How Culinary Mushrooms and Functional Mushroom Extracts Can Provide Supportive Nourishment and Healthy Benefits for your Plant-Powered Dog
Robert J. Silver DVM, MS
Chief Veterinary Officer
Real Mushrooms
The mushroom buzz has reached dog owners and the results are great for our four-legged family members. Both culinary and functional mushrooms for dogs have loads of benefits, many with adaptogenic qualities that can support a healthy stress level and immune function.
Plant-Based Diets for Dogs
Vegan diets for dogs, although not the native diet that canids evolved eating in their wild state, have been shown by several studies to provide, when properly formulated, complete and balanced nutrition without the use of animal-based ingredients. (1, 2, 3) A recent Australian study of the feeding practices of 2,639 pet parents concluded that feeding a nutritionally sound vegan diet was the healthiest and soundest of all current dietary choices for dogs. (3)
Proponents of plant-based diets for dogs stress the sustainable, environmentally friendly, and carbon-neutral benefits of feeding dogs in this fashion. Other health benefits supported by plant-based diets include reducing potentially toxic compounds found in meat, and especially in animal products that have been processed at high temperatures and pressures. Plant-based ingredients are also high in antioxidants and the other healthy secondary metabolites found in grain, fruit, pulses, and vegetables.
Consumer confidence in commercially manufactured pet foods began a steep dive following the pet food recall of 2007 and has continued to plummet ever since. Consumers are increasingly becoming more knowledgeable about specific pet food ingredients, and they are asking for better quality food for their four-legged family member. Many dog parents are attracted to how “clean” and healthy plant-based dog foods are when compared to foods with animal-based ingredients.
Currently, consumer interest in functional mushrooms that provide health benefits for their dogs (and for themselves) has been increasing rapidly in the past 5 years. Documentaries such as “Fantastic Fungi,” found on Netflix, are inspiring dog parents to source mushrooms and feed them to their dogs (and cats) as part of their diet or as a daily health supplement.
The use of mushrooms in our companion animals is a relatively new phenomenon. Consequently, there are a number of questions that need to be answered before we can feel comfortable incorporating mushrooms into their daily diet.
Can mushrooms be used in a plant-based diet for dogs?
Mushrooms for dogs are nutritionally very complete foods. When fresh they are 90% water. When dried, only about 10% water. Dried mushrooms are a good form for long term preservation of mushrooms. They are:
- High in good quality protein (15-35% DM)
- High in soluble and insoluble fiber (~50%) that nourishes the microbiome
- Rich in vitamins, minerals, and functional nutrients like beta glucans that support a healthy immune response
- Low in digestible carbohydrates (2-10%)
- Low in fats and oils
In many ways, mushrooms are an ideal food ingredient for a plant-based diet for dogs.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES FOR CULINARY FRESH MUSHROOMS (5, 6)
(Values are for a 100-gram sample)
| Mushroom species | kcal | Protein | Starch | FAT | H2O | Total Dietary FIBER | Ash | b-glucans | Ergothioneine |
| Oyster | 41 kcal | 2.9 g | 6.94 g | 0.20 g | 89.2 g | 2.9 g | 0.73 g | 3.0 g | 14 mg |
| Shiitake | 44 kcal | 2.4 g | 8.17 g | 0.20 g | 88.6 g | 4.2 g | 0.62 g | 2.8 g | 11 mg |
| Maitake | 38 kcal | 2.2 g | 6.6 g | 0.30 g | 90.4 g | 3.1 g | 0.56 g | 2.5 g | 2 mg |
| Agaricus | 31 kcal | 2.9 g | 6.94 g | 0.20 g | 91.8 g | 1.7 g | 0.83 g | 0.75 g | 4 mg |
| Lion’s Mane | 43 kcal | 2.5 g | 7.59 g | 0.30 g | 88.6 g | 4.4 g | 1.08 g | 2.4 g | 17 mg |
| Average | 39.4 kcal | 2.6 g | 7.25 g | 0.32 g | 89.7 g | 3.26 g | 0.76 g | 2.3 g | 9.6 mg |
Do we need to cook mushrooms in order to benefit from them?
Yes, absolutely, cook your mushrooms. Mushrooms are very high in fiber and until they are cooked their nutritional and health benefits are bound up in this fiber. Mushrooms can also have slightly toxic factors in them that are destroyed by cooking temperatures.
Cook the mushrooms for a minimum of 15-20 minutes, and ideally at near boiling temperatures for several hours. Mushrooms in stews and soups are best absorbed. Dicing mushrooms into small pieces increases the efficiency of the cooking, and since our dogs don’t chew much, it predigests the mushrooms for them to support their optimal digestion.
