The compost pile, a seemingly innocuous feature of your outside garden, can seem like a great idea, for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, this kind of eco-friendly heap of decomposing organic matter can also look like a free meal to your dog. As food in a compost pile starts to decay, a variety of molds can grow on it — molds that won’t always deter a dog from wanting to enjoy an outside feast. Many of these molds (at least 20 varieties are known to inhabit compost piles) produce mycotoxins that can have negative health effects. Ingesting even a small amount of mold can cause small muscle tremors and ataxia (which will cause your pet to look like he/she is drunk or having trouble walking) for a period of hours or days. A large amount of mold exposure can cause severe tremors, seizures and even death.
Spoiled food and fats in the compost pile can also cause gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes bloody). Moldy dairy products such as cheese, moldy nuts such as walnuts or peanuts, moldy grains, and pastas are often the culprits behind these kinds of issues.
Apart from food found in compost piles, moldy refrigerator food thrown outside or in the trash can also potentially expose your dog to toxic molds. If you suspect that your pet has gotten into a compost pile or moldy trash, please take him/her to a vet immediately. Depending on whether the pet is showing signs of toxicity, your dog may be made to vomit. We never recommend the inducing of vomiting at home, due to possible complications. For instance, if your pet isn’t stable, he/she could inhale their own vomit or bloat. At the vet, a dose of activated charcoal is also often given to help absorb toxins from the GI tract.
Most dogs with this kind of mold toxicity likely will be kept in the hospital on IV fluids and given muscle relaxants to address any tremors, until the tremors cease. Antibiotics are also sometimes used to treat any diarrhea. A hospital stay can range from one day to several days, depending on how much mold your pet consumed and how quickly they were treated by a veterinarian.
Just like anything else, with mold toxicity, prevention is key. Keep compost piles in areas out of reach of your pet, or keep the material in a secure composting container. Also, don’t throw food away in inside trash cans. Most outside trash cans are much sturdier, and some are made to be difficult for a dog to open — even if the can is overturned. Finally, avoid throwing moldy food from your refrigerator in your backyard.
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Can the mold cause tremors and ataxia if it is not ingested, but merely in the area in which the dog sleeps?
Sorry for the late reply, I was on vacation away from a computer. I assume the dog could be allergic, but it is much more likely the dog either got it ingested or has a nasal infection because the mold is so severe???? Yes would be my guess.
My 80 pound one-year-old German Shepherd loves to eat everything in the backyard trash brooms everything and he tore through all the garbage produce rotten food in the backyard and today he can’t walk he’s drinking water urinated but now he’s not moving at all and I don’t know what to do because I don’t have money to take him to the vet what should I do I think possibly eat mold from rotten vegetables and I am so worried. Please help me
There is very little you can do without a vet…. it could be anything. It might not even be related to his garbage eating. You control him, so you need to stop that when he is better. Sorry, he needs a vet asap!
My dog ate a little bit of moldy cheese, and he is a 56 lb lab pit bull mix. Would this kill him?
Very unlikely. SHould be fine.
my dog ate a pice of his dog food that was wet and had some whitish grey mold on him he is around 50-60 pounds he is a German Shepard chow mix will he die??
no, he will be fine
If my kitten who is like 2months old licked a moldy hotdog. Could she die. We caught her before she could take a bite. Will she be fine or does she need to go to the vet.
she will be fine
My dogs ate a half or whole loaf of bread that expired on Dec 15 2020, they are both 10-20 pounds and I’m very concerned about them. Will they be able to live? We don’t have enough money to visit a veterinarian and I want to know if they are ok. Please tell me.
Is there some sort of treatment that I could do for my dogs since we can’t visit a vet? They consumed a lot and I really hope they don’t die.
Water, time and rest. They need to digest the bread and not roll or play. They need free access to water.
They should be fine. Give them water and do not feed them again for a while. Go on slow walks and do not let them play and or get dehydrated. They need to digest the bread. I assume it was not moldy.
My one year old cat ate some moldy food and is able to still eat and move around but she’s choosing to stay stationary under our couch, what would be the best option we’re getting concerned but our vet soonest is next tuesday
Watch the cat and bring to a vet ER if still not better in a day or so. Try to see your vet sooner.
Thank you for the reply. We certainly haven’t completely ruled out the moldy shakes, but have eliminated any source of the mold and the tremors are still present. They seem to appear when he is over stimulated or stressed, and always in late afternoon or evening. This condition is just baffling and to date, we have no solid answers.
Wow, good luck. Have you tried a medicine specialist? neurologist?
Not a medicine specialist, but we have tried anti-convulsants, muscle relaxer and various other meds with no improvement. The next step would be an MRI, but we are hesitant to have him anesthetized.
I would certainly try to find a neurologist before jumping to an MRI. A boarded neurologist (likely who will read and administer the MRI) would be the best person to see. Sounds like you have that very rare — something — that non-neurology specialists can not figure out. Sorry and good luck!! PS: if the neurologist suggests the MRI, then they will monitor appropriate anesthesia to be as safe as possible and I would feel comfortable with that. My opinion.
Thank you very much for your input.
Try CBS oil
My roomate threw a bag of garbage containing rancid ground turkey out on the deck. The dogs clearly got into it. Since I’ve been home from
Work my dog has been behaving oddly. Not excited to see me, won’t eat food or treat. Looks to be having tremors or neuro symptoms. The thing is my dog has epilepsy but I have never seen him behave this way, even after having a seizure. The other dog would
Have been more likely
To get into the garbage. Still I am
Unsure what to do because I have no way of knowing if he had a seizure while
No one was home or these are symptoms of him eating the rotten turkey
These are clearly symptoms of possible, I say possible, trash ingestion and the dogs need to see a vet. These might be the beginnings of way worse to come. Please see a vet…..
Hi my dog is a Shepherd boxer mix 30 lb 4 month old puppy ate some moldy chees and is now throwing up and vomiting I don’t have money to go to the vet what should I do
There is very little except offer a lot of water and bland diet when the vomiting has finished. The dog needs to expel the toxin, then rehydrate. You need to hope those are the only symptoms.
This could either be mold toxicity and or lymes or one if it’s co infections. Almost all people and animals who have lymes have a problem with mold toxicity. Always gets worse when the body is heated up and always start a more at 4 pm on. I do muscle testing and natural healthcare if your vet is unable to find anything.
I’m not sure I agree. Lyme disease is a rickettsia bacteria and mold is a fungus, but again I’m not saying it’s not possible.
Hello Jennifer, my dog is going through something very similar. What eventually occurred with your animal regarding seeing a neurologist?
Hi I just found this thread so I don’t know what happened but I’m researching similar symptoms in my own dog and my vet has suggested a possible liver shunt. In case it helps.
I have a bag of dog food that had mold in the bottom and I said at least one day’s worth before I realized it was moldy. It got wet from the bottom up and I was not aware of it. Could that mold be dangerous?
Yes, throw it out and get new food. Watch your dog for tremors, seizures, vomiting or anything else abnormal and bring your dog to the vet if you see anything immediately. If there are no symptoms then you are ok most likely.
My dog ate a rotten banana out of the trash and a little bit of Chinese food too (maybe like 2 bites).. She has thrown the food up twice so far and I think she’s done now but she is walking drunk and tremors a little bit, only when she is standing though. She still has a ton of energy like her normal self and went and ran around outside for a bit (although a little clumsier than normal) so I like that’s a good sign.. My problem is, I absolutely can’t afford to bring to get a vet and I tried to apply for a carecard to pay for her vet visit but I wasn’t approved so I have no option.. I’m worried about her though, I am just curious if this can go away on its own, if there’s something I can do at home to help her, or if I absolutely need to get her to the vet right now. Thank you in advance!
Sounds like there might have been more than a rotten banana in there? Was the Chinese food rotten? It could be a mold toxicity in a minor quantity and that will likely resolve with a little more time. If she gets worse or can not stand you need to get her to a vet asap. As soon as she gets worse you should be concerned. Now you can wait a little.
We had mold in our basement that we cleaned entirely before moving out 2 years ago. I don’t know how long it was present, ad it was underneath wood paneling along the basement walls. The dogs used to stay in their crates down there – a couple years prior to us finding it.
