A Suffolk woman is extolling the health improving qualities of a household cooking ingredient – on her 12-year-old dog.

East Anglian Daily Times: Branston enjoying the outdoor life with Jenny from Bury St Edmunds Picture: FutureYouBranston enjoying the outdoor life with Jenny from Bury St Edmunds Picture: FutureYou (Image: Archant)

Jenny Meyers, 49, from Bury St Edmunds, tried various ways to help ease the pain of arthritic joints suffered by Branston, named after the beloved pickle.

But she then discovered a curry supplement, traditionally used by humans to ease joints, helped transform the Labrador’s life.

The former health visitor, who lives with scientist husband Nick and three daughters, said: “Branston’s arthritic joints meant he would often collapse onto his nose when his legs gave way, and he was no longer able to struggle upstairs to check I was out of bed in the mornings.

“Since we introduced this supplement, Branston is back chasing balls and keen for a walk.

“It’s almost a year since he last tackled the stairs, but now he’s started coming up again in the morning to check I’ve surfaced.

“We think it has made a dramatic difference.”

Like humans, dogs are living longer, but suffering more ill health in old age.

FutureYou, a Cambridge based company, has long sold a product for humans, Turmeric+, which contains curcumin, a spice commonly used in joint health supplements.

Not long after launching Turmeric+, the company started receiving interesting feedback.

Adam Cleevely, FutureYou chief executive, said: “Many customers started telling us that they were giving Turmeric+ to their pets after experiencing the benefits for themselves – horses, cats, even a parrot in one case.

“However, most of them were sharing it with their dogs.

“We decided to create CurcuPet-K9 as a new easy-to-absorb turmeric product for dogs, in response to customer demand.

“Their feedback was so positive that we decided to create a special formulation for dogs.

“We know that dogs in the UK are living longer, just like their owners. They need the same help to deal with issues we all experience with age.”

FutureYou created CurcuPet-K9 as a version of the Turmeric+ formulation designed specifically for pets.

Mr Cleevely added: “When you give a supplement to your dog, you can tell if it is working based on their behaviour.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that some of our customers are seeing such positive changes.”