Vera the dog’s poisoning has prompted her owners to issue a warning, with vets adding that people should carefully monitor their pets’ consumption of wild plants
A dog owner has issued an urgent warning after the family’s beloved pooch was poisoned by a small but highly toxic mushroom.
Vera, a two-year-old beagle, became unwell after she ate a white cap mushroom that was growing in her owners’ back garden. The tiny fungus had sprouted overnight, and appeared like one of those people buy from the supermarket, but it made Vera unwell within minutes of consumption.
Pete Newby-Rogers, from Wigston, Leicestershire, told Leicestershire Live that his family was caught completely unaware, not expecting that such a small sprout could cause so much damage. He said: “It was just a small, white cap mushroom – the kind of thing you’d buy from the supermarket and throw in a Bolognese.”
Mr Newby-Rogers, 54, said Vera’s poisoning symptoms progressed quickly, starting with uncontrollable drooling, a symptom vets state is indicative of potentially severe health problems. He said: “Within 20 minutes she was drooling uncontrollably, within 45 minutes she was suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea.”
The telecoms worker rushed the pooch to an out-of-hours vet, and she was given “emergency treatment”, as she was suffering a “serious reaction”. But the family was relieved to find there was no lasting damage from the mushroom, and Vera was given some anti-nausea medication and rehydration therapy.
Mr Newby-Rogers said: “They checked her over and ran a blood test that came back in 15 minutes and showed no damage to her liver or kidneys.” While not all wild mushrooms in the UK are poisonous to dogs, owners have been advised to treat any ingestion as a potential emergency.
Jennifer Good, DVM, and staff doctor at NYC’s Animal Medical Center in the US, told PetMD that people should treat all mushroom ingestions “as emergencies”. She said: “Owners must always be aware that there are poisonous plant and fungal species that exist in the wild.
“Given the difficulty in identifying which species a dog may come across, all mushroom ingestions should be treated as emergencies by owners and veterinarians alike.” According to the RSPCA, owners who believe their dog has ingested something poisonous should contact their vets immediately and follow their advice.
The animal welfare charity advises:
- Stay calm and move your dog away from the source of poison.
- Contact your vet immediately – inform them when, where and how the poisoning happened. If possible, take the packaging, plant or substance to the vet, but only if you can do this safely.
- Follow your vet’s advice – they’ll tell you what the situation is depending on the poison and how much of it your dog has had.
