How Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies Like Mushrooms Can Help Your Pet

August 8, 2023

CBD Benefits for Dogs & Medicinal Mushroom Benefits for Pets

When their pet gets sick, most pet parents want to do everything they can to get the treatment that their pet needs. But what are the best ways we can do this naturally in conjunction with our veterinarians advice? 

These days, many pet parents are turning to holistic alternatives like CBD oil or a whole-food diet because more and more evidence suggests that natural remedies function more effectively than traditional western methods.

But when there’s a significant amount of research on pharmaceutical medicine and not nearly enough research on holistic or alternative medicine, it leaves a pet parent unsure of which options are actually trustworthy.

Earth Buddy co-founder Sean Zyer joins Carrie Hyde and Brittney Whiteford in the Spawdcast to explain how holistic alternatives, such as CBD oil and functional mushrooms, can boost or benefit your pet’s health. The Spawdcast is a podcast for pet owners and pet industry professionals, created by Carrie and Brittney, both certified pet nutritionists, who share a mission to help pet owners care for pets in a “whole and natural” way.

Bags of Earth Buddy CBD Dog Treats. Try CBD for dog allergies and other CBD products today

CBD Benefits for Dogs and What is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the 100+ cannabinoid compounds found in cannabis. It is sometimes mistaken for THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the “high” causing compound found in cannabis. Another notable difference between the two compounds is that there is significantly more research and knowledge on THC than there is on CBD, especially because of the legalization of marijuana.

Although CBD Benefits for Dogs is also gaining popularity these days, its rapid rise has been accompanied by many myths and misconceptions.

One common misconception is that CBD is completely non-psychoactive. CBD is, in-fact, psychoactive, but it’s non-intoxicating. CBD crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts on serotonin pathways, resulting in changes of mood and perception. It is due to CBD’s psychoactive nature that it is considered to be a health benefit.

Health Benefits of CBD For Pets

noun_Immune System_1261995

Strengthens Immune System

noun_balance_1942144

Promotes Homeostasis

noun_skin inflammation_3127040

Promotes Healthy Inflammatory Response

noun_grass_1238257

Great for Skin and Coat

noun_Stomach_1214040

Supports Digestive Health

noun_Dog_2477834

Supports Calming and Focus

Hemp VS Marijuana

Although both the hemp plant and marijuana plant come from the same cannabis sativa family, the two are distinctly different.

The Hemp grown here in Colorado is producing high amounts of CBD and other minor cannabinoids and terpenes.

Another difference is the level of THC found in both plants. To put it simply, marijuana has more than 0.3% levels of THC, while hemp has less than 0.3%.

noun_CBD_3114029
noun_Marijuana_1602374

Hemp and the Entourage Effect

Earth Buddy uses hemp as a botanical extract, or as plant medicine, for pets. We use the full plant to help pets gain the most health benefits out of it.

We use hemp, not marijuana, in our pet products to ensure pet parents that our products will not get your pet high. Our expertise is used to grow cannabis plants with high CBD genetics, so we can extract the full plant, rather than just the CBD alone. When you use the whole plant, you are creating a full-spectrum product.

From a safety standpoint, it’s better to go full-spectrum because there are less negative side effects, and it’s more effective when used that way. This is called the entourage effect.

The entourage effect suggests that there is a synergy to using all the different components of cannabis, such as cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and more.

Terpenes, the aromatic compounds found in plants, work in synergy with CBD and other cannabinoids and allow for a minimum effective dose. By extracting the whole plant, we can maximize CBD’s therapeutic effects.

Because you are maximizing CBD’s effects when using the whole plant, this means you can take a lower dosage of the product while still benefiting from its effects. When taking a CBD isolate, a higher dose may be required to achieve the same desired effect and may lead to negative side effects.

The Less Refined, The Better

When looking at CBD products for your pet, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. As pet parents, it’s our responsibility to give our pets the healthiest options available. Although we have the ability to choose what enters into our body, our pets don’t. We make that decision for them, which is why we need to do our part to ensure they get whole and natural foods in their diet.

You may be wondering how you can tell if a CBD product is all-natural or if it’s full-spectrum or not. One thing a pet parent should look for is if a company shares their lab tests. When you walk inside a store that sells CBD products for your pet, don’t be afraid to ask them for lab tests on the products (you can view our lab tests here).

What you are looking for is the potency. The percentage of the CBD delivered will indicate whether or not a product is full-spectrum or not. You’ll also want to look for more than just CBD. You want to see multiple cannabinoids and multiple terpenoids. The less refinement, the more natural it is.

Natural products are safer and our bodies respond to it with more efficiency. What we put in our bodies (and our pet’s bodies) is of utmost importance, which is why Earth Buddy chooses to deliver high-quality, full-spectrum products every time.

