Bella, my other Papillon, was born on May 17, 2012. I got her when she was about 1 year old. She passed away at the age of 14. She was an incredibly sweet little girl with a very mild and faithful personality and came from the same breeder as Ditte Dot Com.
In the attempt to prevent illness, Bella started getting Coriolus Versicolor on January 1, 2020, Reishi on April 11, 2021, and Antrodia Camphorata on March 20, 2023. Later, she also got other medicinal mushrooms. Similar to Ditte Dot Com, Bella got the mushroom extracts, mixed with vitamin C (in an attempt to increase the absorption of the mushrooms’ beta-glucans), up to 4 times a day, and daily records were kept in an Excel sheet of Bella’s dose of medicinal mushrooms, etc., and her general condition.
The mushroom extract and vitamin C were mixed with a little water to bind it together, and were wrapped in, for example, a small lump of liver pâté and sometimes with a little piece of meat around to get her to eat it (Bella didn’t want the mushroom extract in an mouth syringe). The dose of the mushroom extracts varied at times based on how much I could get her to eat of it (many mushroom extracts taste bitter).
Throughout her life, Bella’s health was good, and she has always loved food and had a good appetite. But at the very end, a few days after her 14th birthday, when she went to the veterinarian to have her teeth cleaned, it was discovered through blood tests, X-ray and ultrasound scan that she had unfortunately become seriously ill with lymphoma: a large tumor measuring 6 x 7 x 8 cm in the liver, a very enlarged liver and spleen.
Sadly, she could not be saved, even though her dose of medicinal mushrooms was subsequently significantly increased. The disease had already progressed significantly when it was discovered. Bella lived for 3 more weeks and was euthanized early in the morning at the veterinarian’s on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
It was very sad having to say goodbye to her. She was a fantastic and lovely dog. She and I were very close. But it was best for her.
The process with Bella has taught me the importance of having in-depth examinations performed when old age sets in – even if there are no immediate symptoms of illness. Because you can’t intervene in a condition you don’t know is present.
Throughout her life, Bella had her teeth cleaned regularly by the veterinarian, and in the past six months prior to Bella’s death, she had her teeth cleaned twice. In this connection, blood tests were taken, which did not give cause for concern except for some anemia, for which she was given vitamin B12 by the veterinarian.
It is not known whether an increased dose of medicinal mushrooms, including mushrooms targeted to her disease, would have prevented the disease from progressing if it had been detected at an earlier stage.
If I could do it all over again, I would have had Bella ultrasound scanned at a younger age so I would have been aware of the condition inside her and been able to act on it in time.
I am convinced that a sufficiently high dose of medicinal mushrooms is of importance, not least as age sets in and the risk of disease increases. Bella got an average of 1/5 of the dose of medicinal mushrooms that Ditte Dot Com has received. And Bella weighed more than Ditte which made the dose per kg of body weight even smaller.
As mentioned, Bella received the mushroom extracts along with some food – admittedly as little food as possible, but this is also a factor that differs from how Ditte Dot Com has received her mushroom extracts.
From the biological explanation referred to under Method, it appears that mushroom beta-glucans, due to their size, do not easily pass through the intestinal wall. To increase the chance of beta-glucans entering the bloodstream, it is preferable to have as little “competition” present as possible by consuming the mushroom extracts on an empty stomach.
Dorthe Øfeldt
Denmark