What are the health benefits of mushrooms for dogs, and will our dogs get enough mushroom in their meals to have those benefits?
Mushrooms contain a number of active ingredients, including beta glucans, from their fibrous fungal cell wall that increase the body’s immune system vigilance against pathogens and antigens.
Mushroom insoluble fiber consists of beta glucans and chitin. Chitin is a precursor to a type of glucosamine, N-acetyl D glucosamine (NAG), that helps to support a healthy intestinal barrier function, reducing Leaky Gut Syndrome. When you chew a mushroom, it has a bit of a slimy texture. This slimy texture is the glucosamine in the chitin, and this property is why glucosamine can help with joints and supporting the intestinal barrier integrity.
Mushrooms also contain terpenes that are lipophilic hydrocarbon molecules that cross the blood brain barrier to create additional health benefits. These benefits include mental relaxation and cognitive support, as well as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, improved glucose regulation, adaptogenic properties supporting a healthy response to stress, and even antihistaminic properties.
Mushrooms are concentrated sources of these healthy active ingredients, and if you are using dried mushroom powder to add to the food, you can use as little as 1-3 grams (about a teaspoon) per meal and still achieve very good health benefits.
For the use of mushrooms, not simply for their nutritional value, but also for their health support, larger amounts of mushrooms need to be used. For more serious health issues, 3-6 grams daily of a powdered dried mushroom is good and 6-9 grams is a good starting point for the most serious issues, like cancer and viral infections.
If you are using a powdered mushroom extract, such as can be sourced from Real Mushrooms the extracts that are the best to use are their 1:1 extracts which contain all the active ingredients released from their fiber constraints, and then the fiber is added back to the extraction to provide the many benefits of mushroom fiber, including the beta glucans and chitin fractions. The fiber benefits the microbiome and the digestive process in general.
If you are adding the 1:1 extract powder to your dog’s meals, for daily health maintenance you would add about 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon per meal; if you wanted to provide greater support, then adding about ½ -1 teaspoon per meal would be helpful.
For the most serious concerns, adding about 1-2 teaspoons per meal would be supportive. This is for most dogs of average weight (50 pounds). If your dog is heavier, then you may need to increase the amount you are giving, and if your dog is lighter than 50 pounds, then you might want to reduce that amount.
Historically, mushrooms have been very safe to ingest in large quantities for long periods of time. For that reason, it’s better to eat a healthy portion versus a lesser portion to be certain you are getting sufficient beneficial compounds.
Are there specific mushrooms for specific conditions?
Yes, all mushrooms have similar properties due to their beta glucan and terpene content, but each individual mushroom also has properties unique and specific to it.
Examples: (7)
- Reishi – Immune support, antihistaminic properties, calming and grounding, hepatoprotection, cardiovascular support, adaptogen
- Lion’s Mane – Cognition, memory, digestive support (gastritis and IBD), GI cancer
- Cordyceps – Energy, stamina, performance, analgesia, mental calm, adaptogen, endocrine system support, adrenal support
- Turkey Tail – Anti-cancer, anti-viral
- Maitake – Metabolic support, glucose regulation, cholesterol management, anti-neoplastic, Ergothioneine for aging
- Shiitake – Anti-neoplastic, metabolic support, glucose regulation, cholesterol management, Ergothioneine for aging
- Oyster – Anti-neoplastic, immune support, metabolic support, glucose and cholesterol regulation
- Agaricus (button mushrooms) – Anti-neoplastic, metabolic support, glucose and cholesterol regulation, Ergothioneine for aging
You can also use the Real Mushroom extracts for a source of protein based on the content listed in the table below.
