Post-Rain Mushrooms Across Central Texas Could Sicken Your Dog

AUSTIN, TEXAS — You don't need us to tell you it's been a rainy September in Central Texas, with a two-week streak of uninterrupted rainfall broken just recently. While inconvenient for us humans, the rainy weather could prove toxic for dogs given the mushrooms that dot the landscape after such a deluge.

Now that we're finally able to venture out for long, leisurely walks without getting soaked, one can see the mushrooms that have sprouted across the landscape, particularly in wooded areas. They're lovely to look at, to be sure, but we've long been taught they're poisonous and so avoid handling or ingesting them.

But our dogs don't know any different. While we see toxic toadstools, they might see a potential snack. Dog owners taking their dogs on walks after the poor things have been largely cooped up during the relentless rainfall should be extra vigilant of this health hazard.

According to veterinarians, ingesting mushrooms can cause a variety of nasty symptoms — from abdominal pain and coma to diarrhea and seizures — to affected dogs, write the veterinarians at PetMD. Mushroom poisoning occurs upon ingesting such stalked fungal growth. Symptoms vary depending on the dog, but here are some possible side effects canines can experience if eating mushrooms:

• Abdominal pain.
• Coma.
• Diarrhea.
• Excessive drooling.
• Lethargy
• Seizures.
• Uncoordinated movements.
• Vomiting.
• Weakness.
• Yellowing of the skin.

If you should witness your pet dog ingest a mushroom, it's advisable to retrieve a piece of it to take along to the vet for identification. This will help determine whether or not the mushroom is poisonous, PetMD reports.

Toxic mushrooms are classified into four categories (A, B, C, D), based on the clinical signs and their time of onset, and into seven groups (1-7) on the basis of the toxin they contain, according to the website. Yet it's sometimes difficult to determine the type of mushroom a dog has consumed, so that's why it's important to try to salvage a sample for the vet.

More detailed information from PetMD follows to which pet owners should take heed:

Poisonous mushrooms for dogs include the following types:

• Liver toxic mushrooms

- Amanita phalloides (Death Cap Mushroom)
- Amanita ocreata (Angel of Death)
- Lepiota (False Parasol)
- Galerina

• Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

- Conocybe
- Gymnopilus
- Psilocybe
- Panaeolus

• Toadstool Mushrooms

- Amanita pantherina (Panther Cap)
- Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric)

• Mushrooms Containing Muscarinic Agents

- Inocybe
- Clitocybe

• False Morel Mushrooms

- Gyromitra esculenta (Beefsteak)
- Gyromitra caroliniana
- Mushrooms in the Verpa genre
- Mushrooms in the Helvella genre

• Mushrooms That Cause Gastrointestinal Distress

- Boletus
- Chlorophyllum
- Entolomo

Find out more information on mushrooms that are poisonous to dogs.

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