Deadly wild mushrooms to begin sprouting in parts of the Bay Area

By Kelsi Thorud

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — SAN FRANCISCO & PENINSULA NEWS Deadly wild mushrooms to begin sprouting in parts of the Bay Area sanfrancisco By Kelsi Thorud

Updated on: January 16, 2024 / 10:17 PM PST / CBS San Francisco

It is that time of year again — With the rainy season, deadly wild mushrooms will begin sprouting across the Bay Area.

KPIX spoke with a mushroom expert about how you can keep yourself and your pets safe.

Debbie Viess is the co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society. She knows just about everything you can know about mushrooms including the varieties of deadly mushrooms found around the Bay.

“Death caps are one of the species that can fruit in abundance, and they’re an unusual species because they’re not native to California,” said Viess.

Death caps were introduced to the area around the late 1930s. Since then, they have spread across the region and are most commonly found near the base of oak trees.

If eaten, they can be deadly.

“Before we had modern medical interventions about 50 percent of the people that ate this mushroom would die. However, now that we have all sorts of wonderful hospitals and therapies that we can use, maybe 12 percent of the people that eat this mushroom die. The point is you don’t want to eat the wrong mushroom, so it’s better to avoid eating mushrooms that you don’t know well,” said Viess.

Nowadays, most people know to steer clear from eating unknown wild mushrooms, but Viess said the threat is still there for your pets.

“A lot of dogs have sense as they get older right? But puppies are dumb. Like a toddler, right, they just want to examine the world; they want to experience the world through their mouths,” said Viess.

Last year, a puppy died after eating a death cap at a park in Berkeley. Many pet owners KPIX spoke with didn’t realize it was such a threat.

“I didn’t know about all of this, so maybe I need to be doing something to keep him more safe. I just keep him on leash for the most part, so I’m kind of watching him would guess maybe occasionally,” said Rachel Silvers, a dog owner. “But at the dog park I’m not. I am not doing anything special but I guess I will be maybe.”

Viess said the most important thing is that pet owners know the risks and stay alert during the rainy season.

“It’s really important to keep an eye on puppies, or if you know your dog is just kind of crazy out there and eats mushrooms and eats everything then you really want to keep an eye on them,” said Viess.

The peak season for death caps seems to have passed, but now is the time of year that another variety known at the Western Destroying Angel begins to sprout.

She said if you suspect your dog has eaten one of these mushrooms you should take them to a vet immediately.

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