Chaga mushroom is known for its many health properties. Just like with humans, its powerful nutritional content can help improve your dogs health in a number of ways. Let’s explore the benefits of Chaga for dogs, whether you’re looking for a way to increase your pup’s longevity, aid recovery, or boost their overall condition. Your dog’s journey to optimal health may start from here!
15 ways Chaga improves and heals your dog’s health
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #1: Allergies and asthma
Whether your dog’s allergy manifests as itching of the skin (localized/ generalized), the symptoms involve the respiratory system (coughing, sneezing, and/or wheezing), a runny discharge (eyes or nose), or the allergic symptoms affect the digestive system resulting in vomiting and diarrhea. Medicinal mushrooms like Chaga have supertonic and adaptogenic properties, that help alleviate the symptoms and root causes of allergies and asthma.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #2: Antioxidants
Chaga is known as one of the highest natural melanin sources in the world. It turns out that melanin has high antioxidant levels due to the number of polyphenols it contains, meaning consuming the fungus will help to keep your dog’s cells healthy. Chaga also contains different B vitamins, enzymes, sterols, and minerals, like zinc and potassium, which all help to fight free radicals.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs: #3: Natural anti-inflammatory
When fighting with itchy bites, allergic rashes, or inflamed skin, your dog will find a lot of relief in applying Chaga topically as well as making them consume it. The fungus is naturally anti-inflammatory, meaning it calms the skin and will help to reduce areas of skin inflammation. Improving both pain and function, by healing the skin and supporting the health of your dog’s immune system, to reduce future outbreaks.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #4: Anti-viral properties
Betulinic Acid, a naturally found pentacyclic triterpenoid, found in Chaga mushrooms host tree white birch. Has anti-retroviral, anti-malarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, with discovered potential as an anti-cancer agent. Which makes Chaga a powerful way to counter viral infections and tumors, helping to prevent illnesses and support your dog’s healing.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #5: Anti-parasitic
In folk medicine, Chaga is used for treating inflammations of the gastrointestinal tract like polyps, inflammation of the stomach, parasitic infections, and it is known to strengthen the immune system. Chaga has been proven to help eliminate intestinal worms, so it’s good to incorporate the medicinal mushroom in your canine’s diet as a preventative, as well as a cure.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #6: Antibacterial effect
Chaga has antibacterial properties, meaning it wards off infection and aids in the fast healing of a cut, scrape, and burns.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #7: Anti-tumor properties
Chaga has gained its fame through its potential to cure, and stop the growth of some types of tumors. This is through apoptosis – spontaneous breakdown of cancer cells. This is known to have a positive effect on tumors like bone, breast, colon, carcinoma, hepatoma, leukemia, liver, lung, medulloblastoma, melanoma, ovarian, sarcoma, stomach, squamous, and uterine. Therefore consuming Chaga will help your dog in its fight against cancer.
The medicinal mushroom has also proved effective health support to chemotherapy and radiation patients. Helping to compensate for the devastating effects these treatments have on the immune system.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #8: Healing bronchitis
Although hard to diagnose, canine chronic bronchitis has been characterized by daily coughing that lasts longer than one month. A dog’s cough can easily be mistaken for the sound of vomiting and is often followed by retching and wheezing. Chaga helps to strengthen and support the respiratory system, therefore alleviating the symptoms whilst helping to build a stronger immune system.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #9: Lowering cholesterol
If you know your dog to have hypothyroidism, he is likely to be prone to high cholesterol levels. Chaga could be a great addition to help with the reduction in glycemic peaks due to the Beta Glucan contained in it, helping to lower harmful LDL cholesterol.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #10: Managing diabetes
Chaga mushroom is known for decreasing sugar levels in the blood. Helping to restore balance by lowering blood sugar content quickly. Keep in mind if your dog is a diagnosed diabetic, you may want to alert your vet and monitor the pup’s glucose levels when adding Chaga into their diet, since it may interact with prescribed medications.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #11: Calming the nervous system
Chaga is a functional mushroom, meaning it provides support for your and your four-legged friend’s nervous system and assists in stress management and immune function. Helping to calm and eliminate the effects of tension.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #12: Healing proriasis
Canine psoriasis is the result of a compromised immune system that attacks the body’s healthy cells, causing cell abnormalities. Know to be notoriously difficult to treat, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence from human patients who took Chaga and experienced a full recovery.
Related: Treating psoriasis naturally
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #13: Supporting liver function and detoxification
Dogs that are overweight, have reoccurring episodes of pancreatitis, or suffer from diabetes, are most susceptible to fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Although a healthy diet players a huge role, Chaga is known to purify and detoxify the liver.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #14: Supporting the stomach and digestive system
The betulinic acid and phytosterols present in the Chaga play an important role in improving stomach disease, ulcers, and in helping your dog with digestive issues. The medicinal mushroom fights colitis, gastritis, and digestive inflammation.
Benefits of Chaga for dogs #15: Improving skin, fur and nails
The significant amounts of melanin and antioxidants found in Chaga will revitalize your dog’s skin and other organs in the body. Resulting in luscious fur and healthy nails.
Feeding Chaga mushroom to your dog
Whilst consuming raw Chaga does no harm other than potentially causing slight digestion problems, it does no good to your dog’s health either. Depending on their preferences, there are various ways to include Chaga mushroom into your canine’s diet.
Chaga tastes and smells like tree bark–but, and that in a positive way. Once processed, the fungus has beautiful sweet undertones to it. Taste is often a good indicator of the mushrooms’ source and quality. From our experience cats and dogs enjoy the taste of Chaga tea. Which is also the easiest way to process Chaga yourself.
Therefore adding a bowl of tea next to a water bowl might work well for you. In case your pet shows no interest in the tea, try mixing some of the liquid into their food.
If you wish to increase the Chaga intake for your pet, tincture might be the other best option. Keep in mind that double extraction tinctures are produced with alcohol.
How much Chaga can you give to a dog?
It’s best to start with smaller quantities and build up gradually. Chaga has a cleansing effect and may increase bowel movements. Keep an eye on your dog when you first introduce Chaga to them, monitor if there are any significant physiological reactions.
If you buy a tincture, assume the recommended dose is for a 70 kg human, and adjust the dosage accordingly for your dog’s weight. When it comes to tea, it’s said that you can give a 20kg dog up to a cup of Chaga tea per day.
Is it safe to give Chaga to dogs?
There are no records of consuming Chaga causing harm to any animal. But it’s important to note that Chaga mushrooms may interact with anticoagulant medications and may increase the effects of those medications. In that case, make sure to consult with a professional before giving your dog any Chaga products.
The Chaga you consume and share with your four-legged friends needs to be well-sourced and of high quality.
How to determine the quality of Chaga?
If you’ve decided to buy your Chaga or Chaga products, you’ll simply need to get to know your supplier and trust their integrity. Money-motivated companies or individuals have been known to sell people low-quality Chaga, which has grown in busy roadsides or close to polluting factories. Not taking the time to properly dry their stash, which often ends up getting contaminated at one point. As well as mixing their Chaga powders with other things like dirt to make their hauls look bigger or harvesting from dead trees.
This is why it’s important to get your Chaga from a trusted source or if possible, harvest it yourself.
Related: How to harvest healthy Chaga?
