A 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 , 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 , but it made Vera unwell within minutes of consumption.
Pete Newby-Rogers, from Wigston, Leicestershire, told 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."
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Mr Newby-Rogers, 54, said 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 , 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 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 , owners who believe their dog has ingested something poisonous should contact their vets immediately and follow their advice.
The animal welfare charity advises:
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