With Rain come Dangerous Mushrooms

Please be aware of this hazard in the parks
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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides

Metro Dog Thanks Lake Veterinary Hospital for this Bulletin