Not all mushrooms are edible, and certain ones can be deadly. Of particular concern are those in the Amanita genus. Here are some resources to help you identify dangerous mushrooms that would be harmful to your dog or cat.
If you fear your dog or cat has eaten a poisonous mushroom seek veterinary help immediately. They can go into a coma-like sleep within hours of ingestion or suffer severe liver failure. Time is truly of the essence. Contact your veterinarian, a pet poison control center or visit your local Animal ER.
Resources
State-by-state list of mushroom experts who can help you with mushroom identification in poisoning cases
With names referencing death and destruction, it’s no wonder the Amanita mushroom genus contains some of the most famous and deadly of all poisonous mushrooms. The death cap (Amanita phalloides) is suspected to have caused more mushroom poisoning deaths than any other species!
Yet what makes some amanita mushrooms so poisonous? Certain species of Amanita contain amanitin, a deadly amatoxin.
Amatoxins are some of the most lethal poisons found in nature. These toxins work by slowly shutting down the liver and kidneys. Often the victim will appear sick at first, and then seem to get better. Unfortunately the amatoxins are still at work, and death may occur anywhere from a few days to a week after ingestion.
This poison knows no real antidote beyond treating the victim with an extract of milk thistle. Milk thistle protects against liver damage from toxins, and is one of the treatments for amanita mushroom poisoning.
Remember: Never solely identify any mushroom based on what you’ve seen on any website (including this one) or by comparing it to a picture in a book. Always obtain hands-on expert help when identifying a new mushroom and never eat anything you’re not sure of!
Death Cap Details
Cap
Convex initially but flattens with age, often sticky when touched
Between 3 to 6 inches across
Color is usually a shade of yellow to green, but sometimes white or brownish
White gills underneath the cap that don’t run down the stem
Stem
Between 3 to 6 inches across and less than an inch thick
Usually whitish, sometimes with scales
Often a ring around the stem right below the cap. This ring is the remnant of the partial veil, a piece of tissue that protected the mushroom’s gills as it grew.
Also present is a white sac around the base of the stem. All amanita mushrooms start their lives as small buttons in the shape of an egg. This egg-like covering is actually a layer of tissue called the universal veil, or volva.
Because they form as a small button, an amanita may sometimes be mistaken for an edible puffball. This is why it’s essential to slice a puffball open before eating it. Puffballs are white and solid on the inside with no gills. If you see gills, you may have an amanita on your hands.
Once the mushroom has grown, the sac-like remnants of this universal veil are still an important identification characteristic. It’s often underground so you may have to dig carefully around the base to find it.
However, never assume that you don’t have an amanita mushroom just because you can’t find the sac. It may have disintegrated or broken away. Use all features for poisonous mushroom identification, not just one!
Other Infamous Amanita
No page on poisonous mushrooms would be complete without discussing the death cap’s deadly cousin, the destroying angel.
The term “destroying angel” actually refers to a few all-white poisonous mushrooms in the Amanita genus. They are:
Amanita bisporigera in Eastern North America
Amanita ocreata in Western North America
Amanita virosa in Europe (below)
Amanita virosa is known as the “European destroying angel”. There is some disagreement as to whether this mushroom exists in the United States.
Destroying angels are sometimes mistaken for edible mushrooms such as young puffballs, button mushrooms, and meadow mushrooms. Thus it’s important to learn how to identify them.
The destroying angel is very similar to the death cap in terms of identification. The biggest difference is that they’re all white, with no green or yellow tint. They’re recognized by their rounded base, white color, and smooth cap. One bite of these may contain enough amatoxins to kill!
Of course, not every species in the Amanitamushroom genus is poisonous. Some, such as Amanita caesarea (Caesar’s mushroom), are edible. Yet given the danger involved in eating the wrong amanita, it’s best to avoid the genus entirely unless you really know what you’re doing.
It’s important to learn how to recognize Amanitas (especially the death cap and the destroying angel) if one is going to start eating wild mushrooms. Proper knowledge can prevent a fatal mistake!
– See more at: https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/death-cap.html#sthash.aPp52tla.dpuf
Let’s face it, we all look at YELP when we are looking to do business with an unknown firm. I know I do it every time, just to see what others say about them. I recognize that most of us view YELP as an encyclopedia and make our decisions based on what others say. I know I use YELP especially when I am curious to find out if they have any bad reviews, how many, and how important or believable are the claims.
When I started my business over 10 years ago, I really had no intention of growing into a large enterprise, even though this concept seems to be the all American Dream. When I would have doubts as to whether or not I was going down the right path, I would moan that it seemed like my competitors were doing really well with a more profit driven business model, and my sister would remind me that this is not a race to the finish line, but rather, that I was creating something that I could be proud of and it is commendable to not follow the herd. Having the courage to use my brain power to design the critical concepts of my business model instead of being driven by what the competition is doing, was an important component to my confidence as a business leader and to my future success. By staying small, I could offer a higher quality service, which would be driven and shaped by my ethics, not my desire to be a successful business entrepreneur.
