TYLER, Texas — Bright orange mushrooms are popping up all over East Texas and they have the potential to make your pet sick.
If your pets are out in the yard, you may want to keep a close eye on them in case they eat something they shouldn't — something South Tyler resident Andrew Pekowski did not see coming.
"I knew there was trouble pretty immediately," he says.
Pekowski works from home and let his dog out on his lunch break. The next thing he knew, his dog Lyla was having a seizure in the grass. These unidentified orange mushrooms are likely to blame.
Mushrooms are very difficult to identify so experts advise keeping your pets away from them altogether. If your furry friend accidentally eats a poisonous mushroom, call your vet right away.
"If you notice this, if you see them doing it, we can induce vomiting and get those mushrooms out of there," said Dr. Seth Shirey with Starnes Animal Clinic said.
To induce vomiting at home, have your pet drink about five tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. The last thing you want is for your pet to eat a mushroom that makes them sick, or worse, takes their life.
If you see any of these mushrooms in your yard, you should dig them up by the root rather that cutting them or mowing over them because that's going to spread spores across your yard and then the next time it rains, you're going to start seeing a lot more of them.