At Gizzls, we keep it real with our ingredients. Everything is sourced here in the South Africa and we never add anything in as filler. Every ingredient has a purpose and a place. Which brings us to one of our magical ingredients, turmeric.
You love your pet, and you want what’s best for your four-legged friends. Conventional medication can result in horrible side effects that can harm your pet and we don’t want them to go through these symptoms, and luckily, there are ways that can bypass that. A little spice here and there can do wonders for your furry friend’s health. We’re talking about a popular spice called turmeric, that is often found in Indian cuisine. The spice has a unique holistic health benefit that can rejuvenate your pet's health.
So, how turmeric can improve your pet’s life?
First of all, what is Turmeric?
Turmeric is a delicious yellow-orange spice that is often found in curry dishes. It’s a member of the ginger family, and its roots are native to the middle east and southeast Asia. There are approximately 6000 studies that support the benefits of having turmeric in your pet’s daily diet. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it can alleviate inflammation; and help treat arthritis in your dog.
Curcumin is the magical active ingredient which gives turmeric its antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and can play a huge role in strengthening your pet’s immune system.
Combining turmeric and medical CBD oil is definitely a match made in heaven. Both ingredients can help reduce stress, reduce inflammation, and decrease painful symptoms. Like turmeric, CBD oil promotes joint functionality and reduces inflammation.
Turmeric’s Anti-inflammatory Properties
Inflammation is the body‘s natural response to trauma, toxin, and infection. For example, if your pet is exposed to an infection or injury, the body will react by dilating the blood blood vessels to promote blood flow. During this process, the body wants to bring in more red blood cells, white blood cells, or anything to fight off the intruder.
When blood flow is increased, it causes significant tissue swelling and pain. This is a very common issue in dogs with arthritis. Inflammation can occur in the joints, leading to significant stiffness and pain. The process of inflammation can occur in allergies, cancer, arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, digestive disease, and dental issues. The worst part is that if your pet experiences long-term inflammation, it can be very dangerous for their health.
Constant inflammation can lead to severe pain, fever, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Luckily, turmeric can stop inflammation by reducing blood vessel dilation and decrease swelling, which can help relieve pain and other nasty symptoms so your pet can live a healthier lifestyle.
Turmeric’s Antioxidant Component
Free radicals can destroy the cells in a pet’s body, resulting in ageing and degeneration. Free radicals can come from unhealthy pet foods, chemicals, pesticides, radiation, toxins, and pollution. Luckily, turmeric has antioxidant properties to fight off those nasty free radicals and helps to prevent irreversible cell damage.
Turmeric for cats may help lower the bad cholesterol (LDL), and also helps reduce the risk of blood clotting.
Turmeric Can Fight Arthritis
When your dog ages, their joints are vulnerable to inflammation, weakness, and stiffness. Fortunately, turmeric can reduce inflammation, reduce pain, and mitigate stiffness. This can help improve your dog’s range of motion so they can be symptom-free throughout their life.
There are numerous articles and studies that show how turmeric is as effective as ibuprofen in fighting off the pain. An important benefit of using turmeric for arthritis is that it does not cause gastrointestinal erosions that ibuprofen would cause. It can be painful to see your dog suffering from arthritis, but with the help of turmeric, he will be back on his feet in no time.
Turmeric And Black Pepper
Why pair black pepper and turmeric? Because piperine (the main active ingredient in pepper) helps your body absorb more curcumin (the main active ingredient in turmeric). Black pepper contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, so it helps manage inflammation and reduces free-radical damage. A study published in Planta Medica found that pairing 20mg of piperine with 2g of curcumin increased the amount of curcumin that could be absorbed by the body by 2,000%. That's pretty impressive!
For more information on turmeric, head over to Dogs Natural Magazine which has some really interesting articles.
And to add a Turmeric Golden Paste to your dog's food, click here for this super easy-to-make recipe.