Functional mushrooms are increasingly used in companion-animal supplements and integrative veterinary care, yet differences in ingredients, processing, and supporting evidence can make products difficult to evaluate. Join Katie Dahlhausen, PhD, for a practical, evidence-informed overview of functional mushrooms and their applications in animal health. This 60-minute webinar explores commonly used mushroom species, key bioactive compounds, cultivation and product formats, and current research. Participants will also examine potential connections with the gut microbiome and immune function while gaining practical guidance on product quality, safety, dosing, and integration into veterinary patient care.

Learning Objectives

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify commonly used functional mushrooms, their key bioactive compounds, and proposed applications.
• Differentiate mushroom ingredients and formats, including how cultivation and processing influence composition.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of current functional mushroom research in companion animals.
• Explain potential connections among mushroom-derived compounds, the gut microbiome, immune function, and host physiology.
• Assess mushroom supplements using practical quality and safety criteria. Apply evidence-informed considerations to product selection, dosing, and integration into veterinary patient care.