Pet Poison Helpline comes to the rescue for employees’ pets

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One day Tim Forgery, a client liaison at SafetyCall International, the company which Pet Poison Helpline is a subsidiary of, let out Suvi, his Italian Greyhound, outside but did not notice there were wild mushrooms growing in his yard. Before he could stop Suvi, she managed to ingest a few of the mushrooms.

"I knew mushrooms can be poisonous, so there was an urgent need for help. Because we are sister companies with Pet Poison Helpline and often work together, I happen to know one of their veterinarians, [Amanda Poldoski, DVM]. I called her directly to see if she could assist, and she knew immediately where to send me to identify the variety of mushroom so she could then determine if Suvi needed treatment," Forgery explained in an organizational release.¹

Following Poldoski’s advice, he contacted the resource she provided, and they identified that the Hebeloma mushrooms were what Suvi ingested. However, the resource was not able to provide Forgery with an assessment or treatment recommendations, so she reached back out to Poldoski. During their second conversation, Poldoski determined that a trip to the emergency hospital was not needed, and Forgery could monitor her at home.

According to Pet Poison Helpline, Hebeloma mushrooms are considered moderately poisonous.¹ If ingested in a large quantity, it can cause gastrointestinal distress resulting in adnominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. In Suvi’s case, she was lucky enough that she did not consume enough mushrooms to develop any symptoms and did not need any medical intervention.

"Knowing I spoke with an expert from Pet Poison Helpline gave me the peace of mind I needed," Forgey continued.¹ "I'm confident that if I had just taken Suvi into the emergency hospital, they wouldn't have known what type of mushroom she had consumed either, and it probably would have taken hours to come to the same result. It's nice to know firsthand how our company helps panicked pet owners."

Forgery is not the first employee of SafetyCall International to utilize the Pet Poison Helpline medical experts. Earlier this year, the wife of an IT employee called Pet Poison Helpline after the couple's miniature goldendoodle, Pawmento, ingested 2 containers of a nutrition shake that contained chocolate.

Chocolate, which was Pet Poison Helpline’s number 1 on its Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2024, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, tremors, seizures, and abnormal heart rate if ingested too much. Too much chocolate can also cause death, but this is rare for pets who receive appropriate and prompt treatment.

"All calls are potential emergency situations, so all calls are important to us," said Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline.¹ "When the caller we're speaking to is a member of the Pet Poison Helpline/SafetyCall family, however, we have an instant personal connection. Staff like Greg and Tim are vital to fulfilling Pet Poison Helpline's mission of 'Saving Pets' Lives.' It's always rewarding to help one of your own."

Toxin Tails was created by Pet Poison Helpline to educate pet lovers and veterinary professionals on the poisoning dangers out there pets face, inside and out of the home. All of the pets featured in Toxin Tails, like Suvi, were successfully treated and fully recovered from the poisoning.

Reference

1. The Call Came from Someone Inside the Building. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. March 12, 2025. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-call-came-from-someone-inside-the-building-302398901.html