Beware: Death caps kill dogs

Foster City resident Phyllis McArthur loved her dog Maggie, a little brown dachshund mix that died recently after eating deadly death cap mushrooms.

Maggie’s death hit McArthur especially hard because the dog was only 7 and in perfect health.

"One day Maggie was jumping around enjoying life and two days later she was dead,” McArthur said.

Maggie’s death was so abrupt that it has been hard for McArthur to get over.

She doesn’t know where Maggie ate the mushroom, it could have been in her own yard or out and about in Foster City somewhere. Maggie was never off leash, however, and McArthur always kept a close eye on her companion.

Maggie, however, would eat anything.

"She would eat a rock if she could,” McArthur said.

McArthur lives in a townhome community with lots of kids and toddlers around and has suddenly become hyper aware of the dangers of the death cap mushroom.

Death caps, or Amanita phalloides, produce the most serious types of mushroom poisonings, which can result in liver failure or even death. In the Bay Area, Amanita phalloides can be found at all times of the year. Death caps are most abundant during the fall and early winter rainy season, but can also appear through late spring, and even during rainless summers, in areas of coastal fog drip or in stands of irrigated oaks, according to the Bay Area Mycological Society.

"Our advice would be for owners to watch their dogs closely, especially when they are off leash as dogs can easily ingest many things that can be harmful to them in the blink of an eye,” Scott Delucchi of the Peninsula Humane Society wrote in an e-mail. "Owners should play it extremely safe and not allow their dogs to ingest any mushrooms, as it’s difficult for most people to know which are harmful. Owners should routinely check their homes and yards for potential hazards and also know where to take their dog in an emergency long before an emergency arises.”

McArthur’s dog Maggie died Sept. 3 after ingesting a death cap.

The dog’s heart and liver swelled up, a sign sure sign of mushroom poisoning. Symptoms of mushroom poisoning range from vomiting and diarrhea to severe digestive problems and complete liver failure.

"My heart broke when we lost our sweet dog. The symptoms are devastating. There isn’t enough money in the world to save your pet once the symptoms are apparent. In two days we had already accrued $3,000 in vet bills. We would have continued to pay more if we thought we could save her. Sadly she never had a chance. We didn’t know,” McArthur said.

McArthur adopted another dog shortly after the death of her beloved Maggie.

Betty, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, was adopted from the "Pets in Need” program in Redwood City.

On the day Betty was brought home, however, McArthur’s neighbor warned her there were mushrooms in the backyard. So she cut down all six of the small shade trees in her yard because death caps thrive there. In fact, she is so concerned about the presence of mushrooms, the thought of completely paving over her backyard has come to mind.

She routinely takes Betty to a dog park in Foster City and is concerned that none of the dog owners she comes in contact with are aware of the dangers of the deadly death cap mushrooms or of their prevalence.

In the past couple of weeks, veterinarians in the East Bay have warned people that at least three dogs died after ingesting death caps.

The San Mateo Animal Hospital, on Palm Avenue, got at least three calls over the Thanksgiving holiday from people who took their dogs on vacation to either Lake Tahoe or Yosemite. Hospital employees there warn that a dog can get sick just by licking a mushroom and that dogs can even be allergic to edible mushrooms that might be found in the refrigerator.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.