Is olive oil good for dogs?

We have long heard the benefits of adding olive oil to our diets. In many cases, this is the oil they recommend for better heath and longer life (whether we believe that or not, we do know it is better for us than soybean oil, corn oil, or even canola oil). But does the same hold true for our dogs?

When it comes to our pups though, what works for us and is safe for humans in general, does not always correlate to what our dogs can safely ingest. And that leads us to a rather important quest… Is olive oil actually safe for our dogs?

As someone who often uses Pompeian Olive Oil products in my cooking, I wanted to know if it was safe for our staff pup too. After all, there are times when the pup gets a bite of whatever I am making (as long as it is a dog safe recipe), and if I am using Pompeian to whip up a dish, I need to know if the oil is safe and healthy.

So can we add olive oil to our dog’s diet?

Can our dogs have olive oil in their diet?

According to the Chewy Blog, the answer is bit more mixed than a straight yes or no, but the one thing that they did confirm with a veterinarian is that the only form of olive oil our dogs should be ingesting at all is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Knowing that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is okay for our dogs in a general sense, we needed to know how much they are allowed to have and what the best way to give it to them might be. And it seems that our dogs should be getting no more than a single teaspoon per 20 pounds of weight mixed into their meal.

Basically, we think talking to your veterinarian is the best choice here, and only adding a teaspoon for every 20 pounds of your pup in a meal a day. (Mixed into dry or even wet food is the way to go with this one, and if we are mixing in the EVOO, we are going with the Pompeian Organic EVOO.)

What do you think dog lovers? Did you know EVOO was dog safe? Is this something you would add to your dog’s diet?