The thing to check is the label, because some coconut drinks contain xylitol, which is lethal to dogs. A freshly cracked coconut is one thing; a branded carton is a product with an ingredient list.

Coconut milk is the one to refuse outright. It is naturally very high in fat, and high-fat food is what brings on pancreatitis, which is a serious and painful condition. The sources say not to give it and I would not argue.

I do not give coconut water to dogs either. Not because I think a splash would hurt, but because it is the kind of thing that has no upside and a small chance of going wrong, and I would rather not be the reason.

Why I Do Not Give Any of It on a Sit

This is the part of the page I would actually want a sitter to read, because it is the part that matters more than any of the food detail above.

The rule for a sit is the simplest one there is: feed the animal what it came with. It saves a trip to a vet, it saves you from cleaning diarrhoea, and it saves the dog from an upset stomach. Just feed the animal what it is used to and the sit becomes easy, which is the whole point of a sit.

And there is a second reason, which people do not say out loud: it protects you. If the dog gets sick while eating exactly what the owner left for it, you can tell the owner what it has been eating and the cause is theirs to look into. If you start experimenting with your own remedies and the animal is genuinely harmed, that is on you, and no owner is going to argue the other way. Sticking to the brief is not just kind, it is the thing that keeps the responsibility where it belongs.

So the answer to coconut on a sit is the same as the answer to every other idea I might have about somebody else's dog. Not my animal, not my experiment. Feed it what the owner said, and if you think it needs something more, ask rather than decide.

That covers the whole category of home remedies, and the yoghurt page makes the same argument about the other thing people like to add to a bowl.

How Much Coconut

Treats of every kind should stay under about 10% of a dog's daily calorie intake, which is the standard most vets and the literature give. With coconut the fat makes that limit arrive quickly, and the published portions are small enough to feel almost silly.

Those calorie figures are our arithmetic on the published energy value of 354 kcal per 100g, assuming a teaspoon of coconut meat is about 3g. The portions are the ones the sources publish.

If you are feeding anything, small pieces on top of the normal food is the gentlest way to introduce it. And if you want the fat without the volume, the honest comparison is with a small piece of sardine, which brings protein and omega-3 along with it rather than fat on its own.

How much of anything an animal should get is its own subject, and feeding the wrong amount on a sit covers the broader version.

Where This Research Comes From

The sources behind this page:

Conclusion

Coconut is safe rather than useful. The flesh in a teaspoon is fine, the dried version is nearly twice the fat and processed, and the milk is the one to refuse. None of it is something a dog needs.

And on a sit, none of it is yours to decide. Feed the animal what the owner left for it, ask before you add anything, and you will never have to explain yourself afterwards.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries, driven 19,000km across Europe in our 1998 VW T4, and saved over $26,500 in accommodation costs over three years of house sitting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Can dogs eat coconut?

  Yes, the fresh flesh, in very small amounts. Coconut is 354 calories and 33.5g of fat per 100g, so the published portion is a teaspoon rather than a piece.

• Can dogs eat desiccated coconut?

  It is not toxic, but it is 660 calories and 64.5g of fat per 100g because the water has been removed. It is also a processed product, and most of it is sweetened. I would not give it.

• Is coconut oil good for dogs?

  It is safe in very small amounts, such as a smear for giving a pill, unless the dog has digestive or pancreatic problems. For a shiny coat the better-supported use is topical, applied to the coat rather than fed.

• Can dogs drink coconut water?

  It can be an occasional treat but never a water source, and you must check the label because some coconut drinks contain xylitol, which is lethal to dogs.

• Can dogs have coconut milk?

  No. It is naturally very high in fat and high-fat food can bring on pancreatitis. The sources say not to give it.

• Can dogs chew on a coconut shell?

  No. The husk is hard enough to be a choking hazard and can cause an intestinal blockage. It should never be given as a chew.

• Should I give a dog coconut while house sitting?

  No. Stick to what the owner left. If the dog gets sick on its normal food, the cause is the owner's to investigate; if you introduce your own remedies and something goes wrong, that is on you.

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