Medicinal Mushrooms for Immune Health

An inforgraphic on functional mushrooms for pets. Read how mushrooms for dogs with allergies work.

Like cannabis, medicinal mushrooms have been used for plant-based therapy for thousands of years. Every medicinal mushroom has unique healing properties, but nearly all share the ability to boost our immune systems. This is mostly attributable to their high level of polysaccharides, specifically beta-glucans.

Beta-glucans serve as a catalyst in boosting our immune system by activating macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, and every other immune-system-cell in the body. They are also reported to lower cholesterol levels, improve blood-sugar levels, and inhibit the spread of compromised immune cells.

Health Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms

As stated earlier, every mushroom comes with its own unique set of healing abilities, but here’s a list of the most common benefits of medicinal mushrooms:

noun_Immune System_1261995

Activates Immune Cells (like Macrophages & Neutrophils)

noun_Energy_3321872

Boosts Energy

noun_balance_1942144

Increases Antibody Production

noun_Stomach_1214040

Promotes Better Digestion & Improves Apppetite

noun_skin inflammation_3127040

Promotes Healthy Inflammatory Response

noun_grass_1238257

Helps with Seasonal or Dietary Allergies

noun_anxiety_2178811

Enhances Focus and Concentration

noun_Dog_2477834

Promotes Adaptive Response with Stress

But since each mushroom is unique, we should get to know the top five organic mushrooms used by Earth Buddy and how their unique properties can help your pet!

Agarikon

Agarikon, also known as the “elixir of long life,” is probably one of the oldest and longest-living mushrooms on the planet. These mushrooms are native to the conifer forests of North America and Europe. Agarikon mushrooms are shaped like beehives and usually hang from the branches or trunks of old, tall trees.

Benefits of Agarikon:

  • Supports body’s natural immune response
  • Rich in antioxidants
  • Promotes healthy inflammatory response to daily exercise
  • Increases blood circulation
  • Supports GI tract health

Cordyceps

Cordyceps is a fungus that lives on certain caterpillars, originally discovered in the high tops of the Himalayas. For centuries, cordyceps has been recognized as a powerful healing mushroom in Chinese and Tibetan medicine. This mushroom was used to treat a number of ailments such as fatigue, pathogens, organ health, and more.

Benefits of Cordyceps:

  • Boosts exercise performance and endurance
  • Supports heart and respiratory function
  • Reduces fatigue and boosts strength
  • Supports cognition in aging pets
  • Great for allergy support

Lion’s Mane

The Lion’s Mane mushroom is large, white, and shaggy and is widely used for both culinary and medicinal reasons in Asian countries. Lion’s Mane can be eaten raw, cooked, dried, or steeped as tea. Most describe its flavor to be similar to sea-food.

Benefits of Lion’s Mane:

  • Promotes healthy cognitive function
  • Helps promote relaxation & focus
  • Curtails symptoms of memory loss
  • Stimulates growth and repair of nerve cells

Reishi

Reishi mushrooms grow in various hot and humid locations in Asia and are rightly a staple in Eastern medicine. Reishi is also known as “the mushroom of immortality” for its effective ability to treat common pathogens. This mushroom can be eaten fresh or in powdered forms.

Benefits of Reishi:

  • Supports cardiovascular health
  • Helps with seasonal or dietary allergies
  • Boosts exercise performance and endurance
  • Helps with emotional well-being
  • Supports restful sleep

Turkey Tail

Turkey Tail mushrooms are multicolored fungi that grow on tree trunks or fallen trees in wooded areas. They’ve been used around the world for centuries to treat various conditions, and now, Turkey Tail mushrooms are used for weakened immune systems, alongside surgery or chemo in some countries.

Benefits of Turkey Tail:

  • Enhances immune response
  • Aids in digestion and weight loss
  • Supports healthy inflammatory response to pathogens
  • Promotes healthy gut microbiome

At Earth Buddy, we pair mushrooms and cannabis together because they’re a very adaptogenic blend. They work in synergy to help modulate your pet's immune system, promote relaxation, and sooth joints. We created an adaptogenic blend of mushroom and hemp capsules for both large and small pets with focus and immunity in mind.

Our goal is to provide minimally-processed, all-natural ingredients in our products because we understand the importance of a healthy diet for our pets. Our mission is to do everything in our power to provide the highest-quality hemp products and help lead you and your pets to a better quality of life.

3 Comments

  1. […] for allergies in cats by boosting the immune system and promoting anti-inflammatory processes. Earth Buddy utilizes 5 types of medicinal mushroom in the Focus + Immune mushroom product, […]



  2. […] the world of fungi, there are 5 types of mushrooms that are commonly discussed as being advantageous to you and your pet. Each type of mushroom offers […]



  3. […] is greater than the sum of its parts,’ and that is made clear when providing cannabis or medicinal mushrooms to your dog. If you want the supplement to work, ensuring the product is full-spectrum is […]