Can Dogs Eat Button Mushrooms?

In this research you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Button Mushrooms?“.

Mushrooms are known for their many health benefits and incredible taste. They are full of essential vitamins and minerals that significantly improve your health. As a result mushrooms are a great addition to human diets.

However given the many health benefits and the mushrooms rich content of vitamins and minerals one valid question for dog owners would be: Can dogs eat button mushrooms?

We will answer all of your questions regarding dogs eating mushrooms in this article.

What are the nutritional values of mushrooms?

Mushrooms are packed with vitamins minerals and antioxidants. We need all of these for our own health as well as the health of our dogs. Mushrooms contain antioxidants such as selenium vitamin C and choline among others.

Mushrooms contain many different types of vitamins but they are particularly rich in B vitamins and they contain all of the different variants of B vitamins. The following are included: B-2 B-9 B-1 B-5 and B-3.

As an added bonus mushrooms are low in calories so they are also great for filling up the stomach without consuming a lot of calories. On the whole mushrooms are extremely nutritious.

What are the main types of mushrooms that we can buy in supermarkets?

In the supermarket you can find many different types of mushrooms. Even though they all look different and taste different they all have amazing nutritional benefits in common.

Chanterelles Cremini Morels Portobello Enoki Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms are some of the types of mushrooms you will find in supermarkets. The following are just some of the most common mushrooms you will find – there are many more.

The world is home to more than 50.000 species of mushrooms! While they overlap in some ways all of them differ in other ways.

Although there are a lot of different types of mushrooms you should only feed your dog the ones you can find at your local grocery store regardless of how tempting they may seem.

Do button mushrooms differ nutritionally from other types?

Both vitamins and minerals are abundant in most mushrooms as described. Button mushrooms however have a different nutritional profile. Button mushrooms contain a high amount of vitamin D.

A button mushroom is one of the few vegans or non-animal sources of Vitamin D. This is because they are exposed to a large amount of UV light during their development increasing their vitamin D concentration.

When your skin is exposed to sunlight your body produces vitamin D. During the winter when there is little sunlight exposure vitamin D is especially beneficial.

What are the health benefits of feeding store-bought mushrooms to your dog?

Dogs should not eat wild mushrooms as they can be toxic to them and in the worst case they can lead to poisoning.

Mushrooms from a store on the other hand are a different story. It is safe for dogs to eat mushrooms found in large grocery stores. Dogs also enjoy a variety of health benefits associated with eating mushrooms just like humans.

In the same way that humans can benefit from vitamins and minerals dogs can as well. Button mushrooms for example contain vitamin D which dogs need just as we do. If your dog experiences periods without much sunlight giving it some button mushrooms could be a good alternative.

Should dogs eat mushrooms from the yard?

It is not recommended for dogs to eat mushrooms from the yard. People believe that dogs will not eat toxic mushrooms because they can smell whether the mushroom is poisonous or not. The opposite is true.

It is very important that your dog does not eat the wrong mushrooms because mushroom poisoning can be fatal for dogs.

Therefore you should only buy store-bought mushrooms. You can ensure your dog isnot given a toxic mushroom if you stick to store-bought mushrooms.

You should not let your dog eat just mushrooms from the yard. In general dogs should always consume wild mushrooms.

Should dogs eat wild mushrooms?

Dogs should never eat wild mushrooms which is the short answer to this question. Wild and toxic mushrooms can cause your dog to get mushroom poisoning which in the end can be fatal.

To determine if your dog is poisoned by a mushroom you need to pay attention to several different symptoms.

Other symptoms include vomiting diarrhea salivation weakness seizures and others. Because of this you should only feed your dog store-bought mushrooms that you know are safe for it to eat.

Is it better to feed your dog raw or cooked button mushrooms?

Although dogs can eat both raw and cooked button mushrooms we recommend that you feed your dog raw button mushrooms. Its not that dogs cannot handle cooked mushrooms its all the other ingredients we typically use when cooking mushrooms which make your dog very ill and unhealthy. The most common of these ingredients are onions. Dogs should not consume onions because they are toxic to them making them extremely ill.

You can either cook your mushrooms without anything on them or you can feed your dog mushrooms completely raw.

There are no downsides to feeding dogs mushrooms and you can still eat some extra tasty mushrooms yourself. If you want to be on the safe side go with the raw solution.

How many button mushrooms should you feed your dog?

To prevent a dogs stomach from being upset you should introduce new foods gradually to your dog. For mushrooms you should do the same. Begin by giving your dog just one button mushroom every few days.

After a few periods gradually increase the amount until you reach feeding it with a nice potion of button mushrooms.

Additionally you can ensure that your dog will be able to eat button mushrooms without getting sick by doing it this way. If you notice any signs of illness while feeding your dog button mushrooms stop immediately.

You should not feed your dog any mushrooms at all. But if your dog does not show any signs of illness and reacts well to the mushrooms then adding button mushrooms to your dogs diet can be a great idea.

If mushrooms are given to your dog in large amounts do they contain any vitamins or minerals that might harm him? 

Despite mushrooms being so rich in minerals and vitamins dogs can actually become ill if they consume too many of them. In the beginning the high amount of minerals and vitamins can cause your dog to grow too fast.

Puppy dogs of large breeds are especially susceptible to this problem. Too much growth in your puppy can lead to diseases like hip dysplasia for example.

Skeletal problems may be caused by minerals in large quantities. It is also possible for vitamins to cause problems.

The fact that something so essential for a dogs health like vitamins and minerals can also be harmful if it is consumed too much is not surprising.

If a dog eats too many mushrooms it may suffer from joint pain dehydration and even have problems with its blood vessels.

Mushrooms and mushrooms are also rich in vitamin A so feeding too much vitamin A may affect the dogs health. Basically you should not feed your dog a lot of mushrooms.

Supplementing its diet with vitamins and minerals should only be done as a temporary measure.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that mushrooms are an excellent addition to your dogs diet. However they should only be given in small amounts and not in excessive amounts. Excessive amounts can be detrimental to your dog.

In addition you should be careful about what mushrooms you feed him. You should only feed your dog the types of mushrooms you can find at large grocery stores.

You should never allow your dog to eat wild mushrooms even those you grow yourself. Wild mushrooms pose a significant threat to your dogs health.

After all is said and done mushrooms can be a great health booster for your dog. Just be careful not to give your dog too many mushrooms and only feed him the safe kinds.  

If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.

Can Dogs Eat Button Mushrooms? (Watch Video)