Every year I’m amazed and enchanted by the mushrooms that sprout up in our yard (see a past year’s crop here). The other week my daughter and I went on a mushroom hunt, camera in hand. Here is the result.
What’s sprouting in your yard these days?
Our problem is our dog keeps eating them, could be a good thing, but we don’t know whats safe and what isn’t. Does anybody know which ones are toxic? The internet gives broad generalities, but does anybody know specifics as to whats common around here? I can’t believe the variety that we have.
Nice photos, just don’t try eating any of the subjects! Altho #5 looks edible but #6 may be treacherous.
SB Resident-
A great question. In general, I would try to prevent your dog from eating any mushrooms. There have been no systemic studies looking at which mushroom varieties are toxic to dogs; however there are many cases of mushroom toxicity in dogs due to a variety of mushrooms, especially including Amanita sp. Following my veterinary degree when I was in my pathology residency we saw 6-12 cases per year during the summer (especially wet summers like this one) in which dogs had mushroom toxicity (this was back in NY state). We could never prove which mushroom was the culprit. It is also going to be dog dependent. Some dogs can tolerate a little gastrointestinal distress whereas others have fulminant gi and liver disease. If your dog starts to act a little out of sorts after eating the mushrooms I would call your local vet and consult him/her.
That said there are many mushrooms currently coming into season that will not bother us or a dog either. These include the inky caps, puffballs and chanterelles. These can all be found around here and when picked at the right time can be a great addition to a meal!!
A. D. Miller, DVM