Mushrooms can be fatal for your dog.

A celebrity’s heartfelt post about his recently deceased dog is gaining a lot of attention for the message it sends.

The death of a celebrity’s believed pet has set off alarms regarding mushrooms and dogs.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared a photo of himself cradling his French bulldog on Instagram, writing that he had to put down “Brutus” because the pup ate poisonous mushrooms. Johnson goes on to encourage other pet owners to be mindful of mushrooms in yards and parks.

 

Another reminder we have to live and love as greatly as we can today, because tomorrow is never guaranteed. At approximately 11:15pm last night myself and @laurenhashianofficial had to make the painful decision to end Brutus’ suffering by taking him off of life support and sending his soul to pup heaven. I held his lil’ paw as he was finally at peace. As all puppies and dogs do, he ate a mushroom while playing outside with his brother Hobbs. This mushroom happened to have a lethal toxicity and within hours it was rapidly destroying his liver and immune system to the point of no return. I encourage all of you out there to be mindful of mushrooms in your yards, parks or anywhere outside your dogs play. What looks innocent, can be deadly to your lil’ family members. Thank you Dr. Deckelbaum and Dr. West and the incredibly caring nurses and staff at The Animal Medical Center At Cooper City. We’ll always love you Brutus.. and you’ll always be my lil’ main man and rough housing Brute. #RIPBrutus #WishICouldHaveSavedYouOneMoreTime #TheresPickUpTrucksInHeavenYouCanPeeIn

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Sep 29, 2015 at 12:04pm PDT

 

For many at a Wichita dog park Wednesday night, they say the sad and shocking celebrity pet news is a good reminder to be extra vigilant when it comes to our furry friends.

“I definitely know I’ll be on the lookout and don’t let them get anywhere near [mushrooms],” said dog owner Rachel Hall.

“The fact that a dog can die because of that, it’s scary because you know, a dog is part of your family,” said dog owner Liz Leon.

Horticulturist Matthew McKernan says mushrooms are most common this time of year, when there’s a lot of moisture in the ground. While most aren’t poisonous, he says it’s best to err on the side of caution.

“In the state of Kansas, there are over 750 types of mushrooms and they’re very hard to identify specific varieties or specific types of mushrooms. So in general all mushrooms should be considered poisonous,” McKernan said. “One of the best things to do if you have mushrooms in your yard is to just mow them off with your lawn mower and break them up into tiny pieces that your dogs aren’t going to be able to get to.”

If you suspect your dog has ingested mushrooms, call your veterinarian right away, or go to an emergency animal clinic. Symptoms can include: Vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, lethargy, seizures and coma. Veterinarians say pet owners should also try to bring in either a picture or a sample of the mushroom that the dog ingested so they can better identify what type it is and treat the animal accordingly.