The Mushroom Supplement Taking Over TikTok

Issue #225

August 5, 2025

Quick Hits:

👨‍⚖️ Former NFL player is convicted of operating a dog fighting ring with nearly 200 Pitties

🏄‍♂️ A Chocolate lab, Cacau, won the World Dog Surfing Championship

🐕️ 💨 Take a look at how different breed’s speed stacks up against Usain Bolt

🏆️ Pet Sustainability Coalition announces their new group of top performers to be highlighted at SUPERZOO

🤝 Pets Choice completes purchase of 40yr old pet grooming manufacturer, Mikki

💰️ PE firm Firelight acquires Snif-Snax a maker of single-ingredient pet treats

TL;DR (TikTok’s Turkey Tail Craze for Dogs)

A surge of TikTok videos is leveraging emotional dog cancer stories to promote turkey tail mushroom supplements for pets.

Creators – often using before-and-after clips of dogs’ lumps “shrinking” – have driven a craze around products like Fifth & Fido’s Turkey Tail+ powder.

The hashtag #dogcancer alone has over 14,000 posts, and affiliate marketers tout turkey tail as a hope-in-a-jar solution.

This trend taps into pet owners’ desperation for natural cures, boosting supplement sales through viral user-generated content (UGC), but it also raises ethical questions about medical claims and highlights the need for scientific vetting in pet wellness.

Mushrooms & the Preventative Pet Wellness Boom

In recent years, the pet care industry has embraced functional wellness products – from probiotic chews to herbal remedies – mirroring trends in human health.

Medicinal mushrooms have become a more recent standout.

Long used in Eastern medicine, species like reishi, lion’s mane, and turkey tail are now marketed for dogs as immune-boosters and even adjunct cancer therapies.

Pet parents, especially millennials, are increasingly proactive and favor “natural” solutions for longevity and disease prevention in their pets.

This cultural shift, amplified by popular books (e.g. The Forever Dog in 2022) and pandemic-era focus on immunity, has primed the market for mushroom-based pet supplements.

In fact, industry data show mushroom supplement sales for humans jumped ~20% in 2024 (to $160M) – a growth now spilling into the pet sector.

Turkey Tail (scientific name Trametes versicolor, also known as Coriolus versicolor) has emerged as a focal point in this movement.

Rich in unique polysaccharides – notably PSK (polysaccharide-K) and PSP (polysaccharopeptide) – turkey tail is credited with strong immune-modulating and potential anti-tumor properties.

In human oncology, concentrated forms of these compounds have been used as complementary cancer treatments, and research suggests they slow the growth of cancer cells and may improve survival when paired with conventional therapy (i.e. chemo).

It’s no surprise, then, that what started in human wellness has crossed into pet care: today, many holistic veterinarians recommend turkey tail supplements for dogs, especially those battling cancer or facing age-related tumors.

That said, hard evidence in canines remains limited.

Apart from a few promising studies (more on that later), most claims rest on anecdotal results.

Turkey tail won’t “cure” cancer, and reputable sources caution that, while it can support the immune system, it’s no substitute for proper veterinary care. This nuance, however, often gets lost in viral social media content – which is where our trend story begins.

Trend Breakdown: TikTok’s Emotional “Lump Shrinking” Saga

On TikTok, an emotionally charged and viral trend has emerged around dogs with tumors or fatty lumps (lipomas), and the supposed miracle of turkey tail supplements.

Pet owners and affiliate creators are sharing videos that often contain heartfelt stories about cancer or lumps and captions like “I’ve done all my research and Turkey Tail is the only thing that helped.”

The result is a potent cocktail of hope and virality – and it’s translating into big engagement numbers on the platform.

@digitaljinxy

Replying to @paulyknuckles2021 love this stuff!!!

What’s crazy is this creator touts that it’s “clinically proven to shrink lumps and bumps” which the FTC could totally come after her for if there’s not substantial evidence backing that up, which I can’t seem to find.

I’m not here to completely debunk this product because if it works for even a single dog then that’s fantastic, but for the desperate dog owner thinking this is the silver bullet, well this creates a potential catastrophic let down and one angry customer.

Hashtag stats on TikTok (as of August 4, 2025) tell the story of this surge:

Lesser-used tags like #turkeytailplus (the product name) and #LipomaSupport also pepper these videos.

The content under these hashtags follows common formats:

• Pictures of dogs with lumps all over, talking about a family member’s older dog (while doing an activity to keep viewers attention through the story like peeling a potato or mixing random ingredients in a bowl), and how they went to a pet dermatologist who told them about turkey tail.

