Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?
Just like for us humans, there are mushrooms that are edible and those that are →toxic for our four-legged friends. To avoid any risk, you should not let your dog eat mushrooms in the wild. Some toxic mushrooms look very similar to the edible ones. Even small amounts can lead to poisoning symptoms.
In general, mushrooms are quite a challenging food for dogs. Properly prepared, they can still be hard on a dog's stomach, simply because some dogs do not tolerate them well. Therefore, you should first start with a small amount and see if your dog handles the feeding of mushrooms well.
[TRANSLATION ERROR] Frische Zutaten für deinen Hund? Das ist genau das Konzept vom BARFen!
Which Mushrooms Can Dogs Eat?
If you still want to treat your dog to some mushrooms, you can orient yourself to the edible mushrooms for us humans. The following mushroom varieties are particularly popular:
- Champignons
- Porcini
- Chanterelles
- Oyster mushrooms
But all other mushroom varieties that are edible for us are also safe for your four-legged friend. The question is, however, whether they will like them. There are also certain mushrooms that are said to have particularly great health benefits, such as shiitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms.
Are you into fresh ingredients and want a food that is extra fresh, natural, yet uncomplicated? With the BARF Fresh Menus from Pets Deli, you provide your four-legged friend with a fresh, balanced diet featuring high-quality meat and gently cooked vegetables and fruits!
Toxic Mushrooms for Dogs
The list of toxic mushrooms for dogs is quite long. Only those who are well-informed should go mushroom picking with their four-legged friends in the woods. Here, you can also orient yourself to the inedible varieties for us humans.
Among others, the following mushrooms are toxic to dogs:
- Red Fly Agaric
- Spring Morel / Spring Poison Morel
- Pinewood Mushroom / Poison Mushroom
- Orange-cap Boletus
- Green Death Cap
- Panther Cap
- Giant Red Mushroom
- Satan's Boletus / Devil's Mushroom
- Brick-red Cracked Cap
- Lead-white Varnished Cap / Leaf Friend Cap
- Greenhouse Parasol Mushroom / Yellow-leaved Parasol Mushroom
- Green Mushroom
- Cone-headed Death Cap
- Wrinkled Ink Cap
- Saffron Parasol / Garden Giant Poison Parasol
- Green-leaved Sulfur Cap
How Do I Properly Prepare Mushrooms for My Dog?
Even if you offer your dog edible mushrooms, you should never feed them raw. While this is not toxic, mushrooms are hard to digest and can, in their raw state, lead to →stomach pain or other digestive problems. Therefore, you should always cook mushrooms in salt-free water or steam them without fat before feeding. If your dog tends to have stomach issues, it's better not to feed them mushrooms at all. Instead, try another vegetable like →carrots, →broccoli, or →pumpkin.
If your four-legged friend tolerates the vegetables very well, it is a healthy side dish in BARF or with the usual food. Although they are mostly made up of water, they contain numerous vitamins and minerals. Mushrooms also have relatively high protein content.
