Vets warn dog owners of poisonous mushrooms
Vets from the Veterinary Health Centres have warned of the dangers of wild mushrooms after recent dog deaths in suburban Adelaide.
Local media reported over the weekend that another family pet died after eating the highly poisonous 鈥榙eath cap鈥 mushrooms.
Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) program coordinator and veterinarian spoke on Ten Eyewitness News. She said that minimising the risk was the simplest way to prevent your dog from ingesting mushrooms.
鈥淚f you have a dog like our Labrador - who鈥檚 a bit of a rubbish bin that eats anything - be aware if there are mushrooms growing in your backyard.鈥 Dr Hazel said.
鈥淚t might be a good idea to get rid of them.鈥
Internal medicine veterinarian Dr Jane Yu from the Companion Animal Health Centre, said there were a number of wild mushroom species in South Australia that could cause problems for dogs. These include the yellow stainer, fly agaric and death cap, pictured below. However, with most cases of ingestion and toxicity the species was unknown.
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鈥淚t is vital to seek help as soon as possible if a dog was suspected of eating a wild mushroom, as every hour counts,鈥 Dr Yu said.
鈥淭he earlier we can see a dog that has eaten a mushroom, the better chance it has.鈥
If you think your dog has eaten mushrooms, call the 24-hour Companion Animal Health 颅 Centre for advice on 8313 1999.
Further reading
- , The Advertiser
- , Ten Eyewitness News