Perhaps your dog has been diagnosed with arthritis. Or maybe they suffer from joint pain for another reason?
Whatever the cause, this blog post will lay out the answer to the question of “What foods are good for a dog’s joints?”
Foods Containing Protein
Foods that contain protein will not directly heal your dog’s joints. But, they will help with strengthening your dog’s muscles, which will take some pressure off their joints.
So, introducing actual chicken or turkey into your dog’s diet will strengthen your dog’s muscles. But avoid sources of other less lean protein that is high in saturated fat like beef or pork, because this will exacerbate inflammation.
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Whole Foods and Fruit
You may avoid feeding your dog “people” foods like these because you are worried that you may feed them something they shouldn’t eat.
That’s okay. However, there is plenty of “human” food out there that can be very beneficial for your dog, whether or not they are currently suffering from joint pain.
For example, vegetables that contain a lot of fiber have been linked to having a lower risk of developing osteoarthritis and joint pain. Examples of these high-fiber vegetables are sweet potato and pumpkin.
Oily Foods for dog joint health
Foods that are high in oil can greatly help with joint pain in your dog. This is because oily foods will help with lubricating your dog’s joints. One example of an oily food that dogs can consume is coconut oil.
You can mix coconut oil with your dog’s food or kibble any time they are experiencing joint pain. Another oil that works well is flaxseed oil. This oil could be drizzled over your dog’s food in a similar way.
But the most beneficial oil to feed to a dog who is experiencing joint pain resulting from joint inflammation has to be Omega-3 oil. This is because, as well as lubricating your dog’s joints, Omega-3 oils also appear to reduce inflammation.
Omega-3 oils can be found in mussels or fish. To get Omega-3 oils into your dog’s diet you could feed your dog some fish that’s been cut up, mixing it up with their kibble.
But if the idea of your dog ingesting tiny bones puts you off, there is also dog food available with a good amount of Omega-3 in the ingredients already. As well as this, you can get Omega-3 supplements.
Certain Herbs and Spices can improve the health of dog joints
This is something that definitely strictly came under the category of “people” food to me for a long time. But did you know that some spices and herbs are actually very good for a dog who has arthritis or other joint pain?
Ginger root, for example, is one spice that helps in reducing joint inflammation as well as eliminating the feeling of nausea and boosting the immune system in both dogs and humans, so don’t feel so guilty for feeding Fido that ginger nut or two.
Turmeric is another spice that is absolutely great at decreasing joint inflammation for dogs and humans, so it’s really worth considering adding either fresh root or powdered turmeric to your dog’s bowl somehow, even if he comes away from every meal with a bright yellow snout.
Parsley works amazingly to promote canine joint health as well, with the added bonus of being an effective breath freshener.
You may find this surprising, but cinnamon, the spice of apple pies, and autumn lattes are also a great thing to feed to a dog who has inflammation in their joints.
Other benefits of cinnamon include the ability to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. As well as this, cinnamon is a great preservative to sprinkle in your dog’s wet food.
The spice also helps to regulate blood sugar levels and raise your dog’s insulin resistance. On top of this, cinnamon has anti-fungal benefits – it can help fight the fungus Candida albicans, which causes yeast infections. Cinnamon even slows the growth of cancer cells.
Some owners feed their pooch about half a teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with a squirt of honey.
This is the recipe that Copenhagen University used with human arthritis patients in a study – the patients found that they were able to walk without pain after a week of ingesting this amount.
There is no real limit for how much cinnamon to feed your dog. However, Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, which will damage your dog’s liver if you feed them too much.
You can mitigate this risk by opting for the Ceylon variant of cinnamon or limiting your dog’s daily intake of Cassia cinnamon to no more than a teaspoon.
All cinnamon and ginger also have a blood-thinning effect, so avoid feeding them to dogs with heart conditions or pregnant dogs.
Supplements for dogs health and wellbeing
As mentioned earlier, there are a number of Omega-3 supplements out there that work great for joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. There are also many supplements for general canine joint health.
These will typically contain ingredients like chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, omega 3, vitamin C, green-lipped mussel, and MSM.
Supplements are a good way to make sure you get the appropriate amount of an ingredient into your dog’s diet, without having to worry too much about getting the dosage wrong.
Chondroitin sulfate comes from the cartilage of a shark or a bovine animal. Sometimes it’s listed as “fishbone meal” or “marine collagen” in the ingredients, instead. This ingredient helps your dog’s cartilage to act as more of a “cushion”.
Hyaluronic acid is made up of a string of glucosamine molecules. This string attracts and binds water. In healthy joint cartilage, much hyaluronic acid is present – hyaluronic acid is actually concentrated joint fluid, which lubricates your dog’s joints.
As previously mentioned, omega 3 can be found in fish, linseed, and green-lipped mussels. But whether your dog gets omega 3 from their diet or a supplement, it’s a highly effective anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Vitamin C helps with the growth of healthy cartilage and collagen, with the added benefit of being an antioxidant.
Green-lipped mussel typically comes in the form of shellfish powder from New Zealand. It contains chondroitin, glucosamine, and omega 3, so it’s very beneficial to joint health.
MSM contains sulphur, which is needed to form disulphide bonds and to produce chondroitin sulphate in the body.
A good joint health supplement will contain some or all of the ingredients listed above, so look for these when you shop.
By Michelle McDaid
