Turmeric has been a part of the human diet and medicines for thousands of years. It has zillions of benefits on human health. However, as a dog owner, are you wondering-is Turmeric good for dogs? The following article will answer all your questions in this regard.
As a pet parent, getting worried about the health of your dog every now and then is not uncommon. If you are scared of the side effects of conventional medicines on your dog, you would be thinking about trying some herbal remedies for the dogs. However, it is a possibility that the things which have tremendous effects on human health, they show vice versa results on dogs. Before moving on to the benefits of turmeric for dogs, it is important to give a little account of the introduction of turmeric.
1. What is turmeric?
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Turmeric comes from the plant of turmeric, a plant that is related to the ginger family. It is grown in Asia (specifically in India), and Central America. Some other terms used for turmeric are the golden spice or the Indian saffron. Turmeric has been a part of Ayurvedic medicine since old times. The most important and active ingredient in turmeric is Curcumin which makes 2-6% of turmeric. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, and anticancer properties.
2. Benefits of Turmeric for Dogs
There isn’t even a small doubt about the marvelous effects of turmeric on human health. Likewise, turmeric is very beneficial for dogs also. Scientific studies and personal experiences of pet owners have revealed that a limited amount of turmeric results in optimum health improvement in dogs. Turmeric can relieve joints pain, improve cardiovascular health, keeps bowel and intestines healthy, prevent cancer, support liver functions, and promotes heart health.
Following are the brief accounts on the disease that can be dealt with by the help of turmeric:
- Turmeric as an anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to trauma, toxins, and bacteria. However, chronic inflammation in dogs usually leads to severe problems like digestive issues, arthritis, cancer, allergies, heart diseases, and kidney issues. Curcumin (active element of turmeric) is an amazing anti-inflammatory ingredient.
- Turmeric for arthritis
If a dog is dealing with arthritis, the struggle is real for the pet as well as the pet owner. If the dog is in pain, then adding some turmeric in the dog’s food is definitely a good idea. Turmeric is a natural and better alternative of branded medicines for reducing joints pain.
- Turmeric for alimentary canal disorders
Turmeric has positive effects on gut permeability as well as gut inflammation. Turmeric also helps in relieving the painful symptoms of Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). It keeps liver healthy which stimulates bile production in dogs which helps in easy digestion of food.
- Turmeric for cancer
Tumors of cancerous cells lead to cancer of certain organs. If these tumors are controlled in the early stages, cancer can be prevented. Curcumin in turmeric suppresses the initiation and progression of most of the tumors. It is also beneficial for the limitation of metastasis. Nearly half of all dogs are prone to one or other types of cancer. Adding a little turmeric in dog food can lower the risk of cancer.
- Turmeric for the health of liver and heart
Dogs become more and more prevalent in heart and kidney disease as they grow old. Curcumin saves the arteries from fatty build-ups. In addition to that turmeric helps in lowering LDL cholesterol (often called bad cholesterol). Moreover, it has blood-thinning properties that help in resolving issues like blood clots. Furthermore, an optimum amount of turmeric puts beneficial effects on the kidneys of dogs.
- Turmeric for replacement of steroids
If your dog is on steroids because of issues like allergies, joints pain, etc. then your dog can suffer from the side effects of those steroids. Turmeric has better effects on the health of the dogs than steroids. But depending only on turmeric to deal with allergies and inflammation is not a good idea. In addition to steroids, a little turmeric can be given to soothe the disease and lessen the side-effects of steroids.
- Turmeric as a natural detox agent
Curcumin has tremendous antioxidant properties. It slows down the aging process and increases the life span. It fights the free radicals that enter the body through processed dog food, pollution, radiation, toxins, and pesticides.
Cautions:
Turmeric is a blood-thinning agent. It cannot be given to the dogs on blood-thinning medicines. Also, don’t rely on turmeric for all the above-mentioned medical conditions. It is possible that your dog might be in need of urgent treatment in some cases, whereas, turmeric does not cure certain diseases on a fast track. Moreover, discuss the amount of turmeric to add in the dog food with your veterinarian. Lastly, the amount of turmeric is very important. Don’t overdose your dog with it otherwise, it will give reverse results. Over-supplementing of turmeric can lead to upset stomach and renal problems in dogs.
How to feed turmeric to the dogs?
Now the question is how do we feed this “wonder spice” to the dog? Here are some ways to feed turmeric to the dog:
- Prefer buying the processed food that is formulated with additional turmeric.
- Make a paste of turmeric in water and add coconut oil. Oils help in better absorption of turmeric.
- Feed turmeric with black pepper to the dog, it increases the absorption of turmeric significantly.
A Quick Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Turmeric
- Water
- Black pepper
- Coconut oil
Directions:
Mix the turmeric with the water. Stir the liquid on a medium flame. Once the paste gets thick, add coconut oil and black pepper in it. Stir it well, and bring it to the thickness of your choice. Finally, allow the mixture to cool. Refrigerate the mixture and replace it with a fresh one within three weeks. Add this mixture in the dog food daily in small amounts.
Conclusion:
Turmeric is a wonder spice from the basket of Mother Nature. It has countless beneficial effects on the health of not only humans but dogs as well. If given a careful amount, turmeric can solve most of the health problems of your dog. Adding a little turmeric in routine food will make the dog more healthy and active. However, the quantity of turmeric matters a lot because efficiency or deficiency of anything is not good. Select an adequate amount of turmeric for the dogs and taking advice from the vet is an even better idea!