don't let your dog eat a mushroom!

[Sara S]

Can you help to spread the word that the Amanita phalloides, the "Death Cap" mushroom, has come out in full force since the rains started. We had one death at Lake 2 weekends ago, and PETS emergency clinic in Berkeley called on Friday and said they have had 3 deaths in 6 days - all from the Oakland area.

The mushrooms have a sweet odor (like honey) and are attractive to some dogs (whose owners report they actually seek them out to eat them). They are really non descript little white mushrooms.

The toxic effects appear about 6-36 hours after the mushrooms are eaten, and once signs are seen the toxicity is poorly responsive to treatment (we try a lot of things to support the animal, but if enough mushrooms were eaten it will be fatal despite the treatment).

If someone suspects their dog may have eaten a mushroom, the best treatment is to take the dog immediately to a vet or emergency clinic and have them induce vomiting and give activated charcoal. The mushroom toxin is absorbed fairly rapidly, but the damage to the liver can take hours before it is clinically apparent. Don't waste time trying to figure out if the mushroom is toxic as speed in removing the mushroom from the digestive system is the most important thing in my experience.

Here is a link with some pictures
Amanita phalloides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides)

[Dark Shadows]

Our miniature pinscher at a mushroom underneath our KOA cabin in Petaluma and almost died in front of my eight year old and toddler. She started shuttering and vomitting and her whole body seemed to convulse. After vomitting everything she recovered, but we were (at the time) so far away from home on a holiday weekend that we couldn't get a vet to see her. I think the smaller the dog, the more delicate and expensive the vet bills. She also reacted to the inhaled Bordatella vaccine with whelts all over her body and respiratory arrest. She survived, but almost shut down at the vets. She was an obnoxious little dog, but well loved.



Can you help to spread the word that the Amanita phalloides, the "Death Cap" mushroom, has come out in full force since the rains started. We had one death at Lake 2 weekends ago, and PETS emergency clinic in Berkeley called on Friday and said they have had 3 deaths in 6 days - all from the Oakland area.

The mushrooms have a sweet odor (like honey) and are attractive to some dogs (whose owners report they actually seek them out to eat them). They are really non descript little white mushrooms.

The toxic effects appear about 6-36 hours after the mushrooms are eaten, and once signs are seen the toxicity is poorly responsive to treatment (we try a lot of things to support the animal, but if enough mushrooms were eaten it will be fatal despite the treatment).

If someone suspects their dog may have eaten a mushroom, the best treatment is to take the dog immediately to a vet or emergency clinic and have them induce vomiting and give activated charcoal. The mushroom toxin is absorbed fairly rapidly, but the damage to the liver can take hours before it is clinically apparent. Don't waste time trying to figure out if the mushroom is toxic as speed in removing the mushroom from the digestive system is the most important thing in my experience.

Here is a link with some pictures
Amanita phalloides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides)