Mushrooms appear on lawns, boulevards and trail edges within a day or two of the rain returning. Most are harmless. A small number growing in this part of the province are severely dangerous, and telling them apart in a wet garden is not realistic. That is why the advice is simple: assume the worst and phone.
Why Port Coquitlam gets so many
Fungi need moisture, mild temperatures and something to grow on. Autumn here delivers all three at once: steady rain, temperatures that stay above freezing, and gardens full of bark mulch, lawn thatch, old stumps and leaf litter.
They also appear overnight. A lawn that was clear yesterday evening can have a dozen mushrooms by breakfast, which is why checking the garden is a daily job in October rather than a weekly one.
Dogs find them for ordinary reasons. Some smell interesting, some are at nose height in long grass, and puppies and young dogs mouth anything new. The dogs who eat them are usually the ones who eat everything.
Identification is not the plan
This is the part that matters most. Several of the dangerous species look unremarkable, and some closely resemble mushrooms people eat. Colour, size and shape are not reliable guides, and neither are phone apps.
The other trap is timing. With the most dangerous species, a dog can seem completely fine for six to twelve hours, and occasionally longer, before becoming seriously unwell. An apparently normal dog in the hours after eating one tells you very little.
So the rule for a suspected mushroom is: phone us straight away, do not wait for signs, and do not spend the morning trying to identify it.
What to bring
- A sample if you can collect one safely. Dig up the whole thing, including the base under the soil, because the base carries features that matter.
- Wrap it in damp kitchen paper and put it in a paper bag, not plastic, which turns it to mush.
- Photographs from several angles: the cap from above, the underside showing the gills, and the whole stem.
- A note of where it was growing, whether on soil, grass, bark mulch, a stump or wood chips.
- The time it was eaten and roughly how much.
What to watch for
Signs vary enormously depending on the species, which is another reason not to wait and see.
- Vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes within an hour
- Drooling, weakness or a wobbly, drunken walk
- Tremors or a seizure
- Unusual sleepiness, or the opposite, agitation and disorientation
- Yellowing of the gums or the whites of the eyes, which points to the liver and is a late sign
- A dog who seemed fine and then deteriorates several hours later
Any of those after time in a garden or on a trail should come through our urgent care the same day. Blood work through our pet diagnostics shows how the liver and kidneys are coping, and with mushrooms those numbers are usually more informative than anything visible from the outside. They often get repeated over a day or two, because the picture changes.
Clearing the yard, and managing walks
- Walk the garden every morning through the wet months and pull anything that has appeared, including from bark mulch and around stumps.
- Wear gloves, bag them, and put them in the bin, not the compost, where they will fruit again.
- Deal with the source where you can. Mushrooms grow from what is under the surface, so old stumps, buried wood and heavy thatch keep producing. Raking and improving drainage helps more than picking.
- Keep dogs on leash along trail edges, in long grass and under trees where mushrooms cluster.
- Teach a reliable leave, which is worth more here than any other command.
- Supervise puppies and habitual scavengers closely in the garden rather than letting them out alone at dawn.
- Watch mulched beds and boulevards after rain, since wood chips are prime growing material.
Cats, and the rest of the household
Cats rarely eat lawn mushrooms, so this is mostly a dog conversation, but a cat who chews plants indoors is worth the same phone call. Children pick mushrooms too, so a garden cleared for the dog is safer for everyone.
Autumn puts a whole set of hazards on the ground at once here, and every other season brings its own. Our guide to spring hazards in Port Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities covers the other end of the year and the signs that mean a call.
Frequently asked questions
My dog ate a mushroom and seems completely fine. Do I still call?
Yes, and quickly. With the most dangerous species, looking fine for the first several hours is expected rather than reassuring. The early phone call is what keeps the options open.
Can you tell me what it is from a photo?
Sometimes we can narrow it down, and a photo always helps, but identification of fungi is genuinely difficult and often needs an expert with the specimen in hand. That is why our medical services team plans around the possibility rather than waiting for a name.
Are the mushrooms in my lawn different from the ones in the forest?
Both can include harmful species. Lawn and mulch species are the ones most dogs actually encounter, simply because that is where dogs spend time. Do not assume a garden mushroom is safer than a forest one.
What about mushrooms growing on a stump or on wood chips?
Worth removing promptly. Several species that concern us grow on decaying wood, including buried roots, so mulched beds, old stumps and wood chip paths keep producing all autumn.
Should I make my dog vomit if I saw him eat one?
No. Phone us first. Whether that is appropriate depends on the timing and on your dog, and doing it at home with the wrong method can cause more harm than the mushroom.
Is there a season when this stops?
It quietens in a hard frost and picks up again whenever it is mild and wet, which on this coast means most of autumn, winter and spring. The daily garden check is worth keeping up well past October.
Speak to the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital
If your dog has eaten a mushroom, phone us now and bring a sample or a clear photograph with you.
Published by the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact PoCo West Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
PoCo West Animal Hospital
108 – 2748 Lougheed Hwy, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 6P2
Phone: (604) 554-1255
Email: info@pocowestvets.ca
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM