Mushrooms

Mushrooms

foods

Alternate names

Amanitins, Amanita phalloides, Galerina, Lepiota, death cap, death angel, muscarine, Inocybe, Clitocybe, false morel, Gyromitra, hallucinogenic mushrooms, Psilocybe, Agaricus, Boletus

Toxicity to pets

There are several thousand species of mushrooms located throughout the United States, but only a small percentage is considered toxic. Accurate mushroom identification is difficult and should be left to experts (mycologists). While many mushrooms are considered non-toxic, some may cause severe clinical signs or even death. The majority of confirmed fatal mushroom toxicities in pets are due to mushrooms from the following genera: AmanitaGalerina, and Lepiota.

Depending on the type/species of mushroom ingested, several general organ systems can be affected: gastrointestinal (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea), central nervous system (e.g., ataxia, tremors, seizures, visual disturbances, aggression, disorientation), liver (e.g., vomiting, black-tarry stools, increased liver enzyme blood tests, liver failure), kidney (e.g., anorexia, vomiting, inappropriate thirst or urination, kidney failure). Some mushroom toxins will affect pets very rapidly (within 15-30 minutes of ingestion) while others will not produce signs for many hours (up to 24 hours). In general, all mushroom ingestions by pets should be considered toxic unless a specialist can accurately and quickly identify the mushroom as non-toxic.

If you see your dog eat a mushroom, contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline® immediately for treatment advice.

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Disclaimer

The content of this page is not veterinary advice. A number of factors (amount of substance ingested, size of the animal, allergies, etc.) determine what is toxic to a particular pet. If you think your pet has eaten something potentially toxic, call Pet Poison Helpline or seek immediate veterinary treatment.