Seeing our beloved dogs in pain crush us from inside. No one knows it better than me. I am currently
semi- fostering 9 dogs who live in my locality. Two of them have a sprained leg (Guy and Oreo),
one of them has hair shedding off her body (Momma Gal), one of them suffered a stroke (Anne) a
joint aches and pain. If you haven’t then I urge you to have a look at those herbal remedies too. The
following article covers the other 10 (from numbers 7 to 16) herbal remedies which are safe for dogs:
7. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa):
Besides being one of the best treatments for arthritis, Alfalfa also has other nutritional benefits. It is safe for
daily consumption as a dietary supplement for relief from arthritic pain. It is also known to
act well with yucca, liquorice and dandelion.
Alfalfa has been genetically modified. Thus, make sure that you buy the certified organic product. For your dog, add a pinch of the dried herb per 10 lb body weight to your dog’s food daily. In case, you go with the capsule or alcohol tincture, assume the dose for a 150 lb human and adjust as per the bodyweight of your dog.
Caution: Use alfalfa before flowering, Do not use the seeds of this plant as they contain I-canavine,
which can lead to blood disorders. Alfalfa can also cause hypersensitive (allergic) reactions in dogs
sensitive to pollen.
8. Horsetail (Equisetum arvense):
Horsetail has been known for its amazing ability to heal connective tissue injuries and bones. It has
been observed to help heal bone and joint injuries as well as help in recovery post-surgery. In the
case of joint pain, it is known to act well with nettle or comfrey as well as chondroitin and glucosamine
ingredients.
If you go for tincture, give your dog ¼ tsp daily per 20 lb body weight.
Caution: Do not use horsetail in case your dog is suffering from cardiac disease, hypertension or is
lactating (can cause breast milk to change its flavour).
9. Turmeric (Curcuma longa):
This is another household ingredient with many medicinal uses. This small orange root is a highly
effective pain reliever and also shows antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory properties. It is a very
common component of the Ayurvedic medicines used for the treatment of arthritis and other pain
management options.
The turmeric root can be bought from any grocery store. You can grate some and add it to your dog’s food. It has been observed that dog’s absorb turmeric better when fed with fat and black pepper. You can also make a paste of the turmeric powder and add ¼ tsp of the paste to your dog’s food per 10 lbs body weight of your dog.
Note: Make sure you buy the health food turmeric, not the ones available in the grocery store or the
one used in cooking. Turmeric also has the tendency to stain everything it touches. Thus, avoid using
it near mild coloured clothing or rugs.
10. Cayenne (Capsicum spp)
Cayenne is a component of the hot chilli pepper. The main compound of this drug is capsaicin which
has been observed to block pain and enhance circulation to the joints and connective tissues. These
properties make this herb a pretty effective pain reliever. You also have the option of using capsicum
containing ointment on the affected area. Topical use can help reduce the pain and activate the
anti-inflammatory response of the body.
For internal uses, you can buy cayenne gel capsules which generally possess a tiny amount of the
herb in powdered form. You can also add a pinch of the herb powder to your dog’s food directly.
Caution: Even though Cayenne is not known to irritate the digestive tract when used in moderate
quantities, it is advisable to avoid using this herb completely if your dog has a sensitive stomach.
11. Arnica (Arnica montana)
Arnica is a very common homoeopathic medicine. It is a small alpine plant having yellow blossoms.
The flower heads can be made into tea, used as an alcohol tincture or massage oil. This herb has
anti-inflammatory properties and helps to relieve the pain from arthritis, bruises, inflammation and
sprains.
12. Meadowsweet:
This is a perennial herb which has anti-rheumatic, rubefacient, analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory
actions. The roots, leaves, flowers, as well as rhizomes of this plant, contain volatile oils. These
components get oxidized into salicylic acid which undergoes further metabolization in the gut to
develop into a compound which resembles herbal aspirin.
Caution: It is not recommended to use this herb alongside NSAIDs
13. Melatonin: Sleep is a very important component of healing. In pain, it is difficult to get proper
rest or sleep which aggravates the irritated behaviour. Also, the body heals itself better during sleep.
Melatonin is a neurohormone naturally produced by dog’s pineal glands in the brain and acts as a
sedative. Melatonin can help regulate the sleep cycle in your dog which might be disrupted due
to the pain.