Oh wait, what’s this…a copy/paste post?

Nearly the exact same script, image overlays and everything used in the video below 👇️ as the one I just shared above.

Claiming to present a personal story of how this product worked on his parents’ Goldendoodle, almost verbatim as another stranger on the internet. (hmmmm)

• Another format is a testimonial voiceover describing a vet quote for surgery that was avoided, creators include affiliate links to buy the supplement (via TikTok Shop) and emphasize flash deals or urgency (“Only 5 hours left to save 40%!”) to drive impulse purchases.

These posts highlight how effectively these UGC stories tap into the “pet parent panic” and desire for hope.

Crucially, many of these TikToks are not coming from veterinarians or scientific experts, but from everyday dog owners or micro-influencers in the pet niche.

Their storytelling arc is similar: I found a scary lump on my dog; I was told it might be cancer or lipoma/a $3,000 surgery; I tried this mushroom supplement as a last resort; and look – the lump shrank and my dog is thriving. 

The emotional payoff is huge, and viewers often tag friends or comment with their own dog lump worries, further fueling virality.

It’s a masterclass in leveraging UGC and anecdotal evidence (even though I couldn’t find any solid before/after proof posts) to sell a product.

However, it also blurs the line between genuine health updates and strategic marketing – many creators conspicuously include disclaimers like “#fifthandfido #ad” or TikTok’s small-print “Creator earns commission” overlay, revealing that these heartfelt endorsements double as advertisements.

Brand Spotlight: Fifth & Fido’s Turkey Tail+

At the center of this trend is one brand that keeps appearing, Fifth & Fido, a pet supplement company whose Turkey Tail+ powder has become synonymous with the TikTok craze.

It appears that they’re owned by a hold co. by the name of Blue Chip brands, who also owns Joy Spring a vitamin company for kids. But no idea about the exact team behind Fifth & Fido.

They don’t have their TikTok account linked to their site, but they do have their Instagram linked, which hasn’t been posted on since ‘23 and has no mention of the turkey tail product.

Their product is a Turkey Tail mushroom blend formulated as a powdered food topper, and it’s often the one being linked or shown in these videos.

Let’s break down what we know about it:

🍄 Product Formula & Claims: Turkey Tail+ is marketed as an immune and digestive support supplement for dogs, with claims that it can “shrink lumps and bumps” (implying lipomas) and boost overall vitality.

The powder combines organic turkey tail mushroom extract with a probiotic (L. acidophilus) and possibly reishi mushroom (per some descriptions) for a one-two punch of immune modulation and gut health.

The brand’s landing page for this product states “Shrink Your Dog’s Lumps Naturally, Without Surgery,” positioning the product as a vet-approved, gentle solution to lipomas.

Fifth & Fido emphasizes that it uses a higher mushroom content (they tout “1000 mg” of active mushroom per serving) compared to competitors.

However some recent verified buyers reviews contradict this by saying that the formula and serving size quietly changed.

They report that tubs previously advertised as having 100 servings now only contain about 75 servings, yet the price remains the same; one customer noted the new jars contain less turkey‑tail extract and include additional reishi mushroom, and called the lack of clear labeling “questionable”.

Another subscriber said her latest shipment had 25 % less product, received only marketing “nonsense” about an “improved” formula, and noticed no real improvement in her dogs, prompting her to discontinue her subscription.

🫰 Packaging & Price: The product is sold in a jar with 100 servings (each serving ~1 gram) per container. It comes in at least two flavors (peanut butter and bacon) to mix with food.

The list price is $29.99 per jar on Amazon, which is fairly typical for premium pet supplements.

The Amazon listing (for the bacon flavor) also shows it’s a top-seller with over “3K+ bought in the past month” and a 3.9 out of 5 stars from 223+ reviews.

A 1-month supply on their site is listed at $34.99 for a one-time purchase. And as for TikTok shop, at the time of this writing, they’re running a flash sale for $23.37 showing a -48% discount from $44.95.

🤳 TikTok Strategy: Fifth & Fido’s rise is tightly linked to TikTok’s affiliate and creator marketplace.

In addition to running a corporate TikTok account, they have effectively enlisted an army of affiliates – everyday pet owners or nano-influencers – to promote Turkey Tail+ via emotional storytelling.

Scanning TikTok shows dozens of videos by different creators all pointing to Fifth & Fido, indicating a coordinated campaign.

Many use the TikTok Shop feature (where the product is listed as “Fifth & Fido Turkey Tail+ 100 Servings” in-app).

The brand appears to provide these creators with discount codes or limited-time offers (e.g., “BOGO” – buy one get one free deals are frequently mentioned) to entice viewers.

