Pets: 13 ingredients (not counting peanut butter) that are pretty good ideas for humans, too

I tell Scooby, my adorable, thoughtful golden Irish (golden retriever/Irish setter mix), that if he were born in another place and time, things would be different. He wouldn’t be getting new toys in the mail every month. And we wouldn’t be talking about his nutrition. But here we are. 

Like all animal lovers, I want Scooby to live a long, happy life. And because I share 84% of my DNA with him, I can share some nutrition expertise beyond the standard, nutrient-rich kibble and some bones in between. 

Therein lies the opportunity for the current state of formula innovation in pet nutrition. Which, when compared to innovation on the human side, has become a bit stale, like an old dog biscuit. 

Everyone knows pet owners spend a lot on their furry friends. Take me, the target consumer. Scooby’s got special food for his sensitive skin and stomach. Minty bones for his teeth and tummy. Clinically studied supplement powders for flare-ups. Food toppers with every meal, and Scooby snacks, too. 

And he’s only 4 years old. So just wait until he most likely develops osteoarthritis (OA), which is evident in up to 60% of dogs. Hips are the worst, especially for big working dogs like retrievers and shepherds. The problem (and the opportunity) is that the standbys, glucosamine and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), don’t work all that well. Yet the same handful of ingredients is used over and over. We can do better for Scooby. 

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The problem with OA in dogs is that it starts to develop silently, early on. And even after it’s destroyed their joints, they don’t complain about their pain or pop pills. As we know from the canine research, years of inflammatory damage and degradation of cartilage in hips and knees starts early in life. 

That means that balancing inflammation in dogs (and humans) isn’t just an old-age thing. It’s lifelong. 

Talk about a market opportunity

Lack of ingredient innovation in pet supplements is for good reason: The burden of safety for animal ingredients is more restrictive than for humans. There’s a high cost to prove — and approve — new ingredients for our wet-nosed friends. 

Only 30 years ago, Alpo and Gravy Train were standard fare. We were just trying to fork a brown glob of mystery out of the can while suppressing our gag reflex. But status quo isn’t how better health is achieved, how innovation happens or how products are sold. And naturally, humans anthropomorphize. So our trends and fads extend to our dogs, whether science-based or not. Grumpy Cooper feels magnificent on raw. Moxie the chihuahua goes paleo. Scooby feels better with fish, grains and turmeric (plus an occasional shredded cheese topper). 

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But it’s not always as silly or pretentious as it sounds. If human experience is any indicator, then just as some of us benefit from eliminating certain foods from our diets and adding in others, that’s likely to be the case for many dogs, as well. Maybe Moxie is onto something. 

For sure, there’s a place for every informed pet — er, human — demand. For example, the emerging market of “grain free” for dogs. While veterinarians and science still support the addition of grains to a dog’s diet, the questions are good, even if the extremes are not. In the absence of clear answers (or acceptable alternatives), space exists for alternative dietary paradigms that are nutritionally sufficient and scientifically proven. Nutrition science continues to evolve for Scooby and me, in ways that are both different and similar, not unlike our shared DNA. 

Ingredients for pets

So what nutrients should probably be added to the dog’s diet? Science says probably much of the same ones as for us. Fish-based diets. Probiotics. Omega-3s (fatty acids are also a plus for cats and horses). 

Turmeric is another example. Like omega-3s, curcumin has gradually garnered a special place in pockets of the integrative veterinary world over the past 20 years. Science is there, and so is widespread use. While not all products have the right dosage, when it works it just works: Moxie stopped limping and is more active now. Buster’s bowels have become regular. Scooby’s skin isn’t red and itchy anymore. We don’t need clinical trials to confirm that the sun’s yellow and the sky’s blue. 

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Curcumin, specifically, is one of those ingredients that does good things for many species, from fruit flies to cyborgs (probably). In healthy dogs, the addition of 100 mg/kg body weight curcumin to chow for a month improved several measures of health, suggesting it can improve overall health measures for even younger dogs. That’s important when we consider that inflammation for most animals is a lifelong process, not just an old-age one. 

A number of recent studies are tallied on palmitoylethanolamide, or PEA, for dogs and cats, as well as humans. PEA is in foods like eggs and meat, and created in all mammalian cells on demand after injury. It exerts activity on a number of downstream pain- and inflammation-related targets such as PPAR-alpha and mast cells, GPR55, cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, and the pain receptor TRPV1. In another study, PEA was shown safe and effective for skin conditions that affect many dogs. Supplementing with PEA appears to fill the immune and inflammatory signaling gaps that are lifelong, and which cause arthritis and accelerate aging in dogs and their best friends. 

Certain turmeric supplement blends have been studied in canines. A combination of curcuminoids, collagen and green tea modestly improved some OA endpoints. In another recent university study, a specific ratio of curcumin with PEA and quercetin slowed OA progression, while increasing physical activity and gait force in older companion dogs. 

Studies on a number of food-based antioxidant and flavonoid supplements are interesting as well. A 2023 publication found that a quercetin combination decreased cortisol and histamine, and increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) versus control in healthy terriers after a month. Vitamins C and E are also no-brainers for antioxidant support, as well as other antioxidant-rich foods, like shiitake mushrooms(Lentinus edodes). 

Resistant starch and fiber, along with probiotics, represent ways to improve animal health through the microbiome. (If you spent the day licking and sniffing the same things they do, you would need some digestive support, too.) 

In the Ebersole home, Scooby gets several things on a daily basis to help keep him from scratching, licking and hopefully someday, limping. In addition to his fish and healthy grains, there’s plain yogurt, peanut butter, carrots and apples — along with a combination of PEA, curcumin and quercetin. 

Sounds like good diet advice for his big buddy, too. 

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