One dog has unexplained lipomas all over his body, a possible collapsing trachea and odd trembling of the rear legs when he is stimulated. Also an anal sac tumor has recently presented. He had a CT scan to verify.
It has been years, but I wonder if the exposure could have built up and caused a systemic issue? What do you think?
And what test should I ask for?
Thanks on advance!
Very unlikely related I would assume. Those symptoms are not what I would expect from mold. I would expect much more respiratory symptoms from chronic wood mold and basement mold. Sounds like multiple things going on with that dog and serious conditions, but I would not point to mild at this time.
Your dog does most certainly have a wide array of symptoms when exposed to moldy homes/ outdoor woodpiles/ the ground!!
My dog has progressed from weight loss to hair loss, to retinal detachment, seizures, gastrointestinal issues, anal gland issues, anorexia, extreme fatigue, periodontist, you name it, he’s had it.
Good luck getting anyone to believe you! I finally used a black light to see his paws, chest and ears glowing from mold and was able to prove it finally- only to be sold a bottle of fungal shampoo. Hoping all these home remedies I’m using pay off, this is scary stuff!
Has anyone else been through this type of thing??
Oh my gosh! Bless ur heart! How brilliant to use the black light! Yes I’ve experienced this as well… My toy rat terrier has really been going thru a lot and has the problems uv described almost exactly… As well as the comment above from Bre in 2016 matching quite a few symptoms we have as well! We were staying in a new to us camper for a few months when we discovered mass amounts of mold from prior & current water damage that was still ongoing from an unknown leak & the mold was where we slept and spent most of ours days in the cold late winter early spring days with the heat blasting! We since vacated the travel trailer and no longer own it thankfully! Just recently caught my fur baby in the neighbor’s compost pile though (multiple times actually over the past week!) Now I’m so upset as he’s been to the vet twice now & was diagnosed with pancreatitis & i was certain he was dying of cancer honestly. He has a new bump or lipoma on his shoulder that was never there before and his ears and eyes bother him & had never before done so… Add constant paw licking and symptoms of tracea collapse as well as his appetite hasnt been good at all lately & seems very tired although he’s so small and enjoys resting quite a bit anyway… Especially when cold & or rainy… but clearly he’s not himself & i know we’ve been directly exposed & he specifically has been exposed to mold & mildew in quite large amounts as well as bat feces aka guano in a home we had been staying in previously. Guano is know to carry histoplasmosis and we are in the ohio valley & it is know to be prevalent here already. I had been focusing on the histoplasmosis when it’s likely mold & mildew in general. Thank u souch for ur post i believed bre & thought absolutely she was onto something… right as i read her statement & now urs confirms this for me i wish i knew what to do though… or if there’s anything that can be done or not honestly i just dont know what to do… it’s rather frustrating. Thank u for replying though so very much! Thank you! I don’t feel so crazy now!
Excellent!
I am disabled and moved into subsidized housing. I became sick within 24 hours. After having many serious medical problems after visibly seeing and smelling mold growing everywhere I had chest and abdominal CT showing inflammation in multiple organs as well as kidney stones. I was finally tested for toxic mold poisoning which came back positive. My dog and I both experienced hair loss and kidney stones. My eyebrows and eyelashes fell out! My dog was shaking and when he slept he was impossible to wake up. He didn’t have trouble urinating but actually had and is still having accidents with frequent urination. Whenever he wakes up from a nap he hast to go outside immediately because he cannot hold it. We both have had PH imbalances and I had blood in my urine and was urinating frequently as well. The side effects from toxic levels of mold are absolutely awful from profuse sweating to vision loss, mood swings, short term memory problems, serious sleep disturbances, joint and bone pain, headaches and close to 100 other symptoms and many of these are permanent. We were stuck living there for over a year and no one would do anything about it! We just moved out a month ago. We both finished our antibiotics. My dog and I are feeling slightly better but he is still having breathing problems and still has kidney stones. He has been on special Urinary tract food for a year and doesn’t seem to be any better as far as the frequent accidents and wheezing. Since the mold poisoning is auto immune and we were constantly being exposed there was nothing that could be done to treat this problem while we were still forced to live there. I am on disability and out of money but I have to take care of my dog. He has never been sick in his life before and just turned 12 and I feel absolutely awful about his suffering. I’m obviously still dealing with all the side effects as well and have serious permanent vision loss which is very difficult for me to deal with. I’m just disgusted that there are 70 units in that building and there is mold everywhere but it’s a huge management company and all they care about is making money. Village building and zoning, the Mayor, housing Authority, state & Federal representatives and governors office simply do not care! The health department won’t do a thing about it because there’s no mold law in Illinois even though there is a law against uninhabitable housing. This is insane! I should’ve had a procedure two weeks after moving there which could’ve allowed me to go back to work part time and instead I am worse than ever. I read that it could take up to 12 weeks for the dogs stones to dissolve and that my dog will need to be on antibiotics until that happens. I’m going to call the vet today and see what can be done because I don’t want to pay for more x-rays that are just going to show that he still has stones and inflammation. I still have to take a ton of different medications from muscle relaxers, anxiety medication, sleep medication, allergy medicine, antidepressants etc. all because of the mold as well as multiple supplements and dealing with constant migraines and a sinus infection that I’ve had for over a year as well as all kinds of digestive issues with pain. I’m just thinking maybe the dog needs to fully detox like I do but people have a hard time believing we were actually exposed to that much mold but I have the blood test to prove it. I also used a black light and had a mold inspector come. I was positively mortified! They’ve just been painting over mold for decades!
It’s so depressing to see your pet suffer!
Has anyone ever heard of something so awful like this happening? If so does anybody know how to help my little 8 pound Malti-Pooh?
I hope everyone stays healthy and safe!
Bre my dog sounds exactly like yours. Unexplained Lipomas literally all over her lab body and the shaking legs. We found hidden mold all over. Please tell me what happened with your dog. Thank you. Sis
This morning my dog was running outside & collapsed an was defecating on himself. Finally he got up & came inside & he acted as if he acted as if he had something in his throat & eventually laid down. Does this sound like a seizure (mild maybe)? He wasnt shaking. His stomach twitched a little after. We had a leak in the ceiling that caused mold however the dogs did not injest any. The other 2 dogs have had diahrea & vomiting here & there. Any help is appreciated.
Sounds like heart disease and something called syncope. I would have him checked out ASAP for a heart problem. Does not fully sound like a seizure although that would be my second guess. Tell your vet about it and try to video it next time if possible, that really helps!
Hi,
I am confused with a question, I would like to know that are tremorgenic mycotoxins different with other mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, ochratoxins, fumonisin,…?
thanks
Honestly I am not a microbiologist and could not give you a great answer. Mycotoxins toxic substances created by mold and each have different toxic effects on different animals (and possibly plants too.) Tremorgenic mycotoxins are a particular type of toxin produced by the mold that grows most often on food or compost. I once read that there are multiple types of these toxins and a multiple species of mold that produce them, but I can not verify that quickly. These specific toxins are associated with neurologic symptoms in the animals at ingest them, thus the tremorgenic name. I am not sure the exact mode of action (google can help here I’m sure) but the effect is a rapid muscle action and relaxation the causes tremors and effects the CNS of an animal. That is why we use muscle relaxants as the first line of treatment after clinical signs are present. Hope this helps.
I appreciate your answer. Actually, I have searched about it through internet but unfortunately I did not get a clear and complete answer. My only problem is the possibly differences between tremorgenic mycotoxins and other types(aflatoxin, ochratoxin, …). Anyway, thank you very much for your help.
Hi Dr. stewart my name is ethanjay and recently my dog Ginger who is a female and 15 and a half and a medium sized dog consumed moldy bread with the plastic. She was old and had trouble walking because she would always walk like she was drunk and i would have to help her poop and pea so she would not fall in it. when me and my mom took her to the hospital they did a blood test on her and said if we want to move forward then we would have to hospitalize her and they would give her fluids. My mother instead chose to put her down. Did she make the right choice? what would you have done?
