Cramp Ball / King Alfred's Cake

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Cramp Ball / King Alfred's Cake - Poisonous?

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Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Wed May 21, 14 11:00 pm Post subject: Cramp Ball / King Alfred's Cake - Poisonous?
My dogs have got hold of and chewed up, and presumably swallowed, a King Alfred's Cake fungus. Is it poisonous? Or ought they to be OK?

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4642
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed May 21, 14 11:30 pm Post subject:
I'm seeing lots of "inedible" but no "toxic" or "poisonous". I would watch them very carefully and ring your vet first thing, they presumably have access to a poison-checking helpline.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Wed May 21, 14 11:38 pm Post subject:
Thanks. I've been desperately googling and have also failed to find anything that says toxic or poisonous. Watching them like a hawk.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16124

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 6:51 am Post subject:
Hope the dogs are all right Mithril. We use King Alfred's Cakes as firelighters.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 8:30 am Post subject:
not toxic as such but they might have a very bad tummy ache based on personal experience of being a young, bold and foolish shroomer. if they seem poorly a vet visit might be in order

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 12:25 pm Post subject:
how are they looking?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 12:27 pm Post subject:
as a slight aside might alfred have been drying these for use as tinder rather than baking cakes?

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 6:23 pm Post subject:

They are fine :phew:

The eldest, who I suspect routed through the jacket pocket to get to it, was a little quiet, but I think that was partly reacting to my horror on finding them with it (routing through her bedding etc). She's right as rain now though.

My middle daughter will have to find herself some alternative tinder for tomorrow (she's on a woodlanders way course). And keep any future finds well out of the reach of the dogs.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Thu May 22, 14 7:06 pm Post subject:
dogs often have the sense to shred but not eat

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16124

Posted: Fri May 23, 14 6:42 am Post subject:

Think they might be called King Alfred's Cakes because he was supposed to have burnt the cakes, and these do look like burnt cakes of the sort he would have known, and of course their association with fire Dpack.

Mithril, the loose bark on silver birch trees is good tinder if you can find any quickly. We always used to use that in Guides. We carried a small tin and put any we found in there for what we called 'punk'.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Fri May 23, 14 8:22 am Post subject:
birch paper is indeed very good tinder ,fold concertina style and scrape up some fluff on one end and it will light with a fire steel spark

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