Mushroom Warnings on the Front Page

It's Christmas week and just yesterday a friend who was taking a mini-holiday in Healdsburg, CA saw this on the front page of the local newspaper.  My heart goes out to the owners of Chili and Weezie.   Please read the article...as there is valuable information about Death Caps and also other dangerous mushrooms.

Darvin DeShazer, founder of and science advisor for the Sonoma County Mycologial Association is quoted, "... it is a total weed in Sonoma County. On a good days walk I can spot at least two or three thousand death caps. Thirty years ago I couldn't find one."

Death Caps are definitely spreading. Be aware what's in your back yard and where you walk your dog.

The article also brings to light other dangerous mushrooms and something I had never heard of....scleroderma....which look like little brown balls.  Check out this link to see what they look like.

http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Scleroderma_cepa.html

The New Year is almost upon us....here's hoping in 2012 more and more people become aware and help spread the word.  Let's not lose any more pups to DeathCaps.

DeathCaps are Making the News in Northern California

In the last week there have been several articles about Deathcaps.

                                                                        (Justin Pierce/Mushroom Observer)

One article was even in the Bay Area section of the New York Times!  Check out the links and please be careful out there.

http://sfbay.ca/2011/12/06/your-best-mushroom-could-be-your-last/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/us/death-cap-mushrooms-growing-in-abundance-in-the-bay-area.html?_r=1&ref=sanfranciscobayarea

http://www.baycitizen.org/health/story/tis-season-toxic-mushrooms/

The First Blog

Welcome to the first blog. 


I truly wish I could wave a magic wand and make DeathCap Mushrooms disappear....or even better yet, I wish dog pee would kill them.  But that's not the case.


My friend in Carmel Valley, CA has picked several bags of DeathCaps in the last week.  ( I was at her house when I lost Donato. )  In the last two months we've had too many dogs die on the San Francisco Peninsula. Friends in Woodside and Menlo Park have found DeathCaps in their yards. I personally know of several dogs who died in Atherton due to mushroom toxicity.  I've been talking at dog classes, posting fliers and now I'm starting a blog. 


The California Health Department has issued an alert....and I was stunned to see the statistics from 2009 - 2010.

http://www.independent.com/news/2011/nov/21/avoid-wild-mushrooms-state-public-health-director-/

1. According to the California Poison Control System (CPCS), 1,748 cases of mushroom ingestion were reported statewide in 2009-2010. 
2. Two individuals died.
3. Ten individuals suffered a major health outcome, such as liver failure leading to coma and/or a liver transplant, or kidney failure requiring dialysis.
4. 964 were children under six years of age. These incidents usually involved the child’s eating a small amount of a mushroom growing in yards or neighborhood parks.
5. 948 individuals were treated at a health care facility.
6. 19 were admitted to an intensive care unit.

So upon that...I made a small card to hand out. Friends are helping with the printing costs.   In the next few days the card will be sent to the printers.  And then Eureka....it seemed that I needed a way to update and send out alerts....so that's the story on starting this blog. 


Hug your dogs. Keep them safe.  If you see mushrooms in your yard... the best thing is to pick them all, bag them and throw them out.