Chinese man mushroom test on dog backfires, family got hospitalized

A Chinese man who fed wild mushrooms to his pet dog to test if they were safe before letting his family eat, paid for his lunacy when the family ultimately got hospitalized.

The 74-year-old who belongs to southwestern China’s Sichuan province found various clumps of wild mushrooms on his farmland on July 13.

He took them home but wanted to make sure that they were not poisonous before eating them so he cooked, and fed them to his pet to particularly test if they were safe to consume.

He waited for two days and did not see anything unusual happen to his dog, except it had a lack of appetite.

So he cooked mushrooms for his wife and son, and after trying a few they already felt uncertain.

Three hours later, the family developed sensations of nausea and diarrhea.

Meanwhile, they immediately rushed to hospital and had their stomachs pumped.

Upon further investigation, the son, Jiang, told the mainland media outlet Shandian News that the mushrooms looked white and slippery just like the termite mushrooms found at local markets.

Later on he realized that their dog’s lack of appetite was the result of mushroom poisoning.

It has been observed that a new trend is happening in Sichuan to use wild mushrooms for cooking.

Poisonous mushrooms, such as the Neoboletus venenatus, which can be easily confused with edible mushrooms, also grow there. Doctors have urged residents to not consume such kinds of wild mushrooms.