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Even though El Niño is helping to bring down California's current drought, it is also indicating the growth of mushrooms that may be toxic for pets, reports CBS News.

While wet conditions tend to create a conducive environment for the growth of mushrooms, they could also be poisonous. Hence, dogs need to be watched carefully to see that they do not consume poisonous mushrooms, especially as the dogs like to dig, explains Marin Independent Journal.

Any dog that has eaten, chewed and spat out a mushroom, or becomes suddenly ill needs to be rushed to a vet.

"It was horrible. I can't talk about it or I'll cry. It's been really difficult," said Pam Moe, a Californian who lost a 6-month-old puppy when it ate one of the deadly mushrooms. "The hardest one it was on was my son. He said, 'Puppies don't die, babies don't die.'"

The most dangerous mushrooms could be the death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, the A. ocreata, and the deadly galerina, Galerina marginata. These are poisonous not only to dogs but even to humans, says Breitbart.

Veterinarians in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, say that they have observed at least one dog a week dying due to these illnesses. A number of poisonous mushrooms seem to be leading to the deaths.

"Dogs can get very sick. Sometimes it's just vomiting, but other times it can lead to death. It's very, very tragic," said Lisa Bloch of the Humane Society of Marin.

You can see which mushrooms are safe in the Bay Area Mycological Society's list.