Digest by MycoDog

Is it a mushroom extract or ground up dried mushrooms?

When choosing a mushroom supplement for dogs, you want to choose a mushroom extract (liquid or powdered).

However, most powdered mushroom products on the market are just dried mushrooms, ground up along with the growing medium, and not actually extracts at all.

MycoDog mushrooms are wild-harvested in North America, and meticulously extracted from the fruiting bodies, through a unique triple-extraction process. This includes a primary ethanol extraction, followed by a hydro extraction, before finally carefully extracting the fungi’s mineral salts, which we imbibe into the tincture. The result? A powerful mushroom tincture, known as a Spagyric Tincture.

Is the mushroom product from mycelium or the fruiting body?

Choose a mushroom extract that is hot water extracted from the fruiting body, where all the medicinal properties live. Stay away from products that include mycelium, grown on medium (like grains) or fillers.

In the world of functional mushroom supplements, most brands opt for growing their fungi on grain. Why? Because it’s much cheaper than going out into the wild to harvest these incredible mushrooms. But here’s the catch – this method isn’t doing any favors for your furry friends.

See, when companies use myceliated grain, it means they’re missing out on the actual mushrooms. And guess what? The good stuff, like beta-glucans and terpenoids, is concentrated in those mushroom caps. So, if you’re after the real benefits, you want a product that’s made from wild-harvested mushrooms. 

Jason Scott, the mycologist behind my line of sustainable mushroom tinctures for dogs, MycoDog, joined me on Your Natural Dog podcast to talk about the importance of extracting from the fruiting bodies when it comes to functional mushrooms, and what to look for in a functional mushroom supplement,

“When you are looking at research of mycelium and the benefits of mycelium, it doesn’t really translate to myceliated grain the same way that people are kind of insinuating that it does. Whereas when you work with the full fruit body, you know what you’re getting, [everything] you’re getting is coming from the mushrooms themselves.” – Jason Scott on Your Natural Dog Podcast

Now, enter MycoDog, the rebel in the mushroom game. We do things differently. We get our mushrooms straight from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, not from some grain bag. Our tinctures are the real deal, with a whopping 54% beta-glucan content – directly from fungi, not from grain fillers.

“We try to be as transparent as possible, and until we have a verified method to be producing mycelium in a pure way, we’re not going to offer it, because right now you just can’t get it unadulterated.” – Jason Scott on Your Natural Dog Podcast

Choosing MycoDog means you’re giving your dog only the good stuff, just the full benefits of functional mushrooms without compromise. So, when it comes to the best mushroom supplement for your pup, we’ve got you covered.

Where are the mushrooms grown?

Mushrooms are bio-accumulators, which means the absorb toxins from polluted air and earth. Although China has been known for its mushroom cultivation methods, it is one of the most polluted countries in the world.

Mushrooms growing in their natural environment in the United States’ Pacific Northwest region* are not exposed to these pollutants and toxins, which is an important factor to consider when choosing mushrooms for dogs.

MycoDog tinctures are thoughtfully formulated, from mushrooms that are grown outside, naturally, with no grains or fillers. Mushrooms are bio-accumulators (absorb toxins from polluted air and environment), so we searched for mushrooms grown in their natural habitat, in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. It is important to source mushrooms from an area that is least likely to be impacted by environmental toxins which might be absorbed by the mushrooms.

How are the mushrooms being grown?

This has a HUGE impact on the benefits of mushrooms for your dog. Did you know mushrooms can be grown on things like grain and rice? It’s a cheap and quick way to mass produce. The problem is, well, you are what you eat. So mushrooms that are grown on grains take in the nutrients from those grains, which are severely lacking in the health benefits your dog needs. If the mushroom is grown on a tree, in the wild (where they naturally grow), it’s able to absorb all of the important vitamins and nutrients your dog needs to thrive.

A lot of people don’t realize this, but there are actually mushrooms growing, wild-harvested, extracted and packaged in the United States! If you do a little research, you’ll see that the Pacific Northwest is a mushroom heaven that’s been supplying us with naturally grown mushrooms for over 2,400 years. It’s America’s little secret, but so important to know about to make sure we aren’t only finding the best mushroom sources for ourselves and our pets, but that we continue to support our local farmers.