Suspected poisoning of puppies by the mushroom Amanita pantherina

Abstract

Amanita pantherina poisoning is suspected as the cause of a severe, transient neurological disorder in three 5-week-old German shepherd puppies. There was very strong circumstantial evidence that this mushroom had been eaten, and the signs encountered were similar to those described in confirmed field cases of intoxication in dogs. It was also in many respects consistent with the syndrome seen in humans. A veterinary perspective on the hallucinogenic Amanita spp. is given and the veterinary literature on mushroom intoxication is briefly reviewed as, in contrast to humans, it is not often reported in animals. This is the 1st report of suspected mushroom intoxication of animals in South Africa.