Fifth & Fido’s strategy smartly leans on highly emotional UGC that doesn’t look like a polished ad – this builds trust with viewers.

However, it’s clear the narrative is being guided: the similarity in messaging across creators (emphasizing “vet said surgery, but this supplement helped us avoid it”) hints that affiliates may be given talking points, which many other players do as well.

The result is a stream of content that feels organic but is, in effect, an extended advertorial campaign.

The payoff for Fifth & Fido is presumably significant – while exact sales figures aren’t public, we can look at their shop and see that they’ve sold at least 14.5K units of this particular product.

Which in doing our quick napkin math is ~$333K in revenue (based on current pricing).

Some customer reviews on Amazon even explicitly mention, “Found it on Tiktok about lumps and bumps…”, underscoring how social media buzz is driving cross platform purchases.

It’s worth noting that Fifth & Fido is not the only player in pet mushroom supplements – there are other brands (e.g., Real Mushrooms’ pet line, Fera Pets, and even Thorne) but it has become the de facto poster child of this TikTok trend.

By saturating TikTok with emotionally charged testimonials, Fifth & Fido has essentially achieved what many pet supplement maker aims for; turning worried pet owners into eager customers seeking a natural fix.

Yet, as the next section explores, the scientific foundation for some of these claims is a bit shakier than the heartfelt videos imply.

Science Check: Hope vs. Hype

Turkey tail's cancer-fighting reputation stems from two compounds - PSK and PSP, beta-glucans that can stimulate immune cells to attack tumors more effectively.

The most cited evidence is a 2012 University of Pennsylvania study where 15 dogs with hemangiosarcoma given high-dose turkey tail extract (100 mg/kg, which is 10% of the dosage Fifth and Fido claims to use) had a median survival of 199 days versus the typical 86 days.

However, a larger NIH-sponsored study combining PSP with chemotherapy found no statistically significant survival improvement over chemo alone.

Most clinical data focuses on internal malignant cancers, yet many TikTok cases involve external lumps—often benign lipomas that can shrink naturally through weight loss or metabolic changes, which there has yet to be any published studies on the impact of Turkey Tail on lipomas directly.

Without veterinary diagnosis, attributing improvements solely to supplements is speculative.

Mainstream veterinary organizations acknowledge turkey tail's immune benefits but emphasize limited clinical evidence and caution against replacing conventional therapy.

Cautionary Notes: Ethics and Risks

The TikTok trend raises several red flags:

• Exploiting Desperation: Marketing supplements as quasi-cancer/lump shrinkers targets desperate pet owners, walking a fine line between personal stories and misleading advertising.

• Bypassing Veterinary Care: Content often suggests avoiding surgery or diagnosis ("we didn't need the vet"). This could delay critical treatment while malignant tumors progress. These creators are often the ones fielding the desperate pleas of worried dog owners in the comments section.

• Medical Misinformation: Many creators don't clarify lump types, calling fatty lipomas "tumors" or using #dogcancer tags inappropriately, creating false equivalencies.

Even with all of that said, they’re generating a ton in sales and content creators haven’t slowed down.

Time will tell how this will all play out in the long run, but one thing is for sure…this playbook is working.

What's Next?

Expect broader mushroom adoption in pet wellness, with other functional mushrooms and adjacent supplements following this creator-driven model.

However, regulatory scrutiny may increase if claims become more egregious or a burned user really wants to pursue legal action.

The trend reflects a key tension, emotional storytelling versus evidence-based medicine.

While stories help pet owners discover potentially beneficial supplements, vulnerable owners deserve transparency over hope-in-a-jar marketing that could eclipse actual science.

The search term “turkey tail mushroom for dogs” has seen an explosive rise in interest over the past year, with search volume up 246% YoY and peaking at 6,000 searches last month.

The spike is not just seasonal, it’s clearly tied to recent cultural moments, likely driven by viral TikTok content that frames turkey tail as a miracle supplement for shrinking dog tumors.

Prior to mid-2024, search activity was sporadic at best, with minor blips of curiosity. But starting in early 2025, the volume ramps up dramatically - suggesting not just curiosity, but a broader wave of demand for functional mushroom supplements in pet health.

This is the kind of inflection point that signals a strong emerging trend.

When Google searches start to mirror TikTok virality, it usually means the behavior is converting.

People are watching, clicking, and trying to buy.

It also reflects a shift in how pet parents are approaching illness, they’re turning to holistic or DIY remedies in tandem with the vet or circumventing them altogether.

See you Friday!