The recommended dosage for melatonin is 3 to 12 mg by mouth every 8 to 12 hours (depending on the size of your dog). Dogs can be administered melatonin for long periods but in case you don’t see any noticeable improvement within a few months, stop using it.
14. Cannabidiol (CBD) oil:
CBD oil is the superstar of the holistic health community right now. Despite the limited availability of
research regarding its long term health benefits, recent studies have implicated that CBD may have
a positive role in reducing pain in both humans and dogs.
One of the recent studies on CBD was conducted at Cornell University. This study showed that the
administration of 2 mg of CBD oil twice daily increases comfort levels in dogs and also boosted
activity levels in ones suffering from arthritis.
15. Cinnamon:
Another very commonly available household spice is cinnamon. Anecdotally, cinnamon has shown to
reduce pain and joint inflammation in dogs.
To administer cinnamon, adjust the dosage according to a 50 lb dog (¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder added to the food twice every day for a 50 lb dog).
Caution: Stop administering cinnamon powder two weeks before any surgery as cinnamon can
cause blood thinning and can increase bleeding risk.
16. Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha-A):
This particular herb has been observed to have a positive effect on collagen in arthritis dogs. The
bioflavonoid and vitamin c present in hawthorn can stabilize the collagen which is found in joints and helps reduce joint ache.
Caution: Hawthorn can interact with prescription dogs administered to dogs suffering from heart
diseases.
One final cautionary advice:
Before starting your dog on any of the above mentioned herbal remedies, consult and discuss with
your vet about the dosage and which herb to use. Don’t forget to mention if your dog is already on
a particular drug. Ever information you can provide can be very crucial and might help save the life
of your dog.
PS: If you like this article, please comment and share the article with your friends so that more
people can know about the benefits of herbal remedies for pain management in dogs.
35 Comments
I am glad there are ways to help dogs who need it. These all sound fabulous.
I know that herbal supplements help me. So I am glad that they are helping dogs too
I didn't know about all of these. Thank you for adding consumption guidelines. I don't like to take medicine myself, so why would I want to give my dog chemicals. This is a great list of alternatives. Thank you.
I especially found cinnamon and cayenne interesting because they’re around a lot. Thanks for sharing.
I never knew any of these were safe for dogs. This is great information to have!
thank you so much for this helpful information. <3 thank you also for your love and passion for our furry friends. <3
I didn't know that herbs can be so useful in treating dogs! I'll share this info with my dog loving friends. They will love this advice! 🙂
Wow, such an informative article! I don't have dogs, but my sister and lots of my friends who do will definitely appreciate this information!
I love the use of alternative veterinary medicine. I'll have to double check some of these for use with our cats if the time ever sadly arises. We've recently started our older, anxious cat on homeopathy for fear and anxiety. I hope it helps!
I didn't know there were herbal options for dogs. I normally just bring my pups to the vet so this is a good option.
Very interesting. I'll have to chat with my dogs' DVM to double check these but I'd love to try some herbal remedies for my kiddos.
It must be hard to determine if your dog is in pain. It's great to know though that there are natural remedies for them.
I don't have a dog but I love that the remedy is natural, this is really great. I will send this to my friend who has a dog.
I had no idea that there were alternative ways to help dogs in pain. Thanks for sharing!
I never had a pet before so this was an interesting read. I didn't know herbal remedies worked for dogs.
I adore dogs, though I don’t have one. These home remedies are a good way of caring for your furry friends!
I am really glad to learn about these because we just got a dog for Xmas. She is tiny too and I don't want to put medicines in her body that she doesn't need.
That there was the possibility of being able to treat our 4-legged friends with herbs is new to me, but it is very interesting.
Wonderful herbal and natural remedies to relieve pain of our furry friends. Thanks for the tips!"
This is great! If I found my dog was in pain I would love to explore these natural options first. Plus, they are safe to try without worry that it will hurt them. And if it helps them, that means we avoided a vet bill and potential harmful side effects!
I didn't know you can give dogs herbal remedies. Thanks for sharing this information.
Awesome information. I use turmeric as a remedy for my family but did not know that I also could use it for my dog. Next time my dog is in pain I will add turmeric to his food.
This is such great information! I use herbal remedies for myself as much as possible so this is great that people turn to this for their beloved animals as well.
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