MycoDog Digest: Digestive Health

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.

Choose a mushroom extract that is dual extracted from the fruiting body, where functional components are most concentrated. 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 spectrum of functional mushrooms without compromise. So, when it comes to the best mushroom supplement for your pup, we’ve got you covered.

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.

The way mushrooms are grown can significantly influence their functional properties. While some mushrooms are cultivated on grain or rice to speed up production, this method may not support the full development of the compounds traditionally valued for immune, cellular, and adaptogenic support. Mushrooms naturally grow on trees in forest environments, where they can fully express their bioactive potential—supporting functions like immune resilience, cellular health, and oxidative stress response.

What many don’t realize is that the U.S.—especially the Pacific Northwest—is home to wild-harvested, fruiting-body mushrooms that are carefully extracted and packaged by skilled cultivators. This region offers ideal conditions for growing fungi with functional benefits that support your pet’s overall wellness. Choosing mushrooms grown in their natural habitat not only helps ensure quality but also supports local producers who prioritize traditional, functional cultivation methods.