You may not be surprised to hear it, but there are thousands of mushroom varieties out there. As of now, there are over 10,000 types of mushrooms that are currently known to us. That’s a lot of mushrooms and your pet cat or dog may be interested in eating some of them.
Instinctively, you may have already guessed that wild mushrooms are bad for cats and dogs. Find out why wild mushrooms are harmful and which types of them you specifically need to avoid by reading on.
Hepatotoxic Mushrooms
This ASPCA article groups wild mushrooms into four different categories and describes what each can do to your pet. Starting with hepatotoxic mushrooms, these are the ones capable of causing liver failure in your pet cat and dog.
Hepatotoxic mushrooms are incredibly dangerous and you need to keep your pets far away from them. Of course, doing that will be easier said than done given how prevalent these mushrooms are.
Gastrointestinal Mushrooms
Gastrointestinal mushrooms are scary mainly because they can mess with your pet’s digestive system. Expect your pet to experience an extended spell of vomiting and diarrhea if they manage to eat one of these mushrooms.
Nephrotoxic Mushrooms
Pet owners should be worried about nephrotoxic mushrooms because they can cause serious kidney problems for cats and dogs. It’s not hard to imagine how bad a situation could turn out if your pet eats one of these mushrooms. Thankfully, nephrotoxic mushrooms are not that widespread.
Neurotoxic Mushrooms
We also have neurotoxic mushrooms. Neurotoxic mushrooms can cause pets to experience hallucinations. They may also lead to cats and dogs becoming more disoriented.
Aside from those mind-altering effects, neurotoxic mushrooms may similarly cause liver and kidney problems in pets. These mushrooms belong nowhere near a pet’s food bowl.
Cooked and Heavily Seasoned Mushroom
Store-bought mushrooms are generally safe for pets if they are served plain. That may no longer be the case if they are smothered in different types of seasoning. Err on the side of caution by not giving those cooked mushrooms to your pet cat or dog.
Contact us at TAILored Pet Services if you want someone to keep your cat or dog away from potentially toxic mushrooms while they are outside during your next vacation. Call/text 425-923-7791 to sign up for our services.
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