Turmeric and Ashwagandha in Dog Treats: Does It Actually Work? (A Dog Mum From Kochi Looked Up The Science)

I need to start this blog with a small confession.

I fell for it.

A while back, I was making food for Leah, my dog - and I'd read everywhere that turmeric was basically a miracle for dogs. Anti-inflammatory. Good for joints. Great for digestion. The internet was full of it. So I started adding a pinch to her chicken every meal, cooked right in with everything else.

Leah has a sensitive stomach. And she started throwing up.

Every. Single. Time.

I kept going because we thought maybe she needed to adjust. I'd read it was needed. Eventually our vet said - it's probably the turmeric. I stopped. She was fine.

That got me thinking. Why was I giving it to her in the first place? Did I actually understand what turmeric does, how much is needed, and whether a pinch in her food was doing anything at all?

I went looking for the actual science. Here's what I found.

First - what is turmeric actually doing?

The part of turmeric that does anything biologically useful is called curcumin. It's the active compound that gives turmeric its yellow colour and has real, studied anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. There is genuine research behind it - we're not talking about something made up.

But here's the thing most brands aren't telling you.

Turmeric typically comprises only 2-8% curcumin. So when you sprinkle a pinch of turmeric powder onto your dog's food, you're giving them a pinch of something that is 2-8% the active ingredient - at a quantity nowhere near what research uses to show any effect.

According to Purina's veterinary team, the levels of turmeric used in flavouring or colouring dog food are not likely to have any noticeable health benefits. While turmeric is safe for dogs to consume in small amounts, they probably won't see the anti-inflammatory benefits the spice is touted for. 

There's more. Evidence-led supplements for dogs typically use 15-20mg of curcuminoids per kilogram of body weight daily. So for a 10kg dog, you're looking at 150-200mg of curcumin per day as a minimum to potentially see any benefit. To get that from plain turmeric powder, you'd need to give them several teaspoons - every day - and even then, there's another problem.

The absorption problem nobody mentions

Even if you give the right amount of turmeric, curcumin on its own is poorly absorbed by the body. A lack of bioavailability makes it hard for curcumin to get into the bloodstream, and higher doses don't solve this problem.

To actually absorb curcumin, you need black pepper (specifically piperine, its active compound) and a fat source like coconut oil or fish oil. Without both of those, most of the curcumin passes through the body without being absorbed at all. The limitation in the use of curcumin is primarily its low bioavailability and poor water solubility.

So when a brand adds a pinch of turmeric to a treat - no fat, no black pepper, no controlled dose - what are they actually adding? Colour. Maybe flavour. Not a therapeutic benefit.

That's not a health ingredient. That's marketing. ❌✨

What about ashwagandha?

This one is interesting because unlike the "pinch of turmeric" problem, ashwagandha actually has proper peer-reviewed research behind it in dogs - not just humans.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior gave dogs experiencing stress and anxiety either a placebo or 15mg per kilogram of body weight of ashwagandha root extract once daily for four weeks. The results showed significant improvements in stress-related signs and a statistically significant reduction in cortisol levels compared to placebo. 

So ashwagandha can work for dogs. The research is real.

But notice that number - 15mg per kilogram of body weight, daily, of a standardised root extract. For a 10kg dog, that's 150mg of ashwagandha extract per day. From a dedicated supplement. Consistently. Every day.

Not a trace amount in a treat. Not "powered by ashwagandha" written on packaging. A measured, therapeutic dose of a standardised extract.

When brands list ashwagandha as an ingredient in dog treats, ask yourself - how much is actually in there? Is it a dose that could meaningfully affect your dog's cortisol? Or is it window dressing on a label?

Why I'm telling you this

I'm not writing this to make anyone feel bad. I genuinely believed I was doing the right thing for Leah. I read that turmeric was good for dogs - which is partly true - and I started giving it to her without understanding the dose, the form, or the bioavailability issue. My vet is the one who connected the dots.

The pet food industry knows that dog parents are paying attention now. We're reading labels. We're Googling ingredients. We want real food for our dogs.

And so "ashwagandha" and "turmeric" have become marketing words - dropped into ingredient lists at trace amounts to signal health without delivering it. Meanwhile, what your dog actually needs is simpler and less glamorous than a buzzword.

Real protein. Single ingredients. Food that comes from an actual kitchen, not a factory.

A chicken treat that is chicken. A lamb treat that is lamb.

Not chicken plus fourteen other things including a pinch of turmeric that won't survive dehydration at 140°C anyway.

The one thing that did work for Leah

After we stopped the turmeric, we simplified everything. Single or up to three ingredient treats. Nothing added. Her stomach settled completely.

Sometimes the answer isn't adding something. Sometimes it's removing everything that shouldn't be there in the first place.

That's still the only thing Zoomys does.

— Tanaaz

Zoomys makes natural homemade dog treats in Kochi, Kerala - single ingredient, kitchen-made, and delivered fresh to dog parents across India.

➡ Shop single-ingredient dog treats at zoomys.in

If you want to understand more about what goes into most commercial dog treats, read this: Why Your Dog's Treats Have 20 Ingredients