Let’s Talk About Spices for Dogs — Which Spices Are Safe for Dogs?

I love cooking with spices, so a lot of that my accumulation of aromatic little containers have overtaken a whole rack in my kitchen pantry.

In addition to providing extraordinary flavors and aromas to my dishes, I adore that spices may contain therapeutic properties.

Traditional Chinese Medication (TCM) has tackled the healing intensity of plants for a considerable number of years — a whole part of TCM depends on utilizing spices and herbs to treat a wide variety of health conditions.

Spices are not only for people, however. Our dogs can get benefit from spices in their eating regimen also.  Here are some tips on spices for dogs.

First, what are spices?

The meaning of herbs and spices varies whether you are discussing them from a TCM point of view or a cooking viewpoint. “In TCM, cultivators use details from all pieces of the plant to make natural treatments.”

“However, in cooking, herbs originate from the leaves of plants, while spices originate from different parts, for example, roots, blooms/ flowers, stems, fruit, bark or seeds.”

A few plants produce both cooking herbs and spices. For instance, cilantro is a herb, and coriander is a spice. However, both originate from a similar plant. To complicate matters, a few herbs, for example, basil, parsley, oregano and thyme, are dried and sold as “spices.”

What’s more, different ingredients we consider as spices are neither spices nor herbs. Garlic, for instance, is a bulb also found as garlic powder.

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Some Safe and Beneficial Spices for Dogs

Here are some spices which are safe and beneficial for your dog:

Basil for Dogs

• Basil is antibacterial
• Act as anti-cancer for your dog
• Fights free radicals
• Help to prevent diabetes
• Protects your dog’s liver
• It also reduces the inflammation and pain
• Use basil in your dog’s diet to reduce inflammation in dogs with arthritis

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Coriander for Dogs

• It alleviates nausea
• Act as anti-diarrheal
• Coriander eases intestinal gas
• It is anti-parasitic
• Helps detoxify the body
• Increases milk flow

Caution: However, don’t give coriander to your pregnant animal because it can stimulate uterine contraction.

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Cinnamon for Dogs

• It is an anti-inflammatory agent
• Cinnamon has anti-cancer properties
• It regulates blood sugar level
• Cinnamon combats the free radicals
• It protects your dog from heart problems
• It could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in humans and similar conditions in dogs.

Dill for Dogs

• It has the anti-inflammatory properties
• It is antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial
• Dill improves the digestion
• It could lower blood sugar level
• Plays important role in the regulation of menstruation cycle
• It relieves the diarrhea

Caution: However, don’t give dill to pregnant dogs because it may persuade menstruation and lead to miscarriage.

Fennel for dogs

• It acts as a diuretic to remove toxins
• Funnel aids the digestion process
• It can alleviate constipation, intestinal gas, and diarrhea
• It gives benefit to brain function Y Contains anti-cancer properties
• Moreover, it enhances milk production during the lactation

Caution: Excessive fennel intake lead to health issues, including difficulty breathing and heart palpitation.

Ginger for dogs

• Anti-inflammatory
• Eases nausea and upset stomach
• Helps boost cognitive function
• Helps regulate blood sugar levels
• May block growth of cancerous tumours
• It could reduce pain related to osteoarthritis

Tip: Giving ginger to mature dogs may boost cognitive function and lower age-related joint pain.

Peppermint for dogs

• Alleviates spasms in the colon
• Improves signs of irritable bowel syndrome
• Reduces intestinal gas
• Relieves indigestion
• Soothes upset stomach
• Treats diarrhea

Caution: Don’t give it to dogs with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). May cause hypoglycemia in diabetics.

Oregano for dogs

• Antibacterial
• Antifungal
• Anti-inflammatory
• Contains cancer-fighting polyphenols
• Relieves indigestion and diarrhea
• Rich in antioxidants to combat free radicals

Caution: Oregano may increase the risk of bleeding in dogs with bleeding disorders. Use cautiously with diabetic dogs, as oregano can lower blood sugar.

Parsley for dogs

• Antibacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• May help protect against urinary tract infections, kidney stones and gallbladder stones
• Natural diuretic
• Rich in antioxidants

Caution: Avoid giving to dogs prone to calcium oxalate stones, as parsley is high in oxalates.

Turmeric for dogs

• Anti-cancer
• Anti-inflammatory
• Fights free radicals
• Helps heal the gut
• Improves brain function
• Reduces symptoms of arthritis

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Caution: Turmeric acts as a blood thinner and may increase the risk of bleeding in association with some medications and botanicals, like NSAIDs, garlic and Gingko Biloba. As a rule of thumb, the doctor recommends a ¼ teaspoon for small dogs, ½ teaspoon for medium dogs and 1 teaspoon for large dogs per day, mixed into food. “The key is to remember that more is not better,” she says. “Besides, a heavy spice aroma may turn dogs off from the food.”