Labrador retrievers are an inquisitive kind, making them good dogs for hunting, search and rescue, and drug detection. However, sometimes they get too inquisitive for their own good. That is when they ingest the most random—er, sometimes dangerous—things they can dig their noses into.
Take for example Sadie, a 10-year-old black Labrador Retriever that ingested the extremely poisonous Amanita phalloides fungi from her family’s yard last autumn. The day after ingesting the mushrooms, Sadie became too lethargic to even climb the stairs. A trip to a nearby clinic revealed the dog’s elevated liver values, and the family was referred to the University of California (UC), Davis veterinary hospital for emergency care.
Testing by the UC Davis team confirmed Amanita poisoning and consequent severe liver failure. The senior Labrador was hospitalized and was given supportive care of fluids and antibiotics. Sadie had improved liver function in the week that followed.
More commonly known as death cap mushrooms, Amanita phalloides are extremely poisonous, causing liver and kidney damage almost immediately, and can be fatal to 80 percent of dogs that eat them. Sadie surviving the initial effects of the intoxication was a feat in itself, but the dog was not out of the woods just yet.
Soon after being discharged, the Gardners had to take Sadie back to UC Davis after it lost appetite and was vomiting.
After further testing, Sadie was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, possibly associated with, and brought on by the mushroom poisoning.
“The development of Addison’s disease following Amanita poisoning is an unreported consequence of disease,” says Jonathan Dear, DVM, MAS, DACVIM, co-chief of the Internal Medicine Service at UC Davis.
To help veterinarians prepare pet owners to understand the implications and long-term consequences of this intoxication, Dr. Dear, with DVM student Emily Cohen and resident Courtney Moeller, DVM, published a study based on Sadie’s case. This clearer understanding of post-intoxication outcomes was published in the journal Veterinary Sciences. The case report is the first to describe the chronological association between mushroom poisoning and the subsequent development of Addison’s disease in a dog.
Sadie is now managed for Addison’s disease. For more information, click here.