New Procedure Saves Bay Area Dog Poisoned By Mushrooms

BERKELEY (KCBS) -- Veterinarians in Berkeley teamed up with a Santa Cruz doctor to save a dog who was poisoned by mushrooms. Their procedure may also be used to help save human lives.

Kasey, a two-year-old Mini Australian shepherd, ate death cap mushrooms at an oak grove in Healdsburg two weeks ago. Owner Helen Abel of Richmond was told her dog would die like so many mushroom eating dogs before him.

That's when veterinarians at Pets Referral Center in Berkeley tried something new which lead to Kasey being saved, much to his owner's amazement.

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

"First we actually couldn't believe it. I just kept looking at him, you know, because he kept getting better and better. We were just thrilled. It was very emotional," Abel said.

She said there was a celebration for the pooch when he made it home.

During Kasey's ordeal, the veterinarians found out that Dr. Todd Mitchell at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz happened to be conducting a clinical trial of a new drug that is saving people with mushroom poisoning.

Mitchell suggested draining the toxic bile from the dog's gallbladder, which worked. Mitchell said he will try that new technique on people, especially in developing countries where the drug isn't available.

Doctors are saying Kasey could go down in history as a wonder dog that helped discover a new way of saving the lives of pets and humans.

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