Mushrooms practically grow everywhere. Poisoning is one of the most common potentially dangerous concerns that happens to dogs given their inquisitive nature, voracious appetite and inclination to explore. Dogs can get poisoned by eating mushrooms that pop up anywhere.

Dogs can gain healthful benefits from eating mushrooms. Apart from the taste, mushrooms are good sources of niacin, riboflavin and the other B vitamins. Dog owners include mushrooms in the diet of the dog because this human food is a good source of antioxidants known to prevent the development of cancer. Mushroom is good for dogs with diabetes as it has a sugar level lowering capabilities.

Unfortunately, some kinds of mushrooms contain toxic substances that when ingested by the dog would cause mild to fatal poisoning. Effects of the toxic substance present in mushrooms would range from mild stomach upset to the destruction of the cells of the dog’s vital organs specifically the liver and the kidneys.

Vomiting and diarrhea are the first signs that the dog has ingested poisonous mushrooms. Other signs of the mushroom’s toxicity would be abdominal pain, weakness and lethargy. The toxic substance will cause the yellowing of the dog’s eyes and mucus membranes. These conditions indicates that the toxin has already damaged the cells of the liver. The kidney of the dog will be affected by the toxic substance too. Severe effects of the toxic substance can make the dog seize and go into coma. These conditions can lead to the death of the pet.

Mushroom poisoning needs immediate medical treatment. The owner may be aware of this fact but if the dog was not caught in the act of eating mushrooms, the owner would not know what happened to the pet. Bits of mushrooms in the vomit would clue the owner that the pet has eaten mushrooms. It is imperative for the dog to have professional medical treatment as mushroom poisoning cannot be treated at home. Activated charcoal will be administered to stop the toxin from being absorbed by the body. The dog will be induced to vomit with syrup of ipecac or with hydrogen peroxide.

The Amanita phalloides or death cap mushrooms are considered to be the most toxic mushrooms. Mushrooms grow anywhere and the dog can get poisoned by the mushrooms that grow in the backyard. Pet parents would have a hard time identifying the poisonous and the edible mushroom as both looks almost the same. To save the pet from poisoning it would be a good idea to remove new growths that can appear overnight in the areas where the dog normally walks or plays.

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: Dog Info

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!