A heartbroken Halifax family that had to put their beloved pet down after he wolfed down a wild mushroom last week is urging other dog owners to pay close attention on trail walks.

With a new daughter arriving just weeks from now, these should be joyful times for Jessica Schroeder and her husband Derek.

Instead, both are nursing broken hearts as they grieve the loss of another family member, who will never meet little Molly.

Almost five, they say Doug the golden retriever was an energetic soul, the life of the party, and the centre of attention until their son was born 17 months ago.

"He just means so much to us, and I just can't believe how fast it happened," said Jessica Schroeder.

It all unfolded just last week when Doug gobbled down a wild mushroom while out for a walk on a nearby trail.

He got sick overnight, rallied Friday, but then took a turn for the worse Friday night.

Emergency testing at the vet hospital revealed a failing liver.

With the prognosis grave, the Schroeders were forced to make one of the hardest decisions of their lives.

"When we were lying with him, he could barely even walk," Jessica Schroeder said. "He threw up blood on me, just looked at me, so I just knew then."

The Schroeders believe Doug must have eaten what's commonly known as a death-cap mushroom, but verifying that would probably require a sample and a lab testing.

While not unheard of, veterinarians say it's fairly uncommon for dogs to be poisoned this way.

"(It's) very uncommon," said veterinarian Dr. Jeff Goodall. "Most dogs, while they're curious about mushrooms and things like that, they usually don't ingest them."

Goodall says it's always a good idea to err on the side of caution if your dog has eaten a wild mushroom, as quick veterinary intervention is sometimes the only thing that will make a difference.

For their part, the Schroeders just want people to know that this type of mushroom is out there and what happened to their beloved Doug, so others don't lose their pets the same way.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Bruce Frisko.