Immune Supporting Toppers

Carrots

Benefits: Carrots contain beta carotene, a natural plant pigment that converts to vitamin A in your dog’s body. It helps strengthen your dog’s immune system by boosting antibody production and enhancing immune cell activity, while the vitamin A also maintains healthy skin and mucous cells.

Serving Size:

• Small dog: 1-3 carrot slices
• Medium dog: 5-6 carrot slices
• Large dog: Handful of carrot slices

How to Serve: Cooked carrots are easier for your dog to digest.

• Wash, peel, and cut into small slices as they may present a choking hazard for smaller dogs.
• Cooking methods include boiling, steaming, or pureeing.
• Feed as a healthy treat or directly on food.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Benefits: According to a peer-reviewed study, dogs fed shiitake mushrooms showed an increase in antioxidant activity. Antioxidants can help boost your dog’s immune defenses, combat damaging free radicals, battle infections, decrease inflammation, and provide protection against chronic diseases.

Serving Size: 1 tsp of cooked mushrooms per 10 lbs of body weight

How to Serve: You can serve your dog mushrooms 3 different ways:

1. Using store-bought mushrooms, wash then cook them thoroughly to make them digestible for your dog.
2. Buy dried mushrooms, soak them in water for several hours until soft, then cook them.
3. Sprinkle [Real Mushroom’s 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend or Daily Dawg Powder] directly onto your dog’s regular meals.

Important Note:

• Store-bought mushrooms must be cooked because it can be difficult to digest in raw form.
• Do not feed your dog wild mushrooms as they may be toxic.
• Dogs can safely eat any store-bought mushrooms that are also safe for you to eat.

Chicken Liver

Benefits: Chicken liver is a rich source of iron. Iron helps your dog’s body utilize oxygen effectively and produce new red blood cells. This essential mineral is also important for cell division and maintaining immune system health.

Serving Size: 2-3 oz per 50 lbs of body weight

How to Serve: Feed gently cooked or dehydrated.

• To gently cook, simmer the chicken liver in a pan over low-medium heat.
• To dehydrate, follow our [how to dehydrate your own treats at home] instructions.

Important:

• Feeding raw meat increases the risk of bacterial and parasitic infections. Dogs with weakened immune systems should avoid this risk.
• If there is already liver in your dog’s diet or your dog’s food contains a synthetic copper supplement, adding more liver may risk exceeding copper intake.

Spirulina

Benefits: Spirulina is a blue-green algae. Research shows that even small amounts of spirulina can balance and stabilize the immune system. It contains beta carotene, B vitamins, iron, essential fatty acids, and other essential nutrients, which all work together to boost cellular health and provide increased energy for healing.

Serving Size:

• Small dog: ¼ tsp
• Medium dog: ½ tsp
• Large dog: 1 tsp

How to Serve: Spirulina is typically sold in powder form. Sprinkle onto your dog’s food.

Strawberries

Benefits: Strawberries are one of the best food sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage DNA and cause diseases. Scientists have discovered that the plant compound in strawberries called “fisetin” also kills cells known for premature aging.

Serving Size:

• Small dog: 1-2 small pieces
• Medium dog: 3-4 small pieces
• Large dog: Up to 5-6 small pieces

How to Serve:

• Strawberries are on Environmental Working Group’s The 2024 Dirty Dozen™ list. It’s best to buy organic.
• Wash, remove the green stem to prevent stomach upset, and chop into smaller pieces as they may present a choking hazard for smaller dogs.
• Feed as a healthy treat or directly on food.

Cooked Oysters

Benefits: Oysters are packed full of taurine (an amino acid), vitamin B12, and zinc. Zinc is essential for supporting healthy immune function and fighting illness.

Serving Size: 1-2 small cooked oysters. Feed in moderation.

How to Serve: Canned oysters packed in water are pre-cooked, easy to find at your local grocery store, and affordable. Always feed cooked oysters and remove the shell.

Beef Spleen

Benefits: Beef spleen is an organ meat high in iron, which is crucial for delivering oxygen throughout your dog’s body to prevent weakness and fatigue. Beef spleen also contains nutrients that boost immune function by activating white blood cells to combat infections and cancer.

Serving Size: No more than 5% of your dog’s daily calories.

How to Serve: Feed raw, gently cooked, or dehydrated.

• To gently cook, simmer the beef spleen in a pan over low-medium heat.
• To dehydrate, follow our [how to dehydrate your own treats at home] instructions.

Important: Feeding raw meat increases the risk of bacterial and parasitic infections.

Reishi Mushrooms

Benefits: Known as the “Mushroom of Immortality”, reishi mushrooms have protective, anti-aging, and rejuvenating health benefits. Reishi mushrooms both increase and decrease certain immune system functions to help regulate the immune system.

Serving Size: 1 tsp of cooked mushrooms per 10 lbs of body weight

How to Serve: You can serve your dog mushrooms 3 different ways:

1. Using store-bought mushrooms, wash then cook them thoroughly to make them digestible for your dog.
2. Buy dried mushrooms, soak them in water for several hours until soft, then cook them.
3. Sprinkle [Real Mushroom’s 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend or Daily Dawg Powder] directly onto your dog’s regular meals.

Important Note:

• Store-bought mushrooms must be cooked because it can be difficult to digest in raw form.
• Do not feed your dog wild mushrooms as they may be toxic.
• Dogs can safely eat any store-bought mushrooms that are also safe for you to eat.

Red Bell Peppers

Benefits: Red bell peppers are high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant and inflammation fighter. It helps to neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage DNA and cause diseases and supports a healthy immune response.

Serving Size:

• Small dog: ¼ of a bell pepper
• Large dog: ½ of a bell pepper

How to Serve: Wash, cut out the seeds and stem, and chop into smaller pieces.

• Dogs can eat bell peppers raw, but cooking them breaks down their cell walls to enhance antioxidant absorption.
• Cooking them too long, especially by boiling or steaming, can lower their vitamin C levels.

Herring

Benefits: Herring and other small oily fish, such as sardines, anchovies, and smelt, are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Animal research revealed that omega-3 fatty acids can help regulate your dog’s immune system.

Serving Size: 12 oz per 50 lbs of body weight, two or three times per week

How to Serve:

• Herring can be purchased fresh, frozen, canned, and dehydrated.
• If buying canned herring, purchase herring canned in water only with no added oils, salt, or spices.
• Cook herring all the way through to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
• To dehydrate, follow our [how to dehydrate your own treats at home] instructions.