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.
- According to the California Poison Control System (CPCS), 1,748 cases of mushroom ingestion were reported statewide in 2009-2010.
- Two individuals died.
- Ten individuals suffered a major health outcome, such as liver failure leading to coma and/or a liver transplant, or kidney failure requiring dialysis.
- 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.
- 948 individuals were treated at a health care facility.
- 19 were admitted to an intensive care unit.
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.
