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

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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

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

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.”

Garlic for dogs

Decrease cholesterol
Garlic stimulates the lymphatic system
Anti-parasitic,anti-fungal
Garlic prevents the formation of tumors

Caution: too much garlic causes adverse changes in dog blood because it contains thiosulphates and disulfides and belongs to the allium family. Always give a little amount of garlic to your pet