Can Dogs Eat Mushroom Soup? A Simplified Guide

Dogs can eat a lot of different fruits and vegetables that are part of their owner’s diet. Humans also regularly eat mushrooms and mushroom soup. But can dogs eat mushroom soup?

Even though dogs can ingest small amounts of mushroom soup without having any problems, they shouldn’t eat it regularly. Mushroom soup contains a lot of sodium, sugar, and fat that can cause problems. If your dog ate mushroom soup by accident, you need to be aware of the symptoms.

What Mushrooms Are Safe For Dogs?

Is Mushroom Soup Safe For Dogs?
Benefits Of Mushroom Soup For Dogs
Drawbacks Of Mushroom Soup For Dogs

What To Do If Your Dog Eats Mushroom Soup

What Mushrooms Are Safe For Dogs?

There are a few mushrooms in dog’s diet that are completely safe for its health. These are usually mushrooms that are also safe for their owners.

Such mushrooms include the tasty Shiitake mushroom which contains a lot of beneficial minerals. “Shiitake mushrooms contain lentinan, a compound studied for its potential anti-tumor and immune-enhancing effects. Additionally, they may possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.”, says Dr. Lauren Jacoby.

Maitake mushrooms can help regulate the dog’s blood sugar and immunity. Lingzhi, White button, and Turkey tail mushrooms are other viable choices.

Mushrooms To Avoid

There are certain mushrooms that can be very toxic for dogs, and even for humans. These should be avoided at all costs. Some mushrooms to avoid include Amanita, Death Cap, Gyromitra, Deadly Galenira, and False Morels among others. Dr. Lynn Buzhardt says that:

The severity of mushroom induced illness depends on the type and number of mushrooms ingested. Sometimes a pet may have mild gastrointestinal (GI) upset that resolves at home. Other times, pets become extremely sick and require hospitalization. Unfortunately, some pets die despite therapy.

Unfortunately, most people don’t know the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms. Because of this, you need to keep an eye on your dog whenever you are out. This will prevent it from ingesting potentially toxic dogs.

Is Mushroom Soup Safe For Dogs?

Mushroom soup can be perfectly fine for a dog if ingested in really small amounts. If you are eating it for dinner, and offer a small spoonful, your dog can eat it with no problem. However, you should limit this to only feeding occasionally.

This is because mushroom soup contains a lot of other ingredients besides mushrooms and water. High amounts of cream and some spices like onion and garlic can be toxic to dogs and pose a significant health risk. Also, some dogs may find the soup distasteful or have an allergic reaction to it. There are two types of mushroom soup to have in mind.

Readymade Mushroom Soup

This type of mushroom soup is very harmful to dogs. These soups contain a lot of sodium that can cause sodium poisoning if eaten in high amounts. They can also contain toxic ingredients like onions or raw meats. There are many other additives in commercial mushroom soup that can severely affect a dog’s health.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

Using mushroom soup for dogs made at home can be much safer to ingest as you can control the ingredients you use to make it. You can exclude toxic ingredients like onions and garlic while making it if you plan on feeding it to your dog. If your dog is allergic to mushrooms, it is best to avoid feeding it altogether.

Benefits Of Mushroom Soup For Dogs

There are benefits of giving mushroom soup to dogs. It contains a lot of protein and nutrients. That said, these benefits are not as high and can be replaced by some dog-friendly mushroom soup alternatives.

High In Protein

Mushrooms contain a lot of protein and amino acids. That’s why they are so healthy for humans to eat. These proteins help your dog to strengthen its bones, nails, muscles, coat, and skin, while also regulating its hormones. But your dog’s nutrition can get these proteins from other sources of food.

Full Of Nutrients

Using mushroom soup for dogs can offer some other benefits and nutrients. Mushroom soup contains vitamins and minerals like manganese, iron, phosphorus, vitamin C, and selenium among others. This can help your dog with its bone, skin, kidney, liver health, and immune system. These nutrients can also be found in other foods that are part of a balanced dog diet.

Drawbacks Of Mushroom Soup For Dogs

Even though there are some benefits of giving mushroom soup to dogs, there are some common concerns due to its negative effects.

