A dog is always willing to try new foods and taste the food he sees you eat. By instinct and smells, they enjoy eating various foods typical of the human diet, such as mushrooms, some mushrooms or edible mushrooms that you can find all year round in the market and with numerous health benefits. Although they provide interesting nutrients to a person’s body, you may have some doubts about the convenience of providing mushrooms to your furry little one. Is it really positive that you eat them or do they have any toxic component for the animal?
To find out if dogs can eat mushrooms , the benefits for their health and how to give them to them, at OneHOWTO we recommend that you continue reading this article.
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Index
- Can dogs eat mushrooms or not?
- Benefits of mushrooms for dogs
- How to give mushrooms to my dog
Can dogs eat mushrooms or not?
Fungi or mushrooms belong to their own kingdom, that is, neither vegetable nor animal. It is the fungi kingdom, in which there are edible mushrooms and others that are toxic or poisonous. For example, in Spain there are around 300 types of toxic mushrooms , of which 5 are deadly.
Obviously, you can never give a toxic or unknown mushroom to your dog. If you collect mushrooms or other edible fungi, you must have enough knowledge to determine whether or not they can be eaten . In addition, you should avoid collecting mushrooms found on roads or paths because, although they are edible, they can contain a high content of contaminants. Therefore, your dog can eat mushrooms without any problem as long as you buy them in the market with the guarantee of quality or those collected that are edible and free of contaminants.
Other mushrooms that dogs can eat
Can dogs eat mushrooms? The answer is yes. Among the edible mushrooms are cultivated and wild mushrooms . Mushrooms belong to the first, together with the thistle, blue foot and dried apricot mushrooms and can be bought in the market throughout the year. Also, if you are wondering if dogs can eat mushrooms or if dogs can eat boletus, the answer is yes too. However, you should know that wild mushrooms, that is, chanterelles, senderillas or boletus can only be found in spring and autumn.
All these mushrooms that are edible for humans are also edible for dogs , therefore, they can eat them if they are provided properly.
poisonous mushrooms for dogs
Mushrooms that are poisonous to people are also poisonous to dogs. With few exceptions, those that contain a ring, white sheets and volva are the ones that are usually poisonous for dogs. Among the toxic mushrooms found in Spain, 5 are deadly . They are the following:
- Amanita verna, completely white.
- Amanita phalloides, with white gills, ring, and volva.
- Amanita virosa, completely white and with a small central mamelon on the cap.
- Lepiota helveolla, white in color and with a cap with scales.
- Cortinarius orellanus, reddish-brown in color with a long, robust foot.
Benefits of mushrooms for dogs
The adequate consumption of mushrooms reports great benefits for your dog. They hardly contain calories (30 per 100 grams), therefore, they are suitable for dogs with overweight problems. They are also a good source of fiber, a factor that allows them to fill up without the need to increase energy intake and improve intestinal transit.
These mushrooms also provide essential amino acids :
- Vitamins such as niacin (B3), which helps the nervous system, skin and digestive system function properly.
- Riboflavin (B2), necessary to preserve the integrity of the mucous membranes and skin.
- Thiamin (B1)
- Vitamin C
As for the minerals that these mushrooms provide to the canine organism, the following stand out:
If you doubt what happens if my dog eats mushrooms, another positive effect is its contribution to delaying the development of diabetes and reducing the clinical signs related to this pathology (polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria and weight loss).
How to give mushrooms to my dog
Are you wondering if dogs can eat raw mushrooms? You should know that it is better to cook them and, in addition, there are different types of dog food on the market that include mushrooms among the ingredients of their composition. It is a good way to give them to your furry little one, but you can also provide them at home by following these steps :
- Rinse the mushrooms with water to remove any traces of soil left on the foot or cap of these mushrooms. Afterwards, just clean them with a dry cloth or paper.
- Chop the mushrooms and sauté them in a pan for several minutes until they are cooked.
- Add a few drops of olive oil to sauté them properly.
- Under no circumstances add salt to the mushrooms for the well-being of your dog.
Another option to cook the mushrooms and give them to your furry friend is to cook them with the rest of the ingredients (cereals, proteins and other vegetables) that you usually include in the dog’s daily food ration. In this case, it is important that you do not mix them with other ingredients that are toxic to your body, such as onion or garlic. So if you were wondering if dogs can eat garlic, the answer is no.
Wondering what dogs can’t eat? In this OneHOWTO article we provide you with all the information about 10 foods that dogs cannot eat and why. Also, if you also want to know all the toxic foods for dogs, check out this article on What are the toxic foods for dogs .