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Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Thee Puppypreneur
CAN DOGS EAT GINGER
Can dogs have ginger? Why, Yes! Ginger is regarded as okay for your dog to eat, although depending on the form you feed it in your dog might not want to eat it.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is considered a rhizome which means it is not actually a root but still the stem of the plant.
Ginger for dogs is regarded as a spice with anti-nausea, antioxidant, gastroprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities.
BENEFITS OF GINGER FOR DOGS
ANTICANCER
Ginger has many active compounds that have been well researched and studied. When wondering can dogs eat ginger, just know that these phytochemicals account for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities that ginger possesses.
Studies have showed that ginger has chemo preventative and anti-tumor effects on the body. 1Baliga, M. S., Haniadka, R., Pereira, M. M., D’Souza, J. J., Pallaty, P. L., Bhat, H. P., & Popuri, S. (2011). Update on the chemopreventive effects of ginger and its phytochemicals. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 51(6), 499–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408391003698669
Some of the benefits of ginger for dogs is that it has the ability to be a very potent free radical scavenger. Free radicals as we know are bad because they have the ability to cause cell damage and illnesses.
Another benefit of ginger for dogs is that it is said to be anti-neoplastic 2Baliga, M. S., Haniadka, R., Pereira, M. M., D’Souza, J. J., Pallaty, P. L., Bhat, H. P., & Popuri, S. (2011). Update on the chemopreventive effects of ginger and its phytochemicals. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 51(6), 499–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408391003698669 which means that the active compounds in ginger are capable of stopping the excessive cell division of tumor growths and initiating cell death for the excess cells that were growing.
In mice, ginger was found to reduce tumor growth. 3Surh, Y. J., Park, K. K., Chun, K. S., Lee, L. J., Lee, E., & Lee, S. S. (1999). Anti-tumor-promoting activities of selected pungent phenolic substances present in ginger. Journal of environmental pathology, toxicology and oncology : official organ of the International Society for Environmental Toxicology and Cancer, 18(2), 131–139. Anti-tumor-promoting activities of selected pungent phenolic substances present in ginger – PubMed (nih.gov)
GASTROPROTECTIVE
One of the well-known benefits of ginger for dogs is also a gastroprotective and such qualities are useful in digestive upset such burping, gastritis, indigestion, ulcers. NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been known to induce gastric ulcers and ginger has been known to be effective at preventing gastric ulcers. 4Haniadka, R., Saldanha, E., Sunita, V., Palatty, P. L., Fayad, R., & Baliga, M. S. (2013). A review of the gastroprotective effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). Food & function, 4(6), 845–855. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3fo30337c
Ginger also reduces the effects of nausea and vomiting. 5Nikkhah Bodagh, M., Maleki, I., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2018). Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food science & nutrition, 7(1), 96–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.807
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Ginger essential oil has also been found effective in reducing inflammation. Ginger may be helpful for joint pain and osteoarthritis. When ginger was administered to arthritis induced rats it significantly reduced swelling and the chronic phase of arthritis. 6Funk, J. L., Frye, J. B., Oyarzo, J. N., Chen, J., Zhang, H., & Timmermann, B. N. (2016). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Essential Oils of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis. PharmaNutrition, 4(3), 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phanu.2016.02.004
HEARTWORM
Ginger has also been found to be promising in the treatment of heartworm.
In a study with dogs that were injected with ginger extract over 83% noticed a reduction in the number of heartworms that remained. 7Datta A, Sukul NC. Antifilarial effect of Zingiber officinale on Dirofilaria immitis. J Helminthol. 1987 Sep;61(3):268-70. doi: 10.1017/s0022149x00010142. PMID: 3668217. Antifilarial effect of Zingiber officinale on Dirofilaria immitis – PubMed (nih.gov)
Suggesting that ginger could possibly be effective in reducing the amount of heartworm in dogs.
WAYS DOGS CAN CONSUME GINGER
Ginger for dogs can be used in several ways. There is the fresh root which is spicy or hot and most dogs will not like the taste of fresh ginger.
When I do feed my dog fresh organic ginger, I make sure to mix it in with her meals to disguise the taste along with her other food.
Since it is fresh, I give her about an 1/8 tsp or less a couple times a day. (Side note: she weighs approx. 80 pounds)
If you are going to give your dog dried ginger like I do when I don’t have fresh ginger then I give her usually around 25mg to 150mg/kg, three times a day depending on the severity of her symptoms at the time such as gas.
This one below is sold by Micro Ingredients and comes in a 1.5 pound bag so feel free to use it for yourself and your cooking too.
If you are going to give a liquid extract of ginger, then this is organic and alcohol free and made with glycerin
Always make sure you consult with your veterinarian before starting anything new in your pet’s life.
SIDE EFFECTS OF GINGER FOR DOGS
Some of the side effects of ginger for dogs or cautions that should be used when giving ginger to dogs is for those dogs that are on medication or have pre-existing conditions such as those that are taking blood thinners or have another blood disorder. If your dog has gallbladder issues or gallstones, they should not take ginger.
Also, another one of the side effects of ginger for dogs is that even though it has gastroprotective qualities can actually irritate the stomach in high doses. Fresh ginger can also reduce serum glucose levels in animals. 8Duke, J., Bogenschutz-Godwin, M., duCellier, J. and Duke, P., 2002. Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2nd ed. New York: CRC Press, p.329.
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