Ethan, sorry for your loss. It would be very hard for me to make the call without seeing the blood tests, seeing your older dog and being in the room when the decision was made. However, from what you are telling me it sounds like your older dog was losing the quality of life that we look for in older animals and time alive is not as important as GOOD time alive. I think your mother was most likely looking out for your dog and I hope had her best interest in mind. I think the end of life decisions are often our hardest to make but usually are correct. From the sounds of it, Ginger was not enjoying life and playing and getting around easily and the moldy bread and plastic might have been just too much. At that age, surgery is not an option and there is very little that can be done if her internal organs are compromised. The short answer is I think your mother was probably correct despite how hard and sad the decision was. You should give her credit for making the hard choice and talk to her about it.
My sister has a female pug that she recently took to the vet due to the fact she was having seizure-like symptoms and foaming from the mouth. They didn’t put her on any seizure medicine and found out that she had a urinary tract infection so they put her on antibiotics and gave her a heartworm pill. The whole time she was on the antibiotics which was Clavamox she didn’t have any of the seizure-like symptoms or any foaming of the mouth. Now that she’s not on the antibiotics anymore she has started to have the symptoms again. The house that she currently moved into has a water leak in the basement and there is mold present also there is mold open the kitchen sink from a water leak that was recently there as well. Could the symptoms she’s having be from the mold or could it be from something else? There are three other pugs in the house as well and they’re not showing any signs of these symptoms, and all of the dogs range from 7 to 10 years old. The female pug that is having the symptoms didn’t start this until she was brought over to the new home and we can’t figure out what is going on. We don’t understand why she wasn’t having seizure-like symptoms or foaming of the mouth when she was on the antibiotics. Can you please help? Thank you in advance!
Very odd. I’m sure the moldy house could cause this especially if she is licking the mold. Why dont they get it fixed? I have no idea why the antibiotics stop the seizures unless they are caused by some infection or meningitis?? If there was a link between the UTI and the seizures then there is a blood brain issue or some other more serious condition that needs to be addressed. I would see a neurologist or have a thorough vet visit after the UTI is cleared up and the seizures start again. It might be helpful to video them so you can show the vet. Sorry I can not be more help.
Hi, both of my dogs, one an Australian Shepard and the other a Yorkie, have been having trouble with diarrhea. Because they both have it, I am worried that they are being exposed to something that might be causing it. I haven’t changed their usual food, and they both drink plenty of water. My Australian Shepard, Sadie, has become incontinent and cannot keep from going on the floor. She is very old, but still seems happy and still has some quality of life. Any advice would be helpful…
Have the vet run kidney, and urinalysis on the older dog and fecals o both of them. Its a great start and baseline. AFter that I would make sure there are no ponds nearby or neighbors feeding anything. I would change the diet and start with a blander diet to see if that helps. The vet visit with the tests is key, maybe they have UTI’s or renal disease. Good luck.
My boxer pup 1yr and my American bulldog 5yrs got into some moldy buns that I didn’t know got thrown away. The boxer has vomited about 4 times and the bulldog once, that is the only symptom they are showing 12 hours post ingestion. Is this something I should get them to a vet ASAP or am I safe to monitor them for worsening symptoms?
12 hours later you can probably just keep watching. In 24 hours I would think they are out of the woods. Good luck.
good evening, my dog a catalonian sheepdog ate moldy kibbles, around 8 month ago, didn;t know there was mold in it and didn’t saw anything either except worms (mothes) this is the reason why i made those kibbles get analyzed. Today she just died from a possible lung cancer (still waiting for the fluid analysis) do you think there could be a link?
No link at all. Moldy food will not cause lung cancer. I think these are separate. Sorry for your loss.
My year old pittie got into some really moldy bread a couple hours ago. He’s been off for a bit. I woke up this morning at 4 with him crying and shaking really hard. I though he had to go potty and I took him out and he went poop. When I took him back inside he started pacing erratically and wouldn’t stop shaking as if he were really cold. He doesn’t look like he’s feeling well at all. He’s all hunched up and won’t quit whining. What should I do?
Bring him to a vet asap. Moldy bread can cause neurotoxic tremmors and a host of other problems. If he starts shaking he might go into a seizure or convulsions. This is something a good vet needs to see. The treatment is muscle relaxants, stomach protectants IV fluids and close monitoring for days. This is serious. Good luck!
Thank you for the informative article and responses. We arrived home Wednesday evening after running errands to find our seven-year-old beagle (previously completely healthy) in the middle of what seemed to be a severe seizure. We immediately got him to the emergency vet and they were having difficulty getting the seizure under control (told us they weren’t sure they would be able to stop it so I assume it was pretty severe) but after an hour or so and trying different medications, they were able to control the seizure. He’s been in the hospital two nights and hopefully will be coming home today. Initially they were controlling his symptoms with Valium and later with muscle relaxers. As of 24 hours of the seizure he still could not walk or hold his weight on his legs and was still experiencing muscle tremors, but was eating and his neurological tests were normal. The report this morning is that he’s now able to support his weight on all legs and take a few steps although his feet are still ‘knuckling’ and he’s unsteady/wobbly. It sounds like they are expecting him to make a full recovery. Do dogs usually fully recover or are there possible long-term effects?
We have no idea what he got into but suspect it was some old food we threw away in an open trash can. He’s always been a persistent trash can invader, but I had no idea he could become so sick from spoiled food. I just assumed he’d vomit if he ate something bad. I appreciate this information as I’m planning to spread the word among friends and family to be careful of this possibility (along with making sure all food is disposed of in outside trash cans that the pets can’t get into.)
There is a very serious distinction between seizures and muscle tremors here. If it is seizures then you need to keep looking for a cause like brain tumor or severe neuro toxin. When you mention moldy food and muscle relaxants and 2 days and weakness….you are talking about tremors and this is usually due to moldy food toxicity (compost is the main culprit.) These mycotoxins can be very serious but are usually cleared in a few days and as long as the dog does not get them again, the dogs are fine. Moldy food or composts should be protected and dogs should never get either. Here is an ASPCA link. http://www.aspcapro.org/sites/pro/files/zo-toxbrief_0400_0.pdf
Can mold toxicity in a dog have long term or permanent affects?
My 10 lb dog was in the hospital for it and he just seems more timid now and shaky bouts of almost depressive behavior of isolating himself.
Very possibly.
That is a good question? I think repeated and long term exposure can weaken the immune system. Once time exposure I do not know.
My girlfriends dog got into the trash outside because it is very windy and knocked some trash out of the can. I stopped her fairly quickly but she got a nibble off of something that was very very moldy. Her parents said to just put her outside and make sure she has clean water but I don’t want to be responsible for this dogs death so I’m thinking about taking her to the vet. This happened only about 15 minutes ago so she is not showing signs, but should I still take her to the vet?????
You can probably just watch her for any symptoms (in blog) like tremors or vomiting. If that happens then rush her to the vet. She will likely be fine with just a nibble. Watch her closely.
My 50 lb. golden retriever just ate a small bowl of fat (liquid that had turned solid) that had mold growing on the top of it…. she hasn’t acted unusual for about an hour now. Do you recommend just watching her? She has not thrown up or passed stool yet.
Yes, I would be concerned with pancreatitis and GI upset. If you can get her to drink a lot of water and start with multiple very bland meals of dog food or boiled rice that might help. Watch for severe vomiting and pain and fever and rush her to a vet. Pancreatitis is very dangerous. The mold does not worry me as much.
Okay thank you for your input. How long until she would be considered “out of the woods” for pancreatitis?
I would think 5-7 days but I dont think anyone could tell you for sure.
My 15# 8month old mini aussie becomes wobbly sometimes but the symptom does not last over 2-3 hours. Sometimes vomits. This usually corresponds with him being able to run loose in our yard that he shares with our flock of chickens. I suspect that he is eating old chicken feed. Could this cause his symptoms? He also adores chicken manure. Not sure if that is a problem as he has no diarrhea.
Could be a whole load of causes. Too many variables with too little info. See your vet and have a check up and discuss with her the symptoms. Sorry but see a vet and get a plan to figure it out.
My 55kg ate some mouldy milk/cereal he’s some been sick several times anis shaking walking drunk etc, I have rang my vet who said that as he has alr day been sick I should just moniter him from home…is this right?
No, he needs to be seen. Call a second vet. Sorry.
My dog ate some dry dog food that had some grenish mold on it…my son poured herring juice on the food and the dog didn’t eat all the food and over a few days the juice was at the bottom of the bowl and he ended up eating it…I think he ate most if it beore it molded…he isn’t acting funny ir anything but what do you think…he is an inside dog…black chow 8 years old…80 pounds
If he is acting ok, then it is probably fine. Make sure to clean everything and give fresh food and water.