Affects Gastrointestinal Health

Mushroom soup contains a lot of sodium and spices, especially readymade mushroom soup you get from the store. This mushroom soup also contains a lot of fat due to the presence of cream and milk. Sodium and fat together can cause a lot of gastrointestinal issues for dogs. This includes symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea among others. Your dog might start having diarrhea at night if it ate mushroom soup in the evening.

Causes Heart And Liver Problems

Another reason for stating that mushroom soup is toxic to dogs is that it can cause a lot of heart problems. This is again due to the high sodium, fat, and sugar levels. High sodium also increases blood pressure and damages the heart even more. In time, the dog may be at risk of developing a stroke. The liver is also affected by the high salt content, putting it at risk of liver failure.

Reason For Pain And Dehydration

The high sodium content in mushroom soup can build up in the dog’s body and cause pain. It can also lead to emotional pain causing lethargy and depression.

Sodium, fat, and sugar can also be a reason why a dog gets dehydrated. These ingredients reduce the water content in the body due to diarrhea and increased sweating. Dehydration can lead to the dog becoming lethargic and fatigued, and even lead to shock. The Memphis Veterinary Specialists explain that:

Another sign of dehydration is xerostomia. This is the loss of moisture in your dog’s gums, causing them to become dry and sticky with thick, pasty saliva. Loss of appetite, panting, and a dry nose are other signs of dehydration. Your dog’s eyes may even become sunken or they might collapse if they enter shock, in extreme cases.

Cause Of Swelling And Seizures

Another detrimental effect of the high sodium content is increased swelling and inflammation. If the dog already has some inflammation, this will only increase it and cause more damage.

Large quantities of mushroom soup can also cause seizures in the dog. Again, this is a result of the high sodium, but it may also occur due to other ingredients that affect the neurological system.

Not For Lactose Intolerant

Feeding dogs mushroom soup will be very damaging to dogs that have lactose intolerance. Mushroom soup often contains dairy ingredients like cream, cheese, yogurt, or milk.

Dogs that are lactose intolerant can not properly digest lactose because they don’t have the enzyme lactase needed for digestion. This can lead to many gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and runny stools. These can appear as soon as 12 hours after consumption of creamy mushroom soup.

What To Do If Your Dog Eats Mushroom Soup

You shouldn’t panic if you notice that your dog has not listened to you and has eaten a bit of mushroom soup. The best thing you can do at the moment is to bring them some water to deal with the high sodium content.

After you’ve done that, observe the dog, and notice if it shows any unusual behavior or symptoms of sodium toxicity. If more serious symptoms start to show, get your dog to the veterinarian. Look at the ingredients of the mushroom soup you’ve given to the dog. Any notable ingredients should be told to the vet. You should also try to find out the amount of soup the dog ingested.

If your dog suffers from any gastrointestinal problems or has shown unusual effects to mushroom soup, make sure to avoid giving it in the future.

So Can Dogs Eat Mushroom Soup?

Mushrooms are a nice addition to a human’s diet, known for their taste and nutritional value. They are especially tasty when used in mushroom broth. Even though it can give a variety in dog’s diet, they are not advised to eat a lot of this tasty soup.

Mushroom soup, especially one that has been store-bought, is filled with sodium, fat, sugar, and other ingredients that are detrimental to dogs. Sodium toxicity is a serious problem for dogs as it can damage the heart, liver, gastrointestinal, and central neural systems.

Because of all this, it is best to avoid giving mushroom soup to dogs altogether. If you notice your dog ingesting some mushroom soup, you need to observe for any serious symptoms. Once you notice them, consult a vet as soon as possible.

FAQ

What soup can dogs eat?

If you want to prepare soup for your dog, try preparing it with plain ingredients. Simple chicken noodle soup can do wonders. Pumpkin is great for dog diarrhea, so you can also prepare soup with plain pumpkin for your dog.

Can dogs eat mushroom gravy?

Just like dogs can’t eat mushroom soup, they shouldn’t eat mushroom gravy as well. Mushroom gravy is made with a lot of oil, salt, and additional ingredients that can be toxic to dogs.

Can dogs eat cream soups?

Dogs shouldn’t eat any cream soup no matter its ingredients. Cream soups are made with a lot of fats and sodium which are known to be highly toxic to dogs. The same goes for cream soups made of mushrooms.