My Dog Ate a Mushroom: What 421 Cases From Norway Show
In 421 Norwegian cases checked by a mushroom expert, 45% of mushrooms dogs ate were harmless and 98.6% of dogs survived. Why identification matters.
Written by thecanineledger
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If your dog has eaten a wild mushroom, call your vet or an animal poison line now. Don’t wait for signs. Keep the rest of the mushroom, or photograph it where it grew, and don’t make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to.
Our note: This advice is ours, including keeping or photographing the mushroom.
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When dogs in Norway ate a mushroom and their owners called the national poison centre, an expert identified the mushroom from photos. In 421 such cases, “The mushrooms were identified as non‐poisonous in 45% of cases.” (Seljetun & Kragstad, Veterinary Record Open 2023).
While that sounds reassuring, six dogs died, two of them within two hours. The authors’ message is that fast, expert identification tells you which case you’re dealing with.
1. The study
The cases. The researchers reviewed every call about a dog eating a mushroom to the Norwegian Poison Information Center from 2011 to 2022. They included only cases where a mycologist (a mushroom expert) or a certified mushroom expert identified the mushroom.
How identification worked. The expert identified mushrooms from mobile phone photos, along with a description of where they grew.
Funding. We didn’t find a funding statement in the paper. Both authors work at the poison centre.
2. Which dogs ate mushrooms
Mostly puppies. The median age was 5 months, and 72.4% of the dogs were under a year old.
Mostly gardens. 61.5% of the mushrooms were growing in the garden. 20.9% were in woodland.
Mostly autumn. August to October was the main season.
Our note: These patterns are from Norway. The UK and North America have different mushroom species.
3. What happened
| Outcome | Share of cases |
|---|---|
| Managed at home | 64.4% |
| Hospitalised and treated | 33.0% |
| Seen by a vet, no treatment | 2.6% |
Survival. 98.6% of dogs survived.
Common signs. Mushrooms that act on the gut were the most common toxic group. Another group causes drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea. In those 54 dogs, every one drooled.
Deaths. Six dogs died, after eating five different kinds of mushroom. Two died within two hours of eating mushrooms, before reaching a vet.
Our note: We don’t name the deadly species.
4. What the study can’t tell you
Only identified mushrooms. Cases without an expert identification were left out, 68 of them.
Amounts were estimated. Owners estimated how much was eaten, often from what was left.
A mismatch in the paper. The discussion says “The vast majority (64.4%) of mushrooms ingested by dogs in our study were harmless”. But 64.4% is the share of cases managed at home. The results put harmless mushrooms at 44.9%.
5. If your dog eats mushrooms
- Call for advice straight away, even if your dog seems fine.
- Photograph the mushroom where it grew, including the base, and keep any pieces.
- Check your garden in autumn if you have a puppy.
Our note: These points are ours, including photographing the base. We don’t know whether UK or North American poison lines can identify mushrooms from photos.
→ Foods That Are Toxic to Dogs, With the Actual Evidence
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Any wild mushroom can kill a dog” | Not most. 45% were harmless, and 98.6% of dogs survived. |
| “If my dog seems fine, it’s safe” | Not safe to assume. Two dogs died within two hours. |
| “Only woodland mushrooms are a risk” | No. Most mushrooms in this study were in gardens. |
Sources
- Seljetun KO, Kragstad HR. A retrospective evaluation of mushroom ingestions in 421 dogs in Norway (2011–2022). Vet Rec Open 2023: poison centre case series, mushrooms identified by experts. Authors from the Norwegian Poison Information Center
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.