My dog ate some moldy meat and pasta outside tonight. He knows he ate food he wasn’t supposed to eat. Now he is shaking and won’t bring his tail up and avoids eye contact. Should I take him to the vet?
He might not be shaking because he is guilty, it might be tremors. I would consider a vet for sure. Watch and evaluate. I really can not tell from here.
Hi
my 6week old puppy may have licked at some mould from under a cupboard in a house will this make him ill and if so how soon does it set in. im really worried as i dont want him becoming ill. thanks
Probably nothing, but look for the symptoms in the blog and if you see anything bring him to a vet. Nothing to do now.
I was babysitting a friend’s 13month old VERY underweight Viszla. Took her and my dog out at about 5:30am to a one acre field behind my house. They did their usual morning activities – used the bathroom, ran, and played a bit. Came in, fed them and started my morning. Around 7:30am we were heading back outside when she began to shake and walk/stumble erratically. I picked her up and rushed to a nearby vet ER. She was in full seizure by the time I arrived (time from onset to arrival at vet was approximately 10 mins). Her temp was 107F and the seizures/tremors were fairly severe for about 20 minutes. Once she was somewhat calm (still have continual tremors, but not as severe) they sent me an hour away to a major ER with a neurologist.
The next morning I took my dog out (a 50 pound 19-month old Vizsla) with the same routine. As we were about to return from our second play/walk around 7:30 I noticed a strange look on his face. Then I noticed a small twitch in one hind leg. Then other rear leg began to twitch. I got him inside and then he started whole-body tremors/seizure. Again, was at vet within 10 minutes. It was then obvious that it had to be something ingested – and both vets assumed mycotoxins and treated accordingly. Both dogs were fine after several days of treatment.
My concern is that I have no idea what they ate. It was not anything in the house. They were eating different kibble, but I added canned food (just opened and seemed fine) and some homemade rice and chicken (one day old). I tossed everything I had fed them just to be on the safe side. I’m just worried now when I take my dog back to the same field. I’m watching him very closely to be sure he doesn’t eat anything. How much would they have to ingest to show symptoms? His symptoms were moderate-to-severe. Hers were very severe. Could it be something as innocuous as wet, slightly decomposing bark on a stick? Or would it have to be something more substantial like mold/mushrooms growing from the very wet weather we’ve had? Or just some food someone tossed that I didn’t see? There are piles of sticks/leaves at the edge of the field- could that have created a compost-type mixture? I just want some idea of what I need to watch in the future. It seems they’d have to eat a reasonable amount to get that sick that quickly, but I don’t know… Thanks!
Hard to tell, it could be anything. I do not know the mushrooms in your area, or if there is food molding in the field it could be that. It takes more than a lick and less than a meal usually (vague) but it depends on the intensity of the mold and the mycotoxins. I wish I could give you more information but I would avoid that field like the plague for a while. I have never seen it from bark or rotting leaves, but compost with food in it for sure is a usual suspect. Debris that is natural in the wild is a rare cause. There is something very nasty in that field. Avoid the field. Sorry I could not be more help.
That was pretty helpful – thanks!
Pregnant dogs and mycotoxins. Our dog ate molded bread from outside trash. Have you ever had any cases with pregnant dogs and mycotoxicity? We noticed something seemed a bit off and headed to the vet. Once we got there tremors began. She did have one seizure about 12 hours in. Vet recommended hospitalization to continue fluids and monitor. The recommend medications have not been given due to pregnancy. Thankfully, symptoms are improving. What about the puppies?? Our vet has never had a case like this. Have you or have you read any research on how the puppies may be affects neurologicalally, physically, or developmentally. She has 3 weeks left before whelping should begin.
***My apologies if this posted more than once. I thought it went through, but I don’t see my comment. Please delete is it’s a duplicated post.
Wow, I have never seen that or heard of it. It is a rare event and I guess the pregnancy makes it even rarer. I bet nobody knows for sure but the fact that you got her to the vet in time and they controlled the seizures and kept her on IV fluids is a huge help. I would imagine the puppies would probably survive, but I really do not know. The vet can take fetal heart rates with an ultrasound to confirm that they are not stressed or dead now, but that is about it. I’m sorry and good luck!
Hi. My daughter’s 10 year old male pug, Bobo, got sick a month ago, although he had no appetite, he continued drinking water, peeing quite a bit, and normal poop habit, he had his tail down, tremors, vomiting, swallowing, licking the air/nose(?), and what ‘looked’ like stomach cramps for three days, then off to Vets. The Vet seem to think it was too much fat in his diet at that time as I gave him a few peices of chicken skin before he got sick, (could’ve been coincidence). He got a shot for pain (and stomach upset?). And anti-nausea meds. He got totally better.
Then 3 weeks later, boom it happened again, a bit worse. His thirst diminished greatly but was drinking. He’s basically indoors, lives in small mobile home park in Lexington NC. Took him to vet exactly one month to the day from first visit, said he has gastritis, and this time he did a stool test and said his poop was full of mold. Either in environment, or thru food ingestion. (My newlywed daughter just moved into a mobile home three months ago, where there was a water leak, got fixed, n carpets dried, no ‘visible’ mold but still smells). Vet gave shot, and anti-fungul pills. Altho’ his thirst had diminished he was still drinking fresh water. I’ve had him a my mobile, same park, because we’re worried there might be hidden mold in her home. He’s sloooowwwlllyyy getting better, it’s been 5 days since Vet visit,
Was planning on taking him to vet next day, because tho hadn’t vomited for days, he refused anything and EVERYTHING I tried feeding him. Then lo’ and behold yesterday, after one huge heave of throwing up his nausea pill, he later ate 5 teeny tiny pieces of fresh boiled chicken. Tail perked up, no tremors, was kinda his old self. Hoping he eats/drinks more today. Vet said he also could’ve ate a mushroom or moldy grass. He does like grass but he’s never gotten sick like this. There are mushrooms in the area but he’s never showed interest. It’s hot n humid so we mostly take him out in morning n eve for short walks. No mold in his dog food. Could old mobile home pipes transfer mold to water? My daughter and her hubby are moving just in case there is mold. Im hoping he’ll keep his Lamisil pills down. I’ve been afraid to try since he threw his pill up yesterday. Should I take him back to vet or wait to see how he does today?
TY in advance
I think it is worth taking him to a different vet for a second opinion. Mold in his stool is very unlikely and anti fungal pills are expensive with side effects that are harsh if they are not needed. I would seek another opinion but definitively see a vet soon…… you might want an xray too if this goes on any longer. Good luck.
Hello my 10 year old dog yesterday was unable to stand he didn’t have strength to get up out of bed, he had been having diarrhea as well and was not eating but would drink water, we took him to the vet this morning and they took a stool sample and found he had bacteria and mold spores in his stomach. The vet has given us medicine for the bacteria, for the diarrhea and also for possible arthritis from him not finding strength to stand ( instructed only to give it to him if he seems unstable to stand or walk again). He has not yet started eating he finds no interest in eating his dog food and it’s been 2 days. He will eat his treats we give him when we give him his medicine, we do not give him human food but I’m sure he would eat it if we offered it to him by the way he begs while we eat. Is this something we should be concerned of or is it because he is not feeling well just yet, and should we give it another day before we take him back to the vet?
This sounds worse than just some stomach bacteria and arthritis. I would maybe seek a second opinion. Arthritis is a slow degeneration not an all of a sudden can not stand type of disease. The weakness is what would concern me too. Weakness and arthritis are not the same thing. Did they run blood tests? It depends on where you are but there are many many causes of weakness. I would not wait too long. Sorry.
I noticed that there were a few pieces of dry kibble in my dogs dish that had some water splashed on it which grew mold. When I noticed the pieces I threw them out right away but don’t know how much he ate of it. The next day I came home from work to him having had diarrhea In His cage. He didn’t want to eat much for a few hours but drank lots and was still walking around normal and peeing. Around 10:00 pm he decided he was going to eat the plain rice and pumpkin I had mixed together and wanted more to eat. Should I be worried about him? He isn’t showing any other signs or symptoms.
