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Puppy and toadstools/mushrooms

(8 Posts)
vegasmags Tue 22-Oct-13 19:34:13

I am now the proud owner of an 8 weeks old daxie pup (as in, what have I done?) My problem is that he loves the garden, but the grass is wet and peppered with toadstools/mushrooms which I am sure could be deadly poisonous for him. It is easy to sweep the big ones away but the lawn is also full of tiny ones which I am afraid he will put into his mouth. Does anyone know of something that would eradicate all the fungi but not harm the pup? I have such faith in GN that I am sure someone will know the answer.

Iam64 Tue 22-Oct-13 19:39:33

vegasmags, I don't know the answer to this. Our back garden is free of mushrooms, so the dogs are ok there. the front garden is smothered in all manner of mushrooms. My 18 month old dog started with the runs on Friday overnight. Vet by Monday as he'd begun to vomit despite me following the tried and tested starvation/fish and rice diet. He's on antibiotics and the vet says it's colitis. I do wonder though whether he ate mushrooms on Friday. He didn't come when I called him, and had his had stuck under a tree, clearly scoffing something. Sorry to offload, and not make a helpful suggestion. Have you googled it. Maybe the only thing to do is always take your pup out on a longish lead, torch in hand, so you can make sure she doesn't enjoy the all you can eat mushroom banquet.

merlotgran Tue 22-Oct-13 19:43:49

As he's really young I would carry him well away from the area until after the first frosts when, hopefully, the toadstools will disappear.

vegasmags Tue 22-Oct-13 19:46:30

Gosh Iam hope your little guy is OK - what is it with dogs that they always want to go straight for what you don't want them to? I have a puppy pen in the back garden in a fungus free place, but guess what - that's not where the puppy likes to go! if you didn't love them, you could murder them. I think it's just this time of the year - wet and mild - when these damn things thrive.

vegasmags Tue 22-Oct-13 19:47:37

I'm sure you're right merlot in that a good cold spell will see them off!

JessM Tue 22-Oct-13 20:12:29

How about mowing the lawn and putting the clippings in a compost bin. I don't think broad spectrum fungicide all over the lawn is feasible is it. ALternatively find a toadstool guru to identify species because only a small minority are deadly or even poisonous.

vegasmags Tue 22-Oct-13 20:27:19

What I've gleaned from Google is that it is better to dig up the offending fungi, as kicking or smashing just spreads the spores.

Iam64 Wed 23-Oct-13 08:12:44

Yep, that's what I discovered vegas, I kicked some of the shrooms in our front garden, and they went forth and multiplied. JessM's right about the fungicide, and merlot that we need a good cold snap. My young dog is much better after 48 hours on antibiotics, and stuff to settle his tum. He's back to trying to eat the apple windfalls now - dogs eh, who'd have one (or several even)