Mushroom was listed as one of the common human foods poisonous to dogs. Mushrooms are one of the people foods that must not be given to the pets because of its potential dangerous effects. Apart from being roamers, dogs also have the habit of eating anything that catches their fancy be it edible or non-edible substances thus preventing mushroom poisoning difficult. Mushrooms will be seen popping anywhere. Mushrooms would pop out almost anywhere – on the lawn, on the yard and in the nearby woods. Except during the winter months, mushrooms would be seen growing everywhere.

Mushroom is a gourmet food commonly used as an ingredient in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisine. Mushroom is a low calorie food that can be eaten cooked or raw. Aside from the delicious taste, mushrooms are also favored for its vitamins and essential minerals content. Unfortunately, not all mushrooms are edible and identifying the poisonous kinds is quite difficult given that the edible and the poisonous kinds practically looks the same. Mushrooms are easily available because they grow everywhere but harvesting would be difficult as oftentimes, the poisonous types grow beside the edible ones.

The indiscriminate eating habits and huge appetites as well as the very curious nature are reason why dogs get into dangerous situations. Dog poisoning is a common concern of dog owners. Dogs can ingest poisonous mushrooms when they eat grass. The dog may use the tongue to investigate the mushroom and the interesting taste would encourage the dog to eat. These are the possible situations where the dog would ingest poisonous mushrooms.

The effect of toxicity would depend on the kind of mushroom ingested by the dog. Amanita phalloides also known as death caps can cause fatal poisoning. Vomiting and diarrhea are the most common effects of ingesting poisonous mushrooms. Some species of mushrooms would have more serious effects on the dog such as the destruction of the kidney and liver cells. Dogs that have ingested these mushroom species would have yellowing eyes and mucus membranes as these are signs that the liver is already affected. Dogs severely affected by the toxic substance present in mushrooms can go into coma and this situation can lead to the death of the pet.

Urgent treatment is necessary for dogs that have ingested poisonous mushrooms. The damage made by the toxin to the vital organs need to be corrected but preventing the toxin from being absorbed by the body would be the first priority. Activated charcoal will be given to the dog to prevent the toxin from being absorbed by the body. Syrup of ipecac or hydrogen peroxide will be given to the dog to induce vomiting.

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