Most mushrooms which grow in domestic gardens in the UK will not be poisonous to humans however some are. It’s best to treat all garden mushrooms as poisonous until you are sure they are not.
How to tell if a lawn mushroom is poisonous
There are around 10,000 species of mushroom, most of which are not poisonous. The hard part is telling the good from the bad ones as many can be very similar.
The best way to tell if a mushroom is poisonous is to find a source of reliable information. Luckily we live in the age of the internet which abounds in information on all types of mushroom.
Firstly it would be a good idea to look at a list of common garden mushrooms found in the UK. These include field mushrooms, yellow staining mushrooms, fly agaric, shaggy ink cap, fairy ring mushrooms and others. Make sure you identify them properly, if you are unsure then be cautions.
If you can’t find out what type of mushrooms you have or just want to be sure you can use Google lens which will bring up similar images to whatever you are looking at. From there you can get a good idea of what it is likely to be.
If you don’t know or can’t tell, assume that it is poisonous
What happens if someone eats a poisonous mushroom?
If someone accidentally pops a poisonous mushroom into their mouth and swallows various things can happen. The effects are unique to each individual mushroom. They range from vomiting and abdominal pain, to hallucination to death.
For some Types of mushroom the effects will kick in very quickly for others it can be 6 to 24 hours before you feel any impact. When it starts to decline can be very quick.
See this guide for more information on what specific types of mushroom poisoning will do to you.
If you or anyone you know does eat a poisonous mushroom get immediate help. It’s a good idea to take a photograph of the type of mushroom to assist the hospital in treating you.
How will eating mushrooms affect my dog?
Dogs like to explore the world by scent and taste so this means eating things that we would rather they didn’t. When it comes to mushrooms this can be lethal.
Mushrooms can be particularly tempting to dogs as some of them such as the death cap have a fishy odour which makes them particularly interesting to our canine trouble makers.
If your dog does eat a poisonous mushroom it’s best to get them in for treatment immediately.
Just like humans, dogs will respond differently to different types of mushroom poisoning so it’s best to get to an expert immediately rather than try to do anything yourself.
The effects of mushroom poisoning on dogs can be mild such as salivation and lethargy ranging all the way to liver failure and death.
Summary
There is such a huge range of mushrooms that it’s very difficult to know exactly what is growing in your garden. The chances are that it is harmless however until you know this you should treat garden mushrooms as if they are poisonous.
If you have dogs or children who might be prone to touching or eating the mushrooms it’s a good idea to get rid of any lawn mushrooms which could cause harm.