It seems funny to say this now, but I have had only 8-20 customers over the last 10 years, while other successful dog walking businesses have had hundreds of customers. The reason I have survived, even with so many fewer clients than my competitors is because I do not have a high customer turn-over rate. Most of my clients have been with me 10+ years and that is why I have only a few reviews on YELP and GOOGLE. I don’t have a lot of clients, but if you look at it from a different perspective, that can be a good thing! It’s not quantity, it’s quality!!
Contact Me Regarding My San Francisco Dog Walker Services. Click here
So, what is so important about being such a small sized company?
Well, for one thing, I give my San Francisco client’s more personalized service. They feel very important and they are very important to me. I treat my clients very well and that is why they have stayed with me for many years. For example, at the end of every year, I give my clients a beautiful, professionally published photo book with their dog’s picture playing with their friends at the park or beach. Do the large companies do this for their clients? Probably not or probably not for very long. It is expensive to do this and it eats into the profits. In order for it to work for them, they will have to walk even more dogs everyday. Many dog walkers feel that this business is already a burn out for them with the number of dogs they have to walk every day, and it is for most. If you do the profit model, you need to charge less than your competitors, walk more dogs to make up for the loss and enjoy making yourself crazy.
As I mentioned in one of my other blog posts, I go out of my way to provide the best possible service for my clients, but it is a subtle thing. For example, I use only rubber ball on my dog walks. These rubber balls save your dog’s teeth. Regular tennis ball are like Brillo Pads and wear down your dog’s teeth quickly, causing problems later in life when the their teeth are completely filed down.And on a regular basis, your dogs lose these costly balls at the park, but I replace them because I care about your dogs. Other dog walkers tell me that they don’t use balls out in the dog parks because it causes problems, such a jealousy between dogs, loud barking of joy, and oh yes, loss of income. But why do they think that a dog’s joyful, loud bark is not an important factor? Just how horrible is a dog’s bark at a dog park?
Ask your San Francisco dog walker if they use rubber balls rather than tennis balls on their walks? My guess is, no, they do not. Again, it is the bottom line that shapes their businesses.
So then, why do I think that some of the very best dog walking companies may not be surfacing to the top of YELP’s list? The answer is, the algorithms. Let me talk more about this in my next blog. Stay tuned!!
Coyote are a part of the San Francisco landscape and are here to stay. Now might be a good time to review some coyote behaviors and what you could do should you encounter one on a walk. This information is now available from CoyoteCoexistence.Com in their video presentation.
Then you need to try Firm Up! made by Diggin Your Dog.
This amazing supplement made with 100% natural pumpkin works as a great anti-diarrhea, and oddly enough, it’s good for constipation too!
Pumpkin tastes good to dogs. Add a little to their daily diet, or use as a supplement when the “runs” strike…
Firm Up! is also a great product to use when your dog is transitioning to a different diet. The fiber helps digestion and makes the switch easier.
Firm Up! is 100% USA GROWN dried pumpkin. Pumpkin is low in fat and dense in nutrients such as Alpha-Carotene, Beta Carotene, Fiber, Vitamin C & E, Potassium, Magnesium, and Pantothenic Acid. Find it online for about $8.
For years, people have recommended acupuncture treatments for healing arthritis in dogs.These treatments are very expensive and it is difficult to get the dogs to stay still for the needle insertions. Now vets are suggesting laser therapy over acupuncture because it is less invasive and easier on the dogs.No pain, no needles, and it works!!
Called low-level laser therapy, cold laser therapy or Class IV laser therapy, these laser therapies are being touted as one of the best ways to treat dogs with arthritis.It may be just the miracle your dog needs to regain mobility again!Ask your vet about it.
One of mySan Francisco clients tried laser therapy on her Labrador Retriever.It took 7 sessions before any signs of improvement, but then, like magic, it kicked in and really seemed to work.She now needs to go back for repeat sessions, but it has been about a year before needing more treatments.And if you are worried about the cost, go read my blog on why you must have pet insurance! (hint: they pay for it!!)
Physical therapy and keeping your pet at a lean, healthy weight will also help to alleviate arthritis symptoms. An overweight dog with arthritis can have noticeable improvement in symptoms after losing just a small amount of weight. And pets need to move their bodies more, not less, as they age. So get them to the park for a brisk walk.
One of my clients is using DASUQUIN soft chews as a joint health supplement, which was recommended by her vet.You can purchase it at Amazon and have them deliver it right to your door.How easy is that!