It depends on where the mushroom came from. Plain mushrooms sold in grocery stores for people, such as button, cremini and portobello, are generally considered safe for pets, according to the ASPCA. A mushroom your dog found in the yard, on a trail or in wood chips is another story: a few wild species can wreck the liver or kidneys, and they are very hard to tell apart from harmless ones by sight.
If your dog ate a wild or unknown mushroom, call your vet, an emergency vet or a poison line now, even if your dog looks perfectly well. The deadliest kind often causes no signs for the first 6 to 12 hours, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.
Key takeaways
Tap a card to bring it forward.
- Plain grocery-store mushrooms are generally safe for dogs in small amounts.
- Any wild, lawn, garden or unknown mushroom is a reason to call a vet or poison line right away.
- Death cap poisoning can stay silent for 6 to 12 hours before it attacks the liver and kidneys.
- Merck says a single death cap can hold a lethal dose.
- Mushroom dishes, gummies, chocolates and supplements add risks of their own.
My dog ate a mushroom outside: what to do now
- Move your dog away and look around for more mushrooms they may have eaten.
- Call right away. Your vet, an emergency clinic, or one of the poison lines at the top of the page. The ASPCA warns that with some mushrooms, a delay in treatment can be dangerous, and Pet Poison Helpline says to call as soon as you see a dog eat one.
- Save a sample if it takes a minute or less. Pick one of the same mushrooms, or what is left of it, with the cap, stem and underside, and put it in a paper bag. Photograph where it was growing. An expert may need every part to identify it (Pet Poison Helpline).
- Note the time and your dog's weight. The same mushroom is a much bigger dose for a small dog.
- Drive straight to a clinic if your dog is having a seizure, struggling to breathe, bleeding, or cannot be woken, as the ASPCA advises.
There is no safe amount of an unidentified wild mushroom. Merck states that the cap of one death cap can contain a lethal dose for an animal or a person, and a puppy has died of this kind of poisoning, according to Frontiers in Veterinary Science. A single bite is enough reason to call.
Store-bought or wild: which mushrooms are safe
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| Mushroom | Okay for dogs? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| MushroomPlain button, cremini, portobello, shiitake, oyster or maitake from the store | Okay for dogs?Generally yes, a little | What to knowASPCA and AKC call grocery mushrooms generally safe |
| MushroomRaw grocery mushrooms | Okay for dogs?Better cooked | What to knowAKC advises against whole or raw mushrooms, which can be hard to digest |
| MushroomWild, lawn, garden or wood-chip mushrooms | Okay for dogs?No | What to knowToxic kinds cannot be picked out by look, smell or a taste |
| MushroomDried foraged mushrooms | Okay for dogs?No | What to knowDrying does not make a toxic mushroom safe |
| MushroomDishes cooked with onion, garlic, butter or sauce | Okay for dogs?No | What to knowThe added ingredients carry their own dangers |
| MushroomSupplements, powders and extracts | Okay for dogs?Ask your vet first | What to knowProducts vary; AKC says raw chaga may contain xylitol |
| MushroomMagic mushrooms, mushroom chocolates or gummies | Okay for dogs?No, call now | What to knowPsilocybin, plus chocolate, cannabis, caffeine or xylitol in some products |
Sources: AKC, AKC on medicinal mushrooms.
Most wild mushrooms are not toxic, according to the ASPCA. The danger is in the few that are. Merck names the death cap (*Amanita phalloides*) and its relatives, *Galerina* and *Lepiota* species, fly agaric, false morels, some *Inocybe* and *Clitocybe* species, and some *Cortinarius* species, each with a different toxin. Mushrooms of every kind can pop up overnight in lawns, parks and wooded areas when the weather is warm and wet, mostly from spring through fall (ASPCA).
Sharing store-bought mushrooms: how much and how to serve
If you want to share, keep it small and plain. Neither the ASPCA nor the AKC gives a serving size by dog weight, so treat a mushroom as an occasional extra and give a small dog less than a big one.
- Use mushrooms bought for people, from a grocery store.
- Cook them plain: no onion, garlic, butter, oil, salt, sauce or wine.
- Cut them into small pieces.
- Leave out mushroom dishes from your own plate. Onion and garlic are toxic to dogs, and Can dogs eat onions? explains what they do.
- If your dog has had pancreatitis, skip buttery or creamy mushroom dishes altogether.
Signs of mushroom poisoning, and how long they take
Timing depends on the mushroom. Pet Poison Helpline says some toxins cause signs within 15 to 30 minutes, while others take up to 24 hours.
