Turmeric, an ancient spice from a root, that now can be found in everything from turmeric face creams to lattes, supplements and turmeric paste for dogs. Can your dog benefit from this popular spice? Yes! Dogs can benefit from turmeric’s antioxidant and many other benefits.
Let’s check out turmeric for dog benefits along with tips to increase turmeric’s bioavailability to see greater turmeric benefit for your dog.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is an ancient spice from the south Asian region of India known to fight disease and inflammation. Turmeric was used in India thousands of years ago for medicinal purposes, but then the turmeric (or yellow, as it is also called) plants spread around the world in spices and curries. But turmeric as a health food was discovered to have a long history of medicinal use in South Asia. Susruta’s Ayurvedic Compendium, dating back to 250 BC, recommends turmeric as an ointment to relieve the effects of poisoned food. Today, turmeric has shown promise in treating a multitude of health ailments including diabetes, arthritis and even cancer, and as a preventative part of wellness so it is no wonder that people around the world are making an effort to add more turmeric into their lives and learning about turmeric dog benefits.
Turmeric vs Curcumin
According to Ben Greenfield, renown health expert, turmeric and curcumin are (incorrectly) used almost interchangeably, but even though curcumin comes from turmeric—when it comes to their uses, benefits, and bioavailability, the differences between the two are fairly significant.
When you see a turmeric supplement or turmeric powder in the spice aisle of your grocery store, what you’re seeing is simply a ground-up version of a turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa). This color comes from polyphenolic pigments, which are derived from curcuminoids. There are three main curcuminoids: demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and of course, curcumin. Many of the health benefits attributed to turmeric come from the many, many studies done on curcumin. Handy for us that curcumin is also the most beneficial curminoid in Turmeric.
The top 6 benefits of turmeric for dogs
Now that we know that Turmeric has such a vast history and is well researched for people, what about turmeric benefits for dogs? Here are some of the ways that research has shown turmeric can benefit dogs.
- Low blood sugar. The enzyme in turmeric called curcumin acts as a glucose regulator. This may help dogs with diabetes mellitus, especially those who suffer from poor glucose control.
- Increased activity. Turmeric supplements may increase energy levels and make dogs more active.
- Kidney support. Curcumin, a potent anti-inflammatory, may be able to reduce renal damage in dogs by mitigating the inflammation.
- Natural source of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Many diseases and ailments stem from inflammation and Studies show that curcumin offers a complementary anti-inflammatory support for Osteoarthritis treatment in dogs due to its inflammation fighting powers.
- Improved blood circulation
- Provides a boost in immune function
How Should You Give Your Dog Turmeric?
According to Veterinary Practice, Despite hundreds of clinical trials in humans, there is still debate about the value of curcumin for specific health conditions. One of the biggest problems with turmeric benefits for dogs is very poor bioavailability, making it difficult to achieve meaningful levels of the active compound in blood and tissues with oral dosing. Similar to CBD (and why we love more bioavailable CBD that is liposomal and water soluble like Calm and Relieve Plus Water Soluble CBD Hemp Spray), Turmeric in its natural form is fat soluble making bioavailability very low.
To get your dogs the benefits of turmeric you can feed them a lot. A lot of turmeric for us, and likely your dog, is about 2-4 tsps a day most easily given in a turmeric paste for dogs.
That is only if you and your dog are ok with a yellow smile and the far greater chance of a yellow stained rug usually linked to a day filled with perpetual, high-dose turmeric ingestion. But even then, turmeric is so poorly absorbed that it’s essentially useless and your dog will not see the benefits of turmeric unless you combine it with something that increases its bioavailability.
One solution is combining your turmeric paste for dogs with black pepper. On many supplement labels, you’ll see black pepper listed as a patented extract obtained from black pepper fruits called BioPerine, which has been used as a bioavailability enhancer in the supplement industry for over two decades now.
Another solution to increase bioavailability is liposome encapsulation and the use of nanoparticles (like we did with the CBD in Calm and Relieve Plus CBD Hemp Sprays).
It is difficult to determine which format is the best since research indicates that the variety of dosing formulations, like for CBD, complicates comparisons among different products used in research studies and available to the public. However, using these strategies will definitely help with turmeric bioavailability and getting your dog the great benefits of turmeric.
How Else Can My Dog Get Anti-Inflammatory Benefits?
Although turmeric is a great option for dogs, there are several different strategies to deploy for for dogs with stiff,achy joints; other ingredients, like CBD Hemp Spray, that can offer more substantial anti-inflammatory benefits. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties are widely supported by scientific research and is available in a convenient and effective liposomal formulations, like Relieve Plus.
If you’re curious about your pet’s joint health and want a safe and effective alternative, try some Relieve Plus CBD Hemp Spray and get more tips, advice and answers to your dog and cat questions from our experts here.
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