With all the recent rain, mushrooms can sprout up seemingly overnight in your yard, bringing with them potential danger for your pets.
"The vast majority of the mushrooms that are out there are fairly benign to dogs, but there are a couple different types that we have seen that can definitely cause some issues," said Dr. Ryan Bragg of the Blue Pearl emergency center in Overland Park.
Bragg said the most dangerous type of mushrooms are called Amanita. Usually easy to identify with their red caps, when eaten by a dog they can lead to liver failure and, in rare cases, death.
"The ones that are really severe end up needing to be hospitalized for a few days while we treat their liver issues," said Bragg.
But with several types of mushrooms containing varying degrees of poison and with varying appearances, any mushroom in your yard should be considered a risk.
"So if you have your dogs go out to an unsupervised backyard or that type of thing, you want to check beforehand and remove them before you let your dogs out," said Bragg.
Symptoms to watch for include diarrhea, vomiting and tremors. If you seen any of those, call a vet right away.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