Tap or hover a row to highlight it.
| Kind of mushroom | What you may see |
|---|---|
| Kind of mushroomDeath cap and other amatoxin mushrooms (*Amanita*, *Galerina*, *Lepiota*) | What you may seeOften nothing for 6 to 12 hours, then vomiting and bloody diarrhea, a spell where the dog seems better, then liver failure, yellow gums or eyes, bleeding and kidney injury |
| Kind of mushroom*Inocybe* and *Clitocybe* (muscarine) | What you may seeDrooling, watery eyes, peeing a lot, diarrhea, wobbliness |
| Kind of mushroomFly agaric and magic mushrooms | What you may seeStumbling, tremors, confusion, strange behavior, seizures |
| Kind of mushroomFalse morels | What you may seeStomach upset and nervous-system signs |
| Kind of mushroomSome *Cortinarius* species | What you may seeKidney injury |
| Kind of mushroomMany other wild mushrooms | What you may seeVomiting, diarrhea, belly pain, tiredness |
In the dog cases Merck summarizes, vomiting and bloody diarrhea started around 16 hours after exposure and peaked near 48 hours. Recovery, or death from liver or kidney failure, can come 7 to 14 days after the dog ate the mushroom. A dog who perks up after a bad first day still needs a vet, because that lull is part of the pattern.
"My dog has eaten yard mushrooms before and was fine"
That is probably true. Most wild mushrooms will not hurt a dog, so plenty of dogs have eaten one and been fine. It does not make the next one safe. The mushrooms in a yard change after every rain, and a toxic kind can come up beside the harmless ones. How much toxin a mushroom carries varies, a small dog gets a far bigger dose from the same bite, and amatoxin signs hold off for hours after the dog seems normal. Last time came down to which mushroom it was, so treat each one as new and call.
Mushroom dishes, supplements and look-alikes
- Mushroom dishes: stroganoff, gravy, pizza and stir-fries usually carry onion, garlic, butter, cream or salt. Those, and any wine in the sauce, are the concern.
- Magic mushrooms, "shrooms", mushroom chocolates and gummies: call now. Psilocybin affects the brain, and these products can also contain chocolate, cannabis, caffeine or xylitol (Pet Poison Helpline).
- Medicinal mushroom supplements such as reishi, lion's mane, turkey tail, cordyceps and chaga: AKC notes possible problems with NSAIDs, blood thinners, blood-pressure drugs and immune-suppressing medicines, and says raw chaga should not be fed. Ask your vet before starting one.
- Morels and false morels: a false morel is a different mushroom from the edible morel, and it is toxic.
- "Toadstool" is an everyday word that covers many different mushrooms, so it says nothing about whether one is safe.
Check what you learned
Quick check
Questions about dogs and mushrooms
Is it okay for dogs to eat cooked mushrooms?
Plain cooked mushrooms from the grocery store are generally fine in a small amount. Cooked mushrooms from your own dinner are a different case if they were made with onion, garlic, butter or sauce.
Can dogs eat raw mushrooms?
Grocery mushrooms are not toxic raw, but the AKC advises against feeding them whole or raw because they can be hard to digest. A raw wild mushroom is a call to your vet.
How long after eating a mushroom will a dog get sick?
Anywhere from 15 minutes to a day, depending on the mushroom. The most dangerous kind, the death cap, usually shows nothing for 6 to 12 hours, which is why the call should come first.
Is one mushroom enough to hurt a dog?
It can be. Merck says one death cap can contain a lethal dose, and a small dog gets more toxin per pound from the same mushroom.
Are mushroom supplements safe for dogs?
They are not the same as a grocery mushroom. Ingredients and strength vary, some can interact with medicines, and raw chaga may contain xylitol, according to the AKC. Check with your vet first.
Are wild mushrooms dangerous for cats too?
Yes. Pet Poison Helpline lists mushrooms as potentially toxic to cats as well as dogs, with the same range of stomach, nerve, liver and kidney effects.
Sources
Checked September 24, 2026.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, The Fungus Among Us: Mushroom Toxicosis (August 2026)
- ASPCA, What to Do if Your Pet Is Poisoned
- Pet Poison Helpline, Mushrooms
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Overview of Mushrooms Toxic to Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Toxin Latent Period >6 Hours After Ingestion of Mushrooms
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Hepatotoxins in Small Animals
- American Kennel Club, Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?
- American Kennel Club, Medicinal Mushrooms for Dogs
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Case Report: α-amanitin toxicosis leading to acute death in a puppy (2025)