A few months ago one of my patients came into the clinic with acute vomiting, during which she vomited a large amount of mushrooms. The mushrooms were apparently toxic, evidenced by her severe reaction to them. Since the mushrooms had been growing in her back yard it underscored the importance to make sure that pets and people stay away from these potentially deadly fungi.
There is a very long list of potentially toxic mushrooms found throughout the world. Differentiating between toxic and edible species is not for the faint of heart. Most toxicities in humans are due to amateur mycologists collecting mushrooms for culinary purposes. They mistake these toxic varieties for edible mushrooms at deadly peril. I am not sure why my patient sought out and ate the toxic mushrooms from her back yard, therefore to try to prevent a recurrence I asked her owners to remove all of them from the area.
Three common toxic varieties are, Amanita phalloides (death angel), A. virosa (destroying angel) and A. muscararia (fly agaric)2. The common names of the first two should communicate very clearly how deadly they are. As evidenced in the case mentioned above they cause severe irritation in the gastrointestinal system, that causes acute and strong vomiting. The vomiting isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if the body rids itself of enough of the mushrooms and therefore the toxin, it may prevent the secondary and more deadly effects.
However, if enough of the toxin is absorbed the patient will go into liver failure and/or kidney failure, which generally occurs 2-4 days after ingestion. Other clinical signs vary depending on the mushroom ingested, but may include seizures, hyperexcitability, and coma3. So far about ten distinctive patterns of reactions to fungal toxins have been observed in North America1.
Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment or antidote, and diagnosis is based on the history of eating mushrooms, with compatible clinical signs. In the case of my patient, since she was vomiting mushrooms, a diagnosis was much easier. Since there is no specific antidote we initiate treatment aimed at correcting fluid and electrolyte imbalances, controlling vomiting, and treating liver and kidney problems, as well as any other clinical signs that may arise.
If you suspect that you or your pets have ingested toxic mushrooms, at any amount, do not hesitate to seek medical or veterinary medical care immediately. Time is of the essence, the quicker that you seek help the greater chance you have of saving yourself or your pets.
1. North American Mycological Association Website
2. A field Guide to Common Animal Poisons; Michael Murphy
3. Emergency Procedures for the Small Animal Veterinarian; Signe J. Plunkett