Just keep watching him for symptoms and address them as they arise. If the diarrhea or vomiting gets worse go see a vet. The little but of moldy food should not be a serious concern. Make sure activity levels are high and he eats despite any diarrhea.
Our 19 yr old Jack Russell had a seizure two weeks ago, two days in a row. He was put on Keppra and prednisone, and no further seizures. I noticed a few days later his gums were bleeding a lot so he was put on clavamox which cleared it up. I also caught him ripping into a bag of rotting grass the other day and trying to eat it. I am now wondering if he may have done this originally and that is what caused the seizures? We are weening him off the Keppra, already took him off the prednisone and are replacing with CBD oil. He is looking and acting much better and no other seizures.
19 year old with new seizures and weird behavior is not a good sign. I would be concerned about a brain tumor, BUT the rotting grass or other ingested toxin could also be the culprit. If the CBD oil works, great, but if not you need to continue the keppra. That is one of the best drugs on the market for effectiveness and cost.Good luck!
Have had our 6 month old blue heeler for exactly a week now. Keep him in an outside kennel at night as he is very rambunctious and was used to it with his former owner. I let him in the house with me when I m home. My husband had gotten a 50 lb bag of onions and
the pup had fallen asleep up against them. I heard a noise and looked over and he was having a seizure. I grabbed him and my first thought was the onions ! After more inspection the bottom ones were soft with some spots of black mold. We found a vet open on Sunday and made the hour trip. My that time he had seized again , and was crying and pacing in the truck like his tummy hurt. They have him prob til Tuesday they said for observation. They say the dont think the onions caused the seizures, but rather mold and dont think he would have ingested enough. But I did recall I had cleaned my fridge out the day before and thrown out the scraps in the back yard. And there was def moldy bad food. Figure one or the other got him. They still are thinking some preexisting condition not related though. Can I have your thoughts? Sorry so long winded ! Worried !
Mold for sure would be my first thought if it was tremors and muscle “seizures” but not if it was full blown seizures. Then I would think of something else, like liver shunts or some other toxin. His blood work would let you know if he ate too many onions. The mold does not take much, either that or the old fridge material. The difference between mycotoxic tremors and seizures can be subtle, but it is vital.
I have a question i have a 1 yr pitbull mix and she started to shake crazy and cant get up is that food poisoning
Could be a bunch of things, you need to see a vet. That is not very specific and you need to bring the dog in to be seen by someone.
Please please PLEASE do NOT COMPOST OPENLY AROUND YOUR DOGS. I beg you! My puppy almost died tonight from severe tremors, diarrhea, and vomiting. We got her to the vet in time but LOOK OUT FOR THESE SYMPTOMS; VOMITTING, DIARRHEA, SEVERE SHAKING PLEASE! My mother is an irresponsible hippie and the puppy ate moldy compost. She’s in intensive care but holy Christ please be responsible! Dont even bury the compost, pups can dig! Keep it in a military grade secure container for the love of everything holy. I pray for everyone who has had an experience or who is having an experience with this posioning with their dogs. Keep the hippies responsible and dogs healthy!
I just took my 3 dogs to the ER vet. They got into the compost outside. Max, my 12 yr old yorkie did not make it. His temp was too high. Maddi, my 9 yr old yorkie and Molly my 4 yr old Australian shepherd are both being kept over night on IVs, muscle relaxers, blood pressure meds, and being monitored. It was about 45 min from symptoms to appear to the vet. Molly is doing better then maddi, even tho she was unable to walk still when we left. My question is this. What are the chances that they will completely come out of this?
Usually if the tremors and the symptoms are controlled, and the dogs survive the first 48 hours they have a good chance of coming out ok. Sounds like the vet ER is doing the right things, give them all the tie they need in the ER and they should recover…. sorry and good luck.
I am so grateful for this article. My little Westie, Keeva, started displaying tremors and difficulty walking about 2 hours after my husband had emptied our compost bin. I watched her for about 3 mins and realized it was getting worse. A couple of phone calls and about 20 mins later, I was carrying her into a 24 hour vet hospital here in my town. They were not overly optimistic but started IV and put her under sedation. 24 hours later they tried decreasing the sedation but the tremors started again, so they stopped. It was suggested that we make the difficult decision and decided she was worth another 24 hour wait. About 6 hours later they tried again and she responded well. They kept her one more night and I brought her home this morning…groggy, wobbly and not weight bearing on her IV leg. I am so grateful for the vets and this article which gave me courage and great information. Thank you Dr Stewart.
Great! Glad to have helped!
My seven yeaf old rat terrier and 8month old terrier ate moldy sour cream. We took they younger dog to the emergency vet and when we arribed home my older dog was having tremmors we did not have the money for the second dog to go to the emergency clinic and had to wait for the vet to open at 8 am this all started about 4.pm the older dog has had seizures since she was two she has been at the vet on fluids for about 30 hours she has shown some progress but is stikl having tremmors and can not walk and will not eat or drink
6 month old puppy ate some pumpkin that had white mold in the outside. She’s been to the ER and our regular vet for lethargy, just not being herself, and some back leg shaking when relaxing/falling asleep. Normal temp and exam, normal eating and bathrooming, so all vets have said to just monitor. They dismissed moldy shakes because she never vomited/had diarrhea, but now I’m not so sure. She’s slowly getting better…how long could symptoms last?
Good question and I do not know for sure the answer. It depends on the mold, severity and the digestive tract of the dog. I would guess no longer than a few days…less than a week to clear the system. Most of the treatments for this are symptomatic and just waiting for the toxin to clear the system and the body to digest the mold. Hopefully she is on the was to recovery now…. good luck.
I wrote you a very long thing about my little Yorkie who I believe was killed by mold in his duck treats. I wore you a good month and a half ago and still haven’t heard from you. I wish you can read what I wrote and get back to me. The only problem is that I summited it but I can’t find what I wrote. Please get back with me. Me losing my special little boy has really taken a toll on me and not in a good way. He was more then a dog to me. He was my son. Please get back with me….
Sorry we had the blog site shut off after a website update and covid.
I replied. It is not your fault.
Hi Stephanie. I’m sorry to hear about your pup. My 5 1/2 month old just came down with an issue in which he was lethargic and can’t lift his back legs. He’s been to the vet 3 times in less than a week and they can’t figure out the issue. He was licking some moldy pumpkin as well at one point but the vet never mentioned that as a possible cause. Did your pup recover? Was there anything odd about his/her bloodwork? Just wondering if there is a way to help each other. In any case, I hope your pup is on the mend. Thank you.
I have a very important question even though it is to late for my Merley Moo. My little 3 pound Yorkie. He had aot of health problems but he was a fighter and when I found out all of the health problems that he had even the vets at OSU vet hospital had no clue how he never showed any pain or actually was able to walk, breath etc. He had a cyst in the brain, fluid on the brain, fluid on his spinal cord, his c-1 and c-2 didn’t develop correctly so basically his head was being held on by his ligaments and tendons and his neurologist even said with that alone he should show pain especially when she put pressure on his neck but he never made a sound and so she pressed a little harder and still nothing. She told me only thing she could figure is that he was use to the pain but I said no, God took his pain away. But his cyst was the size of a quarter and was at the back of his head and was between the brain and the brain stem and thst is way they couldn’t understand how he did what he did but at the time and he was about a year and a half to two years old found by a MRI that he had to have done along with a spinal tap. He was put on Gabapentin and a steriold to hopefully prevent seizures.
Then a few years down the road he started having saliva gland problems to where they had to remove them but they only ended up removing the one side they even told me then they didn’t think you would make it through surgery but I said if God wants him to be here he’ll be here and Merley Moo made it through, he was a fighter.
As the years went by he started showing that his cyst was causing problems with his walking, he was still able to walk and he still loved life but each year got a little worse.
