Q. I have read in your column that coconut can help relieve chronic diarrhea in humans. Would the coconut work on dogs? I have an 8-year-old Lab with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and would love to give him some relief from diarrhea other than using drugs.
A. We heard from a reader whose dog had irritable bowel syndrome. She experimented with coconut macaroon cookies and found that two a day helped to control the diarrhea.
Instead of cookies, you might try mixing some dried coconut in your dog’s food. You will have to pay attention to the dose, though. If the dog gets too much coconut, it might become constipated. We do not know why coconut seems to work against chronic diarrhea, but we don’t think dogs are susceptible to the placebo effect.
