I got this in one of my dog rescue list digests today. I thought it might
be a good idea to pass it along to other pet owners. Not just dogs, but
cats could also be affected by this.
Lee Ann
In a message dated 9/18/02 6:48:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mickie writes:
Below is an announcement our vet sent out today. With a heavy heart
I am forwarding this to the lists I belong to because one of the two
dogs referenced below was our beloved 2 year old Boxer Rudy that went
to the bridge on Friday morning after an excruciating night at the
emergency clinic. Necropsy verified his cause of death. He was only
outside unattended for less than two hours on Thursday afternoon.
We had been picking mushrooms all summer from the backyard, but new
ones crop up within hours. Our dogs are now only let outside after
a thorough check of the yard ( we have been averaging five or six
mushrooms per check) and with someone watching and immediately
bringing them in after doing their business.
Please check your yards and be ever so vigilant about these killer
mushrooms. Rudy started vomiting at around 9:30 pm and by 10:30 he
was noticeably uncomfortable. By midnight the emergency clinic had
him on IV's, pain medicine, anti nausea medications. His bloodwork
at one am only showed slightly elevated liver levels, so they didn't
think toxins. When I picked him up at 8 that morning to take him to
my vet, he could barely walk and they thought it was possibly a
telescoped bowel. My vet thought so too when she saw him, but was
waiting for more blood results when he crashed. After the necropsy
she asked if we had been having any mushroom in our yard, because
he presented like the first dog that died two years ago. I hope this
makes sense. It is hard to write with the tears still falling.
Please take heed of the warning. I feel like I failed Rudy because I
didn't make sure he had a safe environment to play. I could not
stand to hear that another dog suffered like he did because another
owner did not know the danger of these mushrooms.
Mickie Jost
..............
Dear Clients,
I hope you and your furry family members are doing well and
enjoying the cooler weather. I am writing this not to panic you,
but to make you aware of a potentially deadly problem in your yards.
This is the time of year when mushrooms will start popping up and
most will not cause a problem. However, I have seen 2 dogs die in
the past 2 years after coming in contact with mushrooms from the
Amanita family. Only a few in this family are toxic, but the ones
that are will cause rapid liver failure and death.
The dog does not have to ingest the mushroom, only come in contact
with it and then lick it's paws.
My suggestion to you is to remove any mushrooms in your yard as often
as you can to avoid any problem. Two dogs in 2 years is not an
epidemic, but my hope is not to see any more pets die from this.
Please wear gloves when dealing with the mushrooms and wash your
hands well, as these are toxic to humans as well.
The Internet has a wealth of information on this at
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/amanita/amanita.html
or I will be happy to try to answer any questions you may have.
As always, we appreciate you and wish you an enjoyable autumn.
Sincerely,
Kim Morey, DVM
Woodland Trails Animal Hospital
I have a neighbor whose dog ate some type of poisonous mushroom and died. I
hadn't thought about the paw licking possibility, however. I don't
particularly want to be handling poisonous mushrooms myself, however, so
would rather not be picking ones I am unsure of, even to remove them!
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of Lee
Ann Reiners
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 7:55 AM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Slightly OT: pets and amanita mushrooms
I got this in one of my dog rescue list digests today. I thought it might
be a good idea to pass it along to other pet owners. Not just dogs, but
cats could also be affected by this.
Lee Ann
In a message dated 9/18/02 6:48:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mickie writes:
Below is an announcement our vet sent out today. With a heavy heart
I am forwarding this to the lists I belong to because one of the two
dogs referenced below was our beloved 2 year old Boxer Rudy that went
to the bridge on Friday morning after an excruciating night at the
emergency clinic. Necropsy verified his cause of death. He was only
outside unattended for less than two hours on Thursday afternoon.
We had been picking mushrooms all summer from the backyard, but new
ones crop up within hours. Our dogs are now only let outside after
a thorough check of the yard ( we have been averaging five or six
mushrooms per check) and with someone watching and immediately
bringing them in after doing their business.
Please check your yards and be ever so vigilant about these killer
mushrooms. Rudy started vomiting at around 9:30 pm and by 10:30 he
was noticeably uncomfortable. By midnight the emergency clinic had
him on IV's, pain medicine, anti nausea medications. His bloodwork
at one am only showed slightly elevated liver levels, so they didn't
think toxins. When I picked him up at 8 that morning to take him to
my vet, he could barely walk and they thought it was possibly a
telescoped bowel. My vet thought so too when she saw him, but was
waiting for more blood results when he crashed. After the necropsy
she asked if we had been having any mushroom in our yard, because
he presented like the first dog that died two years ago. I hope this
makes sense. It is hard to write with the tears still falling.
Please take heed of the warning. I feel like I failed Rudy because I
didn't make sure he had a safe environment to play. I could not
stand to hear that another dog suffered like he did because another
owner did not know the danger of these mushrooms.
Mickie Jost
..............
Dear Clients,
I hope you and your furry family members are doing well and
enjoying the cooler weather. I am writing this not to panic you,
but to make you aware of a potentially deadly problem in your yards.
This is the time of year when mushrooms will start popping up and
most will not cause a problem. However, I have seen 2 dogs die in
the past 2 years after coming in contact with mushrooms from the
Amanita family. Only a few in this family are toxic, but the ones
that are will cause rapid liver failure and death.
The dog does not have to ingest the mushroom, only come in contact
with it and then lick it's paws.
My suggestion to you is to remove any mushrooms in your yard as often
as you can to avoid any problem. Two dogs in 2 years is not an
epidemic, but my hope is not to see any more pets die from this.
Please wear gloves when dealing with the mushrooms and wash your
hands well, as these are toxic to humans as well.
The Internet has a wealth of information on this at
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/amanita/amanita.html
or I will be happy to try to answer any questions you may have.
As always, we appreciate you and wish you an enjoyable autumn.
Sincerely,
Kim Morey, DVM
Woodland Trails Animal Hospital
Wear latex gloves to pick and remove them. I wonder how many poor kitties
have gotten into something like this. One of the many reasons why I like to
keep Kali indoors.
Lee Ann
I have a neighbor whose dog ate some type of poisonous mushroom and died. I
hadn't thought about the paw licking possibility, however. I don't
particularly want to be handling poisonous mushrooms myself, however, so
would rather not be picking ones I am unsure of, even to remove them!
Debbie
