Health officials on Vancouver Island are warning the public after a puppy died from ingesting what’s believed to be the world’s deadliest mushroom.
The toxic death cap mushroom, formally known as Amanita phalloides, can cause liver and kidney damage, and lead to seizures and even death if ingested, according to Island Health.
The Victoria Humane Society said it took care of a chocolate lab puppy last week that had ingested some mushrooms last Wednesday, and despite an emergency transfusion, the dog died the following day.
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“Times like this are really hard for us, but when we see how many of you amazing people are behind us in taking the chance on one little puppy it makes it easier,” wrote the group.
The death cap is no joke. In 2016, a three-year-old boy in Victoria died after eating a death cap while foraging for mushrooms with this family. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) said the mushroom was responsible for around four dozen poison control calls last summer and fall.
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“We do know that 95 per cent of all mushroom ingestion fatalities are caused by this single mushroom,” said Dr. Richard Stanwick, chief medical health officer for Island Health.
“It’s a lethal product, and as little as one little cap ingested by a child can be fatal. Eating a single mushroom by an adult can also be associated with a fatality.”
Stanwick said the mushroom is not native to B.C., but has become firmly established on the south coast.
The death cap can be identified by its white gills; a yellow, green or white cap; a white ring on the skirt of the stem; and a loose sac-like cup below ground.
WATCH: Centre for Disease Control warns about ‘death cap’ mushrooms
It has been sighted more than 200 times on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, and is most common between the end of August and late November, Stanwick said.
Stanwick said early symptoms of death cap poisoning include cramping, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, which appear to clear up after the first 24 hours.
He said it is critical that anyone who has eaten the mushroom get help at that point, because despite the reduction of symptoms the poison is actually beginning to cause more serious damage.
“That’s just the first round,” he said. “Within 24 to 48 hours the person then progresses to the really serious effects of this mushroom poisoning.”
In the case of a suspected poisoning, the BCCDC says people should call poison control immediately.
Symptoms of death cap poisoning
The death cap contains toxins that damage the liver and kidney. Within six to 12 hours, people experience:
Cramping
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Watery diarrhea
Dehydration
