If you regularly check out the trends in the health and fitness space, you have likely heard of turmeric, the wonder supplement hiding in your spice rack.
Research has shown turmeric to have the properties of preventing and treating various chronic and acute illnesses in humans, including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and more. It’s not surprising that adding turmeric to your dog’s diet can give similar health benefits.
Turmeric has an active ingredient known as Curcumin, a bright yellow chemical that comprises about 2-6 percent of turmeric weight. This is the primary component that gives turmeric its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
You love your dogs, and you want the best for your four-legged companion, turmeric is safe for most dogs and is effective in alleviating many symptoms and conditions.
Health Benefits of Turmeric for Dogs
Natural Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Turmeric has been proven to have anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a potent option as a remedy for many causes of discomfort and pain. Though it might seem mere, chronic inflammation causes many problems to dogs, including arthritis, allergies, digestive issues, kidney problems, and cancer.
According to research carried out by the Medical University of Wroclaw, it revealed how beneficial turmeric can be when it comes to its anti-inflammatory properties. Once seen as a spice, turmeric can treat some of the issues dogs face daily due to inflammation.
Promotes Healthy Intestines and Bowels
Dogs often struggle with bowel and digestive problems. Turmeric is effective in relieving the digestive system problems maintaining your dog intestines healthy.
Some dogs have issues that cause reduced bile production causing the digestive system to struggle. Turmeric helps to enhance bile production in dogs hence improving its ability to digest food more efficiently.
Issues such as Irritable Bowel Disease results from inflammation, which causes extreme discomfort to the dog. As we have already stated, turmeric has natural anti-inflammatory properties that will prove the difference for these dogs.
Improves Cardiovascular Health
As dogs grow older, some issues start affecting our furry friends. One of these common problems is cardiovascular issues. Older dogs get are more prone to having heart failure, blood clots, or heart attack, and turmeric has been proven to help with these cardiovascular problems.
Turmeric contains Curcumin, which is a natural antioxidant referred to as polyphenols. The polyphenols ensure that the arteries are protected from fat build-up that might cause cardiovascular problems.
Turmeric has also been found to be a blood thinner that protects against common issues such as blood clots. This will ensure that your dog does its best in maintaining good cardiovascular health, where most older dogs find it hard.
Powerful Antioxidant
Although there is no known cure for cancer, researchers are finding ways of reducing some of its impact on the body.
According to research conducted by the National University of Singapore, turmeric can suppress initiation, metastasis, and progression of a number of cancerous tumors. Although turmeric cannot completely cure cancer, its ability to stop cancerous cells in their growth and progression is a great advance. With research showing that 1 in 3 domestic dogs succumbs to cancer, prevention is better than cure.
Helps in Relieving Arthritis
Anyone with a dog that has arthritis understands how hurting it is to see your dog struggling with pain. Turmeric has been found to have very similar joint pain reductions as CBD compounds that are very popular in the current medical world.
If your dog has joint pains caused by arthritis, turmeric will help provide relief while also being a healthy ingredient with additional benefits.
Relieve Allergies and Improve Skin Issues
Similar to humans, dogs also experience allergies. These allergies can be triggered by various environmental conditions or maybe food-related allergens. The symptoms of allergic reactions on dogs include red spots, itchy skin, sneezing, inflammation, or scratching the skin regularly.
Turmeric has proved to have naturally occurring antihistamine properties that act as decongestants in the respiratory tracts. It also comes with anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce itchiness.
Improves Liver Health
The liver has a vital role in eliminating toxins, regulating blood content, and absorbing nutrients both in humans and dogs. Turmeric has beneficial ingredients that assist in breaking down fats and removing waste products, which promote healthy liver functionality. If your dog has a weak liver or liver dysfunctionalities, turmeric can go to a greater extent in improving your dog’s liver health.
Turmeric for Dogs UTI
The invasion of bacteria results in urinary tract infections in dogs. UTIs can occur in the kidneys or the bladder. Scientific research has proved the abilities of turmeric to kill bacteria, reduce pain, and lower inflammation, making it one of the best natural remedies for UTIs in dogs.
Enhances Healing of Wounds
Turmeric contains antimicrobial properties that allow it to kill bacteria and act as a disinfectant to dog’s wounds. You can apply some turmeric paste on topical wounds such as scrapes and cuts. Curcumin is a natural analgesic that will help to reduce pain.
How to Give Turmeric to Your Dog?
You can give turmeric to your dog in various ways, including using it as is, adding it to the dog’s food, or in the form of Turmeric Milk. However, the best way to give turmeric to your dog is to make turmeric paste, better known as Golden Paste, and add it to your dog’s food.
The turmeric paste is hard to absorb into the dog’s body. To improve its absorption, it should be taken together with healthy oils such as olive oil or coconut oil.
