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Poisonous Mushrooms

Animal Radio
Veterinarians in our high country have warned dog owners about poisonous mushrooms that make dogs seem like they are drunk. The recent moisture in many parts of the high country has given way to a healthy mushroom population, but the only one problem is that they’re toxic and quite dangerous to dogs. Carol Padlick of Dillon, Colorado said she was worried when her dog Elway ate a yellowish brown mushroom, which had white spots on it. She said he was stumbling and would walk a few steps and then would fall over. There are many mushrooms since it has been so wet this year. They are even growing on the trails everywhere you look. Veterinarians at the Alpine Veterinary Practice in Dillon have seen six cases in two weeks. They link the mushrooms to the condition, since most of the dog owners actually saw their dogs eat mushrooms. Dr. Gretchen Norton says for us its pretty much an epidemic.

Signs generally start within 30 minutes to 6 hours of the dog eating the mushrooms. Mild symptoms are that the dog may be nauseous, it may be salivating profusely, it may actually vomit and many times have diarrhea. The poison affects the dog’s neurological system, causing tremors, seizures and kidney failure. They also walk like they’re drunk, and this is technically called ataxia – that’s your new word for the day! They certainly can die from eating mushrooms, so the recommendation for prevention is to keep your dog on a leash when walking on trails near where mushrooms are growing.

Elway had to spend two nights in a Denver hospital getting his system flushed out and being closely monitored.

Veterinarians who practice in mountain communities say it’s hard to know for sure which mushrooms cause the animals to be so sick, so therefore its best to just avoid them all!