A dog is always willing to try new foods and taste the food he sees you eat. By instinct and smells, enjoy eating various foods typical of the human diet, such as mushrooms, mushrooms or edible mushrooms that you can find throughout the year in the market and with numerous health benefits. While they provide interesting nutrients to a person’s body, you may have some doubts about the convenience of providing mushrooms to your little furry. 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, in a we recommend that you continue reading this article.
Can dogs eat mushrooms or not?
Mushrooms belong to a kingdom of their own, that is, neither vegetable nor animal. This is the fungi kingdom, in which there are edible mushrooms and others that are toxic or poisonous. For example, in Spain there are about 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 mushrooms, you should 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 edible, they may 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 along with the thistle mushroom, blue foot and apricots and can be purchased at the market throughout the year. Also, if you’re 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, medlars, trails or boletus can be found only 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 toxic to dogs. With few exceptions, those that contain ring, white sheets and volva are those that are usually poisonous to dogs. Among the toxic mushrooms found in Spain, 5 are deadly. They are as follows:
- Amanita verna, completely white.
- Amanita phalloides, with white blades, ring and volva.
- Amanita virus, completely white and with a small central mamelon in the hat.
- Lapita helve olla, white and wearing a scaled hat.
- Cortinarius orellanus, reddish-brown with a long, robust foot.
Benefits of mushrooms for dogs
The adequate consumption of mushrooms brings 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 satiate without increasing energy intake and improving intestinal transit.
These mushrooms also provide essential amino acids:
- Vitamins such as niacin (B3), which helps the nervous system, skin, and digestive system work properly.
- Riboflavin (B2), necessary to preserve the integrity of mucous membranes and skin.
- Thiamine (B1)
- Vitamin C.
As for the minerals that these mushrooms contribute to the canine organism, they stand out:
- Phosphorus.
- Potassium.
- Iron.
- Selenium.
If you doubt what happens if my dog eats mushrooms, another positive effect is their contribution to delaying the development of diabetes and reducing clinical signs related to this pathology (polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria and weight loss).
How to give mushrooms to my dog
Wondering if dogs can eat raw mushrooms? You should know that it is better to cook them and, in addition, in the market there are different types of dog food that include mushrooms among the ingredients of its composition. It is a good way to give them to your little furry, but you can also provide them at home by following these steps:
- Rinse the mushrooms with water to remove any dirt left on the foot or hat of these mushrooms. Then, just clean them with a dry cloth or paper.
- Chop the mushrooms and sauté them in a pan for several minutes until cooked.
- Add a few drops of olive oil to sauté them properly.
- Under no circumstances add salt to 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 daily ration of the dog’s food. In this case, it is important that you do not mix them with other ingredients toxic to your body, such as onions or garlic. Therefore, 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 toxic foods for dogs.
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