I get regular calls about funguses killing my trees such as:

Learn to recognize the lichen, an incredibly simple creation that helps with many of the earths systems, mainly decomposition of organic matter, but let me quote the U.S. Forest Service, “They seem to be from another planet!  Lichens are bizarre organism and no two are alike.” Don’t we wish the IRS could speak so plainly but the main thing to know is your trees are safe which means:

My mailbox should survive a few more days.

I wish to thank friend and client Lori Martin for this question and the photos.

Question was I know they are mushrooms but is there anything I can do to get rid of them?  I’m also often asked if my dog eats them will they get sick or poisoned?

Mushrooms are the fruit from a fungus decomposing organic matter in our soils.  It takes the right temperature and the right amount of moisture, and you have mushrooms, period.  They can wait years to fruit and there is nothing we can do.  If the earth did not have these systems of decomposition, we would be in major trouble with many of the earths systems so let us just appreciate the miracle and not analyze it.  I was trying not to say we would be deep in doo doo, but it happened.

There are no satisfying answers to getting rid of them other than raking them up, picking them, and they pop up constantly so there’s no relief there.  Generally, the problem passes in a few days often to be replaced in Morgantown by a drought.

Solutions are slim but one can ask their dog not to eat them, or maybe with Magic I can show her some videos that seem to make me feel better.  Fortunately, most of our pets are smarter than some humans that do consume wild mushrooms without proper identification. Never eat wild mushrooms unless you know what you’re doing.   I asked lifelong friend Alex Casuccio, having recently sold his practice in Scottsdale, Arizona and retiring for another time from being an excellent working veterinarian.

As a rule, dogs don't like raw mushrooms (have you ever tasted one?). So, mushroom poisoning in a dog would be a very rare event. I have been practicing veterinary medicine for 43 years and I have never had a confirmed case of mushroom poisoning in a dog. I am not saying that it never happens, but I am saying that it is rare.

If a dog were to ingest a toxic mushroom, signs would vary from simple vomiting and diarrhea to possible seizures and life-threatening liver/kidney failure. As these signs are often indicative of so many other illnesses, mushroom poisoning would not be high on the list of possibilities when dealing with a sick dog.

The only way to diagnose mushroom poisoning is to have actually observed the dog eating the mushrooms before it became ill. It may be possible to diagnose mushroom poisoning by inducing vomiting and seeing mushrooms in the vomitus, but even that would be difficult if the pet chewed them up before swallowing and stomach acid had done its job.

Treatment would be as with any poisoning: Induce vomiting. Then feed activated charcoal to absorb any remaining toxin in the stomach and intestines and then offer supportive care in the way of IV fluids. Prognosis would depend on the type of mushroom eaten, how much mushroom was eaten and the length of time that passed between consuming the mushroom and seeking treatment.

Thank you Alex I’m so blessed with your friendship!!.