His 8th birthday was coming up November 17, the same day I lost my mom 8 yrs prior, but he made it and even ate some of his cake and loved it. Over Thanksgiving he was still the same. He loved his chicken and loved to sit in the window and watch the people outside walk by and I would get a kick out of how he would act, he made me smile every time. Also I forgot to write earlier that year, on memorial day to be exact I found out that he had an enlarged heart and was holding fluid but the vet also said that what he seen in his lungs by ex ray didn’t look normal but put him on Lasix and Merley Moo was back to ” his ” normal self. But as Christmas came he was still the same him. Not like he was when he was younger but him. Then I noticed that January he started to seem to be acting a little weeker then these duck treats that he loves and I would feed him a few bites every morning and every night he no longer wanted them. Then his eating started to slow down but he still was drinking his water a d let me know when he wanted in the window to sit a d enjoy his day. But on January 6th of 2020 he woke me up in the middle of the night yelling arf and was twitching or moving all around on my legs but he had never done this before. I picked him up and held him. From that night to the next few nights he he would do the arfing really loud and I knew something wasn’t right but I thought he was letting me know that it was his time to go. The 7th he still ate a little but he drank, but once it came time to go to bed he would start the arfing and holding him would calm him down. The 8th came and he still drake but wanted very little food but would eat but at the time I thought it was time to have the vet come to my place and do the unthinkable. The thing that I knew would eat me at the core. They were supposed to be there around 7pm and never showed or called to say why they couldn’t make it. I told my sister that it must be a reason for it. But again that night he started arfing so I had him. During this time he did have trouble walking due to his neurological problems but this was different, he couldn’t even hardly walk, I had to help him but he would walk backwards but he did walk like he was drunk but he didn’t walk that straight before all of this started to happen all of the sudden. But they came out on the 9th and had to say good bye to my special boy who I loved more then life it’s self. But I thought this was all him telling me that it was OK, he was ready but now I wonder because the bag of duck treats that I just bought on Jan 3rd was the treats he ate for years but this time after eating them for a few days he would no longer want them. I tried to get him to eat them and he would turn his head. It’s like he knew there was something wrong with them because today I went to give my daughters dog one of them as a treat I notice a bunch of white fuzzy mold. I’ve been crying ever since. Was this mold on these duck treats that I just bought him on Jan 3rd is what made him sick and here I thought he was letting me know it was time to go home.
But here it probably was these duck treats. And I lost my precious poo due to these treats. I don’t feel good right now at all, now I’m second guessing myself and what I did. What if it was this white fuzzy mold on these treats that he wouldn’t eat after he ate them for a couple of days.
But I will never know because I had him cremated to be with me forever.
The treats are called Nudges natural dog treats they are the duck treats and mad in the USA. There is no reason that the treats should have mold on them and the bad thing is I gave aprox 5 of them to my daughters other dog when she had her here but here dogs are 45 pounds and the other is around 80 pounds but my precious little Merley Moo was only 3 pounds and although with all of his health problems he fraught them and was strong and never showed pain but when all of this was happening was the first time he ever showed me he was in pain or in any kind of distress.
So could this white fuzzy mold that is growing on these duck treats could be the cause of my little Yorkie experiencing what he was doing because everything he was doing was new, it wasn’t things he did before. I know my special boy but I guess I could have mistaken what he showed me, the pain he showed me, the jerking and arfing in the middle of the night that woke me up, to him not being able to walk could all have been do to mold poisoning and I killed my sweet boy. 😢
What can I do to the company as to let them know about the mold?
If I knew it was the mold he would have been right back to his neurologist and I k ew it would cost a lot of money to treat him but when he is my life and I already had 20 grand in him it didn’t matter the cost, only his health and keeping him healthy. I hope you get back to me because I thought I was doing the right thing but I could have saved his life if I only knew and now I don’t know how I will live with my self if it was the mold that was harming him. A part of me died that day with him and to be honest finding this mold has changed everything.
I pray you get back with me as soon as you can. Thank you. Kim., 😢
Sorry for the delay. We updated the website and then with COVID we have been very busy and the site took much longer to get online….. anyway. I think the mold had very little to do with anything on Merley. Eating mold is not good obviously, but some white mold on treats should not cause too much harm. However, with all of his medical conditions there is no real way to know. I think the symptoms of the mold woul dhave lasted only a few hours at most and not dragged on a few nights. I really can not say for sure, but it does not not sound like classic mold/mycotoixin symptoms. It might have triggered something for sure, but I dont think so. It might have just been his time. I would not think you had anything to do with his condition and probably only helped him.
My cat has ingested moldy food but had already vomited will she be veterinary help still
Impossible to answer. Watch her for any tremors or continued vomiting.
I had a pumpkin on my dresser, in my room, that was growing mold. A tiny, tiny bit of mold was left on the dresser and my cat licked it. Will he be okay? Should I do something about it?
it will be fine
I took my dog out for a walk through the fields today she found old pumpkins and ate some, I not sure if there was mold on it, she is 3years old lab x husky, she not been sick or walking funny no diarrhoea and still got her appetite, she has twitches a little in her sleep but that could be her dreaming, do I need to take her to get checked over.
For a healthy dog with no symptoms? Why? no.
Dr I have 3 dogs all under 15lbs that are moldy meat they all walk like they are drunk it was about 4 to six slices of bologna I’m scared I’m giving pedialyte by syringe and water they have thrown up but no diarrhea yet I’m worried and scared because I don’t have money for the vet
Thank you for any information you can give. I live in Alabama
Time, there is nothing much more you can do. If they start to tremor or have a seizure you need to find vet care ASAP.
Hey my name is Madison and I have a 6 year old long haired chihuahua. My grandmother didn’t notice mold growing in their treat jar. She gave him one and now he has diarrhea and seems extremely fatigued. Will it be okay to wait til I bring him to the vet and if so how long is a safe amount of time to wait?
I would try to get him to a vet as soon as you can, but you likely do not have to go tonight. Any seizures and that is an EMERGENCY.
Hello,
My kitten licked up/ate some molded pumpkin and has been gagging off and on. I’m very worried about her because even though she ate a small amount she is so small (8 months/5 pounds). Should I take her to the vet tomorrow? It is late right now and our regular vet is closed tomorrow for the US Thanksgiving weekend.
Yes, bring her to a vet tomorrow.
my 9 month old cocker spaniel puppy has eaten dome moldy Philadelphia cheese that my moron sister left on the table, we don’t think there was much mold but he had tremors, the runs and vomitting, we have taken him to vet and done all we can but do you think he will be okay?\
There is no way I can tell but hopefully the vet will help.Good luck.
My cat has kidney disease and anemia is given a B supplement on a daily basis and has been for around 6 years every day. I noticed the capsules always would turn dark and just thought it was oxidized and would still use them. I read a review today that said this is mold! My cat has unexplained neurological issues, random weakness and staggering like he is drunk, syncope and has had 2 seizures. He also gets frequent UTIs and blood in his urine. He has stretches when he is fine too. Could this be mold from those pills?!
Certainly this could be mold that causes those symptoms, but it could be heart disease caused or in conjunction with the kidney disease. I would toss the pills asap and get new ones. MOst mold toxicity is accute and should resolve soon after the mold is taken away. Regardless, it sounds like you need to see a vet. This sounds bad. Sorry.
Hi! My name is Alyssa. I have two 50 lb American Bullies. I am currently feeding them sportsmix, and just realized that it has been recalled due to high levels of aflatoxin that has killed nearly 28 dogs. The FDA website has a list of the recalled dogs of bag food with the dates but I threw it away after pouring the food into a 50lb container. Both of my dogs have been caught throwing up, but one of them has been throwing up every single night for the last 4-5 days. I know it’s a sign of aflatoxin poisoning, but is there maybe a certain way the vomit would look? If they would just so happen to get aflatoxin poisoning would they throw up everyday? Should I be worried?
I would certainly be worried and obviously (??) stop feeding them that food and throw it out!! Yes, that is one of the symptoms and you should immediately change foods. If the vomiting continues call your vet and have the dog seen ASAP. It could be the toxin or something else completely but that is too much vomiting.
My chihuahua dachshund mix ate mozzarella cheese off the floor that had a best by date of 1/18/2021.. should i be concerned?
no
Hi, my 12 pound chihuahua mix is a sneaky little one and found himself about 9 or 10 pieces of mouldy pasta out the trash before I could stop him, he hasn’t shown any symptoms like vomiting or tremors and it’s been a few hours. Is he okay?
Just watch him, he is likely fine if there is nothing for hours.
My 12 pound Chihuahua mix ate a small homemade dog cookie. It was banana, apple, blueberry combo. I did not realize that there was mold in the bag. The cookie was the size of a quarter. I don’t believe it was covered in mold. None of the others were covered. It’s been an hour. She seems fine so far.
