Can dogs eat mushrooms? And cats?
Plain store-bought mushrooms are safe. Wild yard mushrooms can be lethal: treat as an emergency.
Store-bought are safe cooked plain; wild mushrooms are a poison-control call.
Washed white button, cremini and portobello mushrooms from the store are safe for dogs and cats when cooked plain. The danger is the yard and the trail: some wild mushrooms (notably Amanita species) cause liver failure, and identifying them from a chewed fragment is unreliable. If your pet ate an unknown wild mushroom, call a poison hotline immediately and bring a sample.
Signs to watch for
- Wild varieties: vomiting, drooling, stumbling, jaundice, seizures
Sources: ASPCA Animal Poison Control people-foods guidance, Merck Veterinary Manual, Pet Poison Helpline. Verdicts are conservative by design: where evidence is thin we choose the stricter rating.
This is general educational information, not veterinary advice. When in doubt about your own pet, ask your veterinarian.
If your pet just ate something risky, act now: call your vet, ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435, or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 (consultation fees may apply).