More so, it is recommended that you give the spice to your dog along with some black pepper to help boost the effects. This will ensure that the turmeric does not pass through the canine’s digestive system without being absorbed.
Turmeric Milk
Ingredients
- A teaspoonful of turmeric
- Half a pint of goat milk
- A teaspoonful of honey
Instructions
Turmeric milk is very easy to prepare. Put the goat milk into a pan and place it on a pan to warm. Do not give cow milk to your dog. Add the teaspoonful of turmeric and a teaspoonful of honey to the goat milk and stir. This is the most common way in which people take turmeric, usually drinking it at dinner time, and is as well an effective approach for our canine friends.
Turmeric Golden Paste for Dogs
If you are into homemade, turmeric paste is something many people are using for their dogs daily. You can easily prepare the turmeric paste for your dogs as well by following these instructions
Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- A half-cup of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoonful of finely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup of coconut or olive oil
Instructions
Put the turmeric powder, coconut, or olive oil, and water in a pan and put on heat.
Coconut or olive oils add some beneficial oils into the paste that help in improving turmeric absorption by the body as well as providing essential components required by an inflamed body such as vitamin E.
Heat the mixture gently up to just before steam appears it should not boil. Set the stove at low heat and stir the mixture until you get a pasty and thick mix.
Add the black pepper at the end. Black pepper is essential because turmeric has poor absorption in the body, and piperine found in the pepper enhances the turmeric absorption.
Keep it on heat as you stir continuously, allowing the ingredients to mix correctly. You can add some water if the final turmeric paste is too thick or add more turmeric if you feel the paste is very watery. Remove from heat and allow the paste to cool. Put the paste in a sealed plastic container or glass and store it in your refrigerator. The Golden Paste can keep well for about a month.
How Much Turmeric for Dogs?
Medical experts recommend that small to medium-sized dogs should consume about 250 milligrams of turmeric twice a day while large to giant-sized dogs should take 500 milligrams 2-3 times a day. To make it easier for you, you can use the below dosage amounts for your dogs.
- Little dogs should begin with a ¼ teaspoon per day
- Medium size dogs should start with ½ teaspoon per day
- Large dogs can begin with ¾ teaspoon per day
- Giant dogs can begin with one teaspoonful per day
This is a good starting point, you can gradually increase the turmeric amount to about one teaspoonful for larger dogs. However, you should give turmeric in smaller amounts several times a day as Curcumin is quickly excreted from the body.
Of course, the right turmeric dosage for dogs varies by health status and size. Make sure to buy high-quality organic turmeric products for your dog and discuss its usage and proper dosage with your vet.
You should also be careful when feeding turmeric to your dog. Turmeric has a bright yellow color that can easily stain your hands, your dog, or countertops.
Ensure you mix the turmeric paste with kefir or mix it well with the dog’s food, or the dog will turn into a yellow mustache. Turmeric is also relatively binding and may cause constipation. You should hence add some kefir or water in the dog’s food when you add turmeric.
Where to Buy Turmeric
Now that you have a clear understanding of the benefits that turmeric can offer to your dog, you are probably wondering where you can buy turmeric.
Firstly, you should purchase organic turmeric that is natural and free from any byproducts and chemicals. You can easily find organic turmeric at your local food stores.
More so, it is essential that you avoid turmeric that has pesticides or chemicals. The problem today is that most stores do not sell natural and pure turmeric. Instead, it comes as an artificial mixture that has unhealthy ingredients for your pet. The best turmeric should contain about 95 percent per curcuminoid for maximum health benefits for your dogs.
Potential Turmeric Side Effects
One of the best things about turmeric is that it is safe for dog consumption. However, not all dogs should take turmeric.
Being a warming spice, turmeric may not be the best food ingredient for dogs that are always hot and seeking a cool place and floors to lie on. More so, turmeric may interact with other medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, which might interfere with the treatment. Turmeric also has contraindications on dogs with gallstones and bile tract obstruction.
Observing the right dosage is essential in avoiding any side effects of turmeric. Excess turmeric may cause side effects such as nausea, stomach upset, dizziness, iron deficiency, and gallbladder problems. However, these are only likely when taken in excess.
As a natural blood thinner, you need to be careful when using the product on your dog. Avoid giving your dog turmeric when it’s on other blood-thinning medications. You should hence check with your veterinary before adding turmeric in dog’s meal if your dog is on any kind of medication. The higher probability is that turmeric will only help improve the health of your dog, but it is best to observe these precautions.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, your main priority is for your dog to remain healthy. It is disheartening to see your dog suffering from joint pains or infections.
Luckily, turmeric has proven to be an effective preventative therapy to help fight off diseases, reduce pain, and enhance good health. Because turmeric is not absorbed well, mixing it with some black pepper, olive oil, or coconut oil will help maximize its absorption and effectiveness.
Do not be left behind, spice up the health of your dogs with this highly recommended natural ingredient.