Its Fine.
Hello My dog passed away on January 16th. She was an 11 year old German Shepherd. She had health issues in the past. Snake bite which we treated her for, auto immune problem which we gave her a steroid and antibiotics but was improving greatly. My dog first vomited yellow bile with a little dog food around 1am Friday night. At first I wasn’t to concerned because a month earlier she got into the trash and ate a leftover roast that was thrown up and had the same symptoms which she got over. So I went to sleep and decided to monitor her the next day. When I woke up I noticed she had thrown up three more times but small amounts of just liquid yellow bile. She didn’t throw up the rest of the day but she was very tired and didn’t move around a lot, just slept and got up on to the couch changing positions occasionally. She would not let me or my wife give her water or food. Around 12pm Friday night she began to throw up 1 last time while laying on the couch, except this time her vomit was brownish red liquid which really concerned me. I was going to take her to vet first thing in the morning. I helped her off couch and she squatted and urinated a lot which was very unlike her, walked to her pillow and lied down. My baby girl was gone the next hour in her sleep. My question is this.. Lerma ate a bowl of dog food I had accidentally left out for 3 to 6 days that had gotten rained on, at the time I didn’t think it could be dangerous. She ate the food Wednesday around 12am and first vomited Friday morning around 1am and had passed Saturday around 1am. I’ve been beating myself blaming myself for leaving the food out there. If the dog food had gotten moldy could it have killed my girl? I didn’t see mold visibly but it was wet. I looked up the ingredients of the food and it’s first ingredient was corn which worried me. I have talked to several vets who I’ve taken her to and they don’t believe it killed her. But her eating it little over a day before her first symptoms getting sick seems to coincidental to me. I appreciate if you take the time to reply to my lengthy comment DR. I can’t find peace thinking I did this to my girl. Thank you.
I dont think it was the food, I would be much more suspect of a torsion of her intestines or stomach, a blockage of her intestines or some other mechanical event. The mold does not cause this kind of decline. It is fast and more violent usually. With older GS dog you need to really worry about cancer and other GI issues. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you Doctor. I didn’t know a dog can be fine 1 day then be gone the next. I couldn’t stop thinking if it could’ve been from mold, like the aflatoxin specifically. When she began have the auto immune issue and couldn’t use 1 of her legs feet they screened her with mri X-rays and blood tests. They didn’t find any cancer or tumors, but they only looked at her spine and head, not her stomach. Several vets told me it could of been cancer. Thank you for your response. I was having a hard time believing it could of been from mold. She also kind of lost control of her bowls when she was sick, but no diarrhea, just low energy, not wanting to eat or drink, and vomiting I think 5 times since beginning to end. Thank you for your time and response!
Hi there,
My 2 year old border collie/kelpie woke up from his sleep on the couch three evenings ago and had a grand mal seizure that lasted one minute. He recovered from the seizure and seemed fine, other than some trouble walking/definite uncoordination and dry sticky gums. We rushed him to the nearest vet hospital an hour and a half away.
They did blood work and found that his liver ALT levels were slightly high as well as his kidney BUN levels. Two hours after the first seizure, he had two more grand mals back to back. They then administered Valium and hooked him up to an IV. He did not have a single seizure after that. We decided to start him on phenobarbital the next day as they said it is likely idiopathic epilepsy as we didn’t think there was any toxins he could have gotten into and they said his levels were only slightly elevated.
We’re home now and he’s doing well on his phenobarb medication. But I realized that over the past two weeks both my dogs have been allowed out in our backyard again (it was torn up for the winter) – they have been playing in the dirt piles back there and getting covered in dirt. He’s also been licking his paws more lately I noticed.
Well, I just realized today that one of those piles they play in is a pile of organic “biosolids” compost we picked up at the end of the summer from the garden center and it’s been sitting there. We’re wondering if it’s possibly he ingested mold spores from the pile from licking his paws with the compost on it.
Thanks in advance
Certainly possible, but hard to determine and you don’t want him off the phenobarb. I guess you can try to wean him off the phenobarb in the next few months (assuming he stays out of the dirt) and see if he has seizures…..but it seems very unlikely. Epilepsy would be my guess too.
Sorry I forgot to mention, I have noticed that he vomited twice in the last two weeks and I couldn’t pin point it to anything as he only has his hypoallergenic food and never human food. He also has been having twitches in his front legs when sitting that come and go.
Vomited bile*
Possible with the twitches if they are tremors, but the whole thing should be resolved after a week of no more mold. If it still is going on you need to ask your vet. Tremors versus seizure is something you need to discuss with your vet and would be the determining diagnosis. Good luck!
My westie ate old Mac and cheese (very moldy) that we had thrown in the trash on our back porch. She has thrown up (smelled so awful) but seems to be fine otherwise. Is drinking water now. Should I be concerned? Vomiting is normal in order to pass something that doesn’t need to be ingested, right?
Correct, just watch her. If she got it out of her system that is best.
when do symptoms show?
I cant see what this is in reference to? If moldy foods then it can vary from a hour to a few hours generally, but rarely as much as 12 hours.
My dog and I were living in a Leakey garage, I think there is a possibility of mold. He coughs alot, should I take him in right away? We are having huge snow storm no vet available… he coughed all night last night. And sometimes wheeze when he sleeps.
I would have him checked out, there are 100’s of other things that could be causing this.
My almost 2year old GSD/chow (52lbs) ate a treat; when I went to give her another I saw that one treat in the bag was covered in mold. The bag was brand new just opened and the date said it didn’t expire till 3/22. All the other treats were fine. I didn’t inspect the first treat. But after reading comments now I’m nervous. Any suggestions?
Watch her… she is big and probably ok
Hello doctor my dog either ate some rotten stinking meat n can’t walk n keeps wailing tho not showing signs of vomiting,his fighting for his life…is he going to die?
There is no info here. See a vet please as soon as possible.
Hi there,
I’m hoping you can help me with some direction. I have a 10 year old male pug who has had issues with his ears and eyes over the past couple years. Ear infections and a ruptured ulcer on his cornea. Over the past couple of months he’s developed a distressing cough. It sounds almost like he has pneumonia. He’s two rounds of antibiotics. He’s had a medication to treat parasites. He has been taking a cough suppressant for two weeks. None of these have helped. When he doesn’t take the cough suppressant the coughs are back with full intensity. He had an X-ray which showed a shadow on his lungs. The vet is now suggesting a scope to take a sample from his lungs. I’m running out of money and can’t afford this. Now he sits on the arm of my sofa everyday. He licks the pillows and arm where he sits. I’ve noticed that there was mold in the soil of three of the plants around him. Could he have been injecting or inhaling this mold? Could this be the issue he is having? He pants a lot in the evening and is salivating more. I’m very worried about my boy.
There is also a respiratory illness just east of Toronto where I live and the university of Guelph is trying to collect information from locals. I’m in Ontario Canada. I’ve been to two different vets now. Can you help with some direction please? I’d very much appreciate it. Thank you.
Lets look at a few things. The eyes… he is a pug and likely has entropion (lid rubbing) or nasal folds rubbing his eyes. His ears could be allergies and food allergies are huge as well as mold allergies, so maybe the moldy plants? I have to assume you have removed these plants or changed the soil….. The cough could be collapsing trachea or lung disease. I assume you are not a smoker either. You need a specialist to look at your boy, and I would not do a scope of his lungs before a specialist examined him. The scope is a big deal and you better know exactly what you are looking for. He might have heart disease? I would do an echo and have a cardiologist examine him before jumping to lung cancer or mold toxicity….. all I am saying is there are many possibilities and I doubt the mold is the cause. See a specialist, maybe at the university? Sorry, and I hope he recovers!
Hi Dr Stewart. Thank you so very much for your response! The vet said he doesn’t believe it is collapsed trachea after his examinations. The soil has been completely removed from the home and this is a smoke free home. The parasite meds were for the possibility of heart worm. He has had bloodwork and everything came back fine with nothing out of the ordinary and no discussion on heart disease so far. We have discovered that his issues with his ears stems from food allergies and his diet has been changed. No more rice which he would sometimes have to settle his tummy. He does pull on his harness and when he is picked up or has pressure on his chest he will start a coughing fit.
