Did you know you can use mushrooms to naturally improve your pet’s health?
You may even be worried about cancer in your pets. And honestly, you should be.
60% of pets will develop cancer at some point. I’m right there with you because 3 of my pets have passed away from cancer.
It’s a big risk for our pets.
But here’s the thing, there’s a lot we can do to help prevent cancer and support optimal immune health.
By looking at the food we’re feeding our to pets to optimizing health with the best supplements to fill in the gaps food can’t cover, you can help your dogs and cats feel their best.
Let’s talk about the mighty mushroom as a part of your holistic pet care.
Many pet parents are finding these incredible plants searching online and want to know if these can help their pets avoid diseases like cancer, treat allergies, and many other concerns.
There are a lot of different kinds of mushrooms and not all of them are medicinal. However, most mushrooms do have medicinal properties.
They are a very versatile food and supplement and can be used for:
Prevention of disease
Regenerating cells
Protecting the body against cancer and radiation effects
And treatment for certain diseases
Mushrooms are very high in nutrition value – they contain vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, lipids, polysaccharides like beta-glucans, and essential oils like triterpenes.
We’re going to focus on Reishi, Shiitake, Turkey Tail, and Cordyceps.
But here’s the best part – you can combine them to gain synergistic benefits.
Let’s talk about mushrooms first though.
There are three different plant parts to the mushroom – spores (we don’t use them but that’s how the mushroom gets started) when they germinate they form hyphae (which is a fine filament) when they fuse together they form a network called mycelium which is the vegetative body of the organism.
This is usually buried in the substrate that it’s feeding on (usually wood or soil). This decomposes the vegetation and when conditions are right, the mycelium (or vegetative body) will put up a fruiting body which is the incredible mushroom.
Let’s touch briefly on some of the powerhouse mushrooms.
Reishi
These mushrooms are known as the mushrooms of immortality.
They have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral properties, and are immune-stimulating.
Reishi can be powerful in helping cats with immune suppression or have chronic upper respiratory infections.
Shiitake
The shiitake mushroom can help with stimulating white blood cells and improve circulation.
I’ve used this mushroom along with Ganoderma for kidney disease patients to increase blood flow and reduce inflammation, amongst many other diseases.
Turkey Tail or Coriolus
Next are the turkey tails. This is the big gun mushroom.
This type of mushroom has the highest concentration of beta-glucan polysaccharides. These polysaccharides are what activate the immune system to fight things like cancer cells and infections.
A recent study done by Penn State veterinary school showed that dogs with hemangiosarcoma that were treated with turkey tail mushrooms had the longest survival times ever reported even for dogs that received chemotherapy.
Cordyceps
The next mushroom is cordyceps.
Cordyceps are a fascinating mushroom. They actually grow on caterpillars in the wild, but they’re also cultivated by growers due to the high cost of how they naturally grow.
This type of mushroom has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
If you have a pet that is battling allergies or chronic infections, adding cordyceps into their diet may help.
In conclusion, medicinal mushrooms can be a big part of any pet’s health plan.
There are many ways to use medicinal mushrooms naturally to help your pets achieve optimal health.
To learn more tips on how to naturally optimize your pet’s immune health with natural pet care, click here.
Make sure to watch the above video to learn how to choose the best mushroom supplement for your pets.
MORE NATURAL PET HEALTH INFORMATION
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*Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian or doctor. The information contained in thenaturalpetdoctor.com is strictly for educational purposes. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in thenaturalpetdoctor.com, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. Please consult your veterinarian for medical advice for your own pets. Dr. Katie Woodley cannot answer specific questions about your pet’s medical issues or make medical recommendations for your pet without first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.