Functional Mushrooms and Your Pet

As I moved forward in learning mushroom cultivation, during the summer of 2022, I progressed beyond simply growing culinary mushrooms, and into some of the more medicinal or "functional" varieties.

I began cultivating Reishi and Turkey Tail mushrooms as more of a growing challenge, but once I began researching how to use these mushrooms, I ended up with a whole new appreciation for them.

In the book, The Forever Dog, Dr. Becker discusses reishi mushroom as a potential supplement for dogs.

Here's a summary of its potential benefits:

• Immune Support: Reishi may help enhance the immune system function in dogs, potentially aiding in fighting off infections and diseases.
• Anti-inflammatory Effects: Reishi may possess anti-inflammatory properties, which could be beneficial for dogs with conditions like arthritis.
• Stress Reduction: Reishi may help regulate the stress response system in dogs, promoting a calmer state of mind and potentially alleviating anxiety symptoms.
• Antioxidant Properties: Reishi contains antioxidants that can help neutralize free radicals, supporting overall health and potentially slowing aging.
• Cardiovascular Support: Reishi may have positive effects on cardiovascular health in dogs by supporting healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

But it's especially important to understand that Reishi, once cultivated, isn't a soft mushroom like the other gourmet varieties. 

Reishi is firm, like tree bark, and just as woody. It also grows its own shiny lacquer on the outside of its fruiting body for further protection.

Breaking that hard, woody exterior down is essential in order to extract so many of the benefits from it, and this is primarily done by cutting the mushroom fruiting body up into smaller pieces, dehydrating it, and then grinding it into a powder.

That powder is then steeped for a long period of time in a stable hot temperature (never boiling).

When developing Wild Life Pet Treats, adding my own Canadian-cultivated Reishi was essential, and I'm so glad to offer it as one of the many nutrient-dense ingredients in our entire line of pet treats.