If you’ve researched wellness products for yourself or for your dog, you’ve probably come across the term, adaptogens. Several health products (for people and pets) claim to deliver adaptogenic effects. But what does that mean? And what kind of benefits can these products potentially provide for your dog? Read on to find out …
What Are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are natural plant substances, such as certain herbs, roots, and mushrooms, that help the body to manage stress and restore balance after a stressful experience. This can mean any kind of stress, ranging from physical or emotional to hormonal and even food-induced. It’s believed that adaptogens interact with the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This is the primary neuroendocrine system that manages stress, as it links the central nervous system to endocrine function. When adaptogens interact with this system, it helps to initiate your body’s stress response and helps to keep your body in balance.
Not every plant substance works as an adaptogen. To be considered an adaptogen, a plant substance must:
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Support the entire body’s ability to cope with stress
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Help restore balance (homeostasis) after a stressful situation
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Be nontoxic at normal doses
These conditions apply to potential adaptogens for humans or animals. Let’s now take a look at how this applies to dogs.
Can Dogs Take Adaptogens?
Dogs can safely take some adaptogenic products, providing the product is properly formulated specifically for a dog’s physiology. People use these pet-friendly adaptogens to help manage their pet’s stress, anxiety, immune function, and inflammation. Some of the more common adaptogens for dogs are:
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Maitake mushrooms
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Reishi mushrooms
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Turkey tail mushrooms
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Astragalus root
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L-theanine
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Ashwagandha
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Rhodiola
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Ginseng
For all of these (and other) adaptogens, make sure to consult a veterinarian to determine appropriate, pet-safe dosages for your pup.
8 Benefits of Adaptogens for Dogs:
Now that we’ve explained what adaptogens are and touched on which adaptogens support dog health, let’s take a look at the benefits of adaptogens for dogs.
Improves Stress Resilience
We’ve discussed this primary benefit in depth already, but it bears repeating: adaptogens interact with the dog’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to initiate their body’s stress response and help keep their body in balance.
Supports a Calmer Mood
With reduced stress, your dog will naturally feel more calm as they go about their day. Even stressful situations, like an unexpected car ride or fireworks, can be met with a more balanced mood with these beneficial adaptogens.
Boosts Immune Function
Adaptogens provide immune support for your dog by modulating the body's stress response system, which in turn reduces stress-induced cortisol and provides antioxidant support to protect cells.
Enhances Energy & Vitality
Adaptogens enhance energy and vitality by modulating the body's stress response system, reducing cortisol spikes that can cause burnout and boosting cellular energy production. This provides your dog with sustained, natural energy, enhanced mental stamina, and improved cellular resistance to fatigue.
Supports Cognitive Health
Adaptogens support your dog’s cognitive health by providing neuroprotective and antioxidant benefits, increasing mental clarity, focus, and memory while decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain.
Promotes a Healthy Inflammatory Response
Adaptogens help lower chronic inflammation in your dog by inhibiting pro-inflammatory genes, regulating immune cells, and supporting cellular repair—all of which helps the body return to a balanced state (homeostasis).
Balances Mood & Behavior
Adaptogens help to balance mood and behavior in your dog by stabilizing cortisol levels, reducing anxiety and burnout, and restoring homeostasis, thus giving your dog a more even temper as they go about their day.
Aids Overall Wellness & Longevity
Stress can grind down your dog’s overall health over the course of time. When you ease that stress, your dog can benefit from lower heart rate, improved sleep, and other overarching benefits that can contribute to a longer, healthier life.
The Best Products With Beneficial Adaptogens
The best adaptogenic products for dogs feature natural ingredients, such as wild grown mushrooms, are manufactured in cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Process) facilities, and are lab tested by a third-party laboratory for purity and potency. Happy Paws dog supplements meet all of these criteria. We carry two high-quality products featuring adaptogens.
Our Allergy and Immune Supplement for Dogs contains maitake, turkey tail, and reishi mushrooms, as well astragalus root. Topped off with turmeric, colostrum, vitamin C, and other natural ingredients, these chews are perfect for providing immune support and staving off occasional allergies.
Our Calming Supplement for Dogs contains the adaptogen, L-theanine, which helps your dog’s body to manage stress, promotes relaxation, and supports mental focus. Along with tryptophan and a blend of calming botanicals, this supplement is perfect for easing stress for restless pets.
FAQs
1. What can you give dogs for anxiety naturally?
Certain natural adaptogens, such as L-theanine, can help ease a dog’s stress. Just make sure your adaptogenic product is formulated especially for dogs and not humans, as appropriate dosing is essential to the effectiveness and safety of the product.
2. Can adaptogens help dogs with anxiety?
Again, there are certain adaptogens, including some functional mushrooms, which can help lower a dog’s stress levels, in turn helping to ease anxiety.
3. How long does it take for adaptogens to work in dogs?
How quickly a dog responds to adaptogenic supplements can depend on your dog’s unique physiology and the ingredients and strength of the product you choose. Generally speaking, some dogs respond within a few weeks of beginning a daily adaptogen regimen, while others can take 4–8 weeks. Remember, it’s extremely important to stick with a daily schedule to help build up the adaptogens in their system.
4. Can puppies take adaptogens?
Yes, puppies and adult dogs can both take certain adaptogens, but it is important to consult a veterinarian before you start any new supplement. Your vet can best advise on the type of adaptogen and proper dosage for your dog’s age and weight. They can also advise you on any potential side effects, as well.
5. Can adaptogens be combined with other dog supplements?
Yes, adaptogens are often combined with other wellness-boosting ingredients in supplements. For instance, our Allergy and Immune Supplement for Dogs contains three adaptogenic mushrooms, plus astragalus root. In addition to these adaptogens, these chews also include turmeric, colostrum, vitamin C, and other wellness-boosting ingredients.