TABLE of NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF REAL MUSHROOMS(TM) 1:1 MUSHROOM EXTRACTS[1]
Serving Size: 100 Grams
| MUSHROOM | PRO | FIBER | CHO | Calorie | Fat | Weight | Cu | Zn | ERGO | K | Phos |
| Maitake | 18.9 g. | 60.2 g. combined | 377 C | 6.8 % | 100 g | 21.7 ppm | 49 ppm | 0.57 mg/g | 27686 ppm | 6823 ppm | |
| Lion’s Mane | 10.1 g. | 74.3 g combined | 358 C | 3.0 % | 100 g | 5.6 ppm | 41 ppm | 0.79 mg/g | 30164 ppm | 4865 ppm | |
| Cordyceps | 27.4 g | 55.9 g combined | 362 C | 1.6 % | 100 g | 17.7 ppm | 79 ppm | 0.52 mg/g | 25428 ppm | 10205 ppm | |
| Tremella | 9.9 g. | 72.0 g combined | 341 C | 1.4 % | 100 g | 0.6 ppm | 25 ppm | 0.23 mg/g | 31773 ppm | 5420 ppm | |
| Turkey Tail | 7.7 g | 83.1 combined | 371 C | 0.9 % | 100 g | 7.4 ppm | 13.7 ppm | 0.10 mg/g | 1944 ppm | 1523 ppm | |
| Red Reishi | 9.7 g | 83.1 combined | 384 C | 0.9 % | 100 g | 3.4 PPM | 4.1ppm | 0.1 mg/g | 2055 PPM | 1258 PPM | |
| Chaga | 3.7 g | 73.0 combined | 324 C | 0.7 % | 100 g | 7.1 ppm | 98 ppm | 0.27 mg/g | 44147 ppm | 225 ppm | |
Are there any potential problems using mushrooms for dogs?
Yes, some companies adulterate their products with grain, and/or mislabel the product source stating that it contains mushrooms, when it does not. Some dogs may be allergic to specific mushrooms, grain fillers, or to mushroom spores. There is no evidence of serious mushroom-drug interactions in dogs, other than the rare idiosyncratic reaction. Show caution when using mushrooms with patients who are on blood thinners. Mushroom use while pregnant or lactating has not been proven to be safe, although it also has not been proven to be harmful.
Buyer beware: Not all mushroom products are created equal.
To be sure you are selecting a potent mushroom product for your dog, look for a company that sells 100% mushroom extracts, not mycelium grown on grain. There are many companies that are now selling fake mushroom products, and the only way to know for sure is to call the company and ask them if they are growing mushrooms or mycelium on grain. Real Mushrooms only sells the whole mushroom product, standardized to a beta glucan content that averages about 25%.
This author conducted a study this past year in which 10 products were purchased from the internet, each product claiming to contain Turkey Tail Mushroom for pets. The product labels were covered with tape and each product was assigned a number. The key to decoding those products was kept blinded from both the researchers and the laboratory (double-blinded study) where the products were sent to be analyzed.
These 10 products were analyzed for their beta glucan content and for their digestible starch content. Whole mushrooms are high in fiber and beta glucans, and low in digestible starch. Mycelium grown on grain is mainly digestible grain starch, about 60%, and very low in beta glucans, about 2-5%.
Results
Out of 10 products analyzed, only four had high beta glucans and low digestible starch. Six products, being sold as mushrooms to treat serious diseases like cancer in dogs, contained absolutely no mushrooms in spite of their label having pictures of mushrooms on it and saying it contained mushrooms. Isn’t that false advertising?
The conclusion of this study is: know your source of supply and be certain that it comes from an actual mushroom and not mycelium growing on grain that has been dried and powdered, not even hot water extracted, as is the standard for mushroom extracts.
Conclusion
Mushrooms for dogs are the new popular super-food. They are high in microbiome-friendly fiber and low in digestible starch. Mushroom protein is very bio-available. Mushrooms contain vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and many bio-active healthy ingredients. Mushroom-Powered Meals for your dog are vegan, nutritious, and supportive of a robust immune system and whole-body health.
REFERENCES
- Laverdure-Dunetz, D. and Dodds, W.J (2023) The Plant-Powered Dog; Dogwise Publishing, Wenatchee, WA.
- Dodd, Sarah; (2018) Master’s Thesis: Plant-based diets for dogs and cats – an investigation of pet feeding practices, motivations and concerns; University of Guelph; Chapter 2: Plant-Based Pet Food; Guelph, Ontario.
- Dodd, S.A.S., Cave, N.J., Adolphe, J. L. Shoveller, A.K., Verbrugghe, A. Plant-based (vegan) diets for pets: A survey of pet owner attitudes and feeding practices. PLoS ONE 14(1):e0210806.
- Knight, A., Huang, E., Rai, N., Brown, H. Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported indicators of health. (2022) PLoS ONE 17(4) e0265662.
- USDA Nutrient Database 2023: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/ (accessed August 2023)
- Chueng, P.C.K. Mini-Review on edible mushrooms as source of dietary fiber: Preparation and Health Benefits. (2013) Food Sci Human Wellness 2 162-166.
- Hobbs, C. Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide; Storey Publishing, MA. 2021; ISBN: 1635861675
- Ulziijargal E., Mau, J-L. Nutrient Compositions of Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia (2011) International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 13(4):343-349.