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Emergency Tale - #4, December 2005
“Buddy”, a 3 month old Golden Retriever puppy presented to Gwynedd Veterinary Hospital’s Emergency Service with neurological signs. Buddy was acting normally about four hours earlier, running around and playing in his back yard. His owners crated him and left, arriving home again after about 3.5 hours. The owners were initially unaware of any toxins, medications or chemicals to which Buddy could have been exposed.
Buddy’s owners came home and found him standing with his head pushed into the corner of his crate. He was barely able to walk, stumbling, and having profuse diarrhea. They took Buddy to his regular veterinarian who noted on exam that Buddy was recumbent and unable to stand, profusely drooling and having difficulty breathing. The veterinarian started intravenous fluids and antibiotics, took x-rays, did bloodwork and referred Buddy to GVH for continued care. The bloodwork results were considered normal, including Buddy’s kidney and liver functions. The x-rays revealed a stomach full of material and gas in the colon.
When admitted to GVH, Buddy was still unable to stand and non-responsive. IV fluids were continued and Buddy received oxygen during triage. Due to the acute nature of the problem and the full stomach on his x-ray, the doctors at GVH performed gastric lavage – commonly know as “pumping the stomach”. Buddy was placed under anesthesia and an endotracheal tube was put into his airway to provide oxygen and protect his lungs. Another tube was placed into his stomach, and dog food and lots of mushroom pieces were removed. Buddy was also given toxiban – a charcoal mixture, to help absorb any residual toxins.
Buddy recovered well from his procedure. He received IV fluids and antibiotics for the night and gradually started to behave more appropriately as the night progressed. He was standing, walking and interested in food by 4 a.m., eight hours after he first arrived at GVH and twelve hours after ingesting the mushrooms. Buddy’s owners found mushrooms growing in the wood pile in their yard and believe that’s where Buddy discovered them.
Mushrooms
Certain species of mushrooms are considered to be relatively non-toxic, while other species can be very toxic. Of the toxic species, some can potentially cause liver or kidney damage, while others may produce severe gastrointestinal or even neurological effects. Toxic mushrooms can often be found growing right alongside non-toxic ones. Because of this, identifying each type of mushroom existing on your property can be very difficult. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises keeping all wild mushrooms out of the reach of pets, and recommends that all wild mushroom ingestion be treated very seriously. If accidental exposure to wild mushrooms occurs, seek immediate veterinary assistance by contacting your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
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