I didn’t know heart disease could be related so I will look into this further with a specialist. He’s a rescue and has been through so much it’s breaking my heart. Thank you for the information. Very kind of you and very helpful.
A specialist is your next step, make sure to bring all the results you have when you go. This could be a mild asthma or lung infection…. or sadly cancer. You need to rule this all out.
Okay will do. I appreciate all of your insight. I hope it’s something that can be managed easily and isn’t life threatening. Again thank you for your direction.
I forgot to include that with all the tests his showed (direct from results) cardiac silhouette is normal and the trachea, pulmonary vasculature, and mediastinal and pleural spaces are normal. Musculoskeletal structures are normal. He has a high body condition score. There is a diffuse bronchial pattern with an interstitial component on the lateral views there is superimposition of forelimb musculature contributing to ventral thoracic horizontal capacities. On the vd view there is increased interstitial opacity of the cranial aspect of the right cranial lung lobe. All of this is very confusing as I’m not a dr. Just thought I’d share this as well.
Sounds pretty normal.
That’s great, thanks again.
My 12 year old teddy bear, 9.5 lbs died after being sick for 2.5 hrs. She vomited small amount if bile X 3, had fine tremors, no seizures, unable to walk or stand and I immediately took her to an emergency vet who gave her an IV bolus, x_rays of chest and abdomen, neg results. The night before I bought her a toy with a treat inside that she played with for hours getting and chewing the treat, tossing it in the air, etc. I know theres no way to determine the cause of her death, but is it possible it could have been mycotoxins on the treat she ingested? She acted like a puppy the night before she died
Very hard to tell, there are so many variables. Very sorry for your loss. You can try to have the toy examined?
Hello, my little dog at an entire moldy breadstick. The breadstick was green with a bit of black. I am afraid that he will die. He ate it about 30 minutes ago and has no symptoms. Is there anything I can do at home to care for him?
You need to watch him and just make sure he is ok. He will likely have bad diarrhea. Bring him to a vet if this happens. Read the blog, but I suspect the GI signs more than tremors.
Hi,
My 2 year old 17 pound poodle mix ate a half a moldy hamburger bun about a month ago. I fed it to her not realizing it was moldy, as I thought it was just the flour on the bun. At the time, I was concerned because she swallowed part of a thick bully stick before I could get it from her so I was worried about that and tried to bulk up her stool to help pass it. She did vomit once that night and had diarrhea once, which I thought was because of the bully stick. I realized the next day that the bun had tiny white spores on it 🙁 I monitored her closely, and she seemed ok.
About a week later, she ran into my patio glass door, which has never happened. I feel like a terrible mom. She let out a cry and ran away from it but no other symptoms and seemed to bounce back after a bit. She was not dazed, wobbly, no blood, etc.
Having said all of that, I’ve noticed some new symptoms very recently, and I’m not sure if there could be residual issues from the mold or neurological issues from running into the door.
Two nights ago, one of her back legs started kicking me in her sleep. Then, both of her back legs/lower body was spasming (?). She is napping on my lap right now and having jerk like twitches/movements- different limbs, her head, body at times. I’ve noticed her licking her lips a lot a when she awakes the last couple days. She also just seemed a little off/timid at first yesterday morning and this morning.
Are these signs of possible seizure coming on? Would there be a concern from the moldy bun or from running into the door at this point? Not sure if I’m being hyper sensitive or if there could be a serious issue going on. Thank you for your time. She is my world. Appreciate any insight.
I highly doubt that the moldy hamburger is still having any effects, but the glass door trauma might have some longer effects. Impossible to tell. You should keep watching her and documenting the “events” and when they are repetitive and alarming you should try to book an appointment with your vet or a vet neurologist. Just beware that neurology is very hard to diagnose and requires a load of tests and imaging….which are expensive. Try your vet first. If you do not have a good relationship with your vet, this is the early time to start. Good luck. It does not sound very serious….
Hi. My 7 year old pit got into the trash a few hours ago and ate some moldy food. He has thrown up a couple large piles. He is walking like he is drunk but not having any seizures or tremors yet. How long till we are in the clear? Right now he is in the bed resting with us. He ate and drank a little before he laid down. I had no idea that mold could be so toxic to dogs. Is it a good sign that he has thrown up big piles? Since he threw up, will most of the mold be gone from his system? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Impossible to tell. The vomiting is a good sign. I would watch him for serious GI issues and the vomiting to continue or severe diarrhea. Bring him to a vet for either of those. The seizures are usually within the first few hours. He might not get the seizures but have a serious GI response, which is also dangerous.
Thank you for your response! How long does the drunk walking last?
He is not drunk walking any more thank goodness!
My dog is a 6pound toy breed that had gotten. Into some moldy wet dog food (dog left I the care of roommate as I went away for three days on business) which was left in the open untouched my dog refused to eat while I was away (his way of protest)and when he finally did go eat it was moldy wet dog food is he gonna be okay
Unknown, watch for symptoms. Most likely he will be fine. Maybe GI symptoms and might need a quick vet visit to get over them fast.
Hi. A stray cat ate a chicken with green muscle disease. Will the cat survive? I haven’t seen her for 2 days.
Honestly never heard of it.
I have a 4 month old mini bernedoodle that licked a small amount of mold off of the wall. Is there anything I need to be doing outside of watching for symptoms?
I have a ~1.5y/o Siberian Husky. He a ate little molded cream cheese and after around 6hrs, 1am he woke me up. He was acting anxious, couldn’t sit still, and then the tremors started. He never, thank God or we’d have long been to the Vet, either vomiting nor diarrhea!!!
I did my best to keep him cool, keeping all the fans on him inside, and when outside getting him to lay diown with me in the wet grass… And finally, was also able to coax him to eat about 1/3cup of plain white rice somewhere around six this morning!
Now at near 24hrs after ingesting, the tremors have almost completely stopped, only notice him really jerking when he’s surprised, he’s even started napping like he usually does!!! Heart rate is staying around 80-90, I check it by placing my Samsung Galaxy Active 2 on an area near his “lower abdomen” that has the least hair… I’ve also noticed he’s nowhere near as hot, but still not letting him “run amok” in the yard just in case…
But he still isn’t keeping anything down… Scared dad here
Good luck… he still might need a vet if he cant keep food down or tremors any more.
My 65-lb dog licked up a small amount of liquid from old moldy pasta that leaked out of the trash. Should I be worried?
No, please read the blog for more info though and what to look for.
My 40lb 8 month old dog took a few licks inside a coffee cup with moldy coffee (didn’t realize it was there). I did induce vomiting within 5 minutes and she threw up quite a lot. If she did get any mold, it likely was not a lot and she hopefully vomited it all out. Will she be ok?! We had our 7yo Australian shepherd die in September from eating moldy bread so I am beside myself with fear right now.
I will add the aussie also had a mysterious condition that we were in the middle of figuring out when he died and ate half a loaf of moldy bread. We are 3 hours post ingestion and so far doing ok. I know at the first sign of tremor to bring her to the e vet, how long to wait until she’s considered out of the woods? Our 8yo golden retriever died in April 2021 too (literally fell over and died.. did not have hemangiosarcoma) so I am just absolutely terrified of something to happen.
I think she will be ok… watch her closely.
I feed my 50 lb corgi mix Cesar dog food. I found a moldy container in the package where the lid wasn’t completely sealed. I threw it out but my dog got into the garbage while I was gone. She ate maybe 2 tablespoons of the food that had mold on top. She is acting fine but this just happened an hour ago. The vet is closed as it’s the weekend. Should i just watch her for any symptoms?
Just watch her… she is likely fine.
My dog ate Molded Hay… She’s experiencing lack of appetite, little bit of the Shakes and is Lethargic.. Do you know of anyway i could treat this at home or will it naturally pass over ?
It will either get much worse or get better with time. Sadly there is not much you can do at home except keep her hydrated and very calm. If the shakes get worse or she starts to have a seizure then she needs to be AT a vet office at that time…. the effects can last days sometimes too. All the drugs I would use are IV and most are controlled.
My 5 pound puppy ate moldy bologna and we took her to the vet but my question is will eating the mold have life long neurological effect on my puppy?
very unlikely.
My Roxy, 2 days ago followed me in the garage without me knowing. I closed the door and went on a walk with my son. Got back 25 min later and heard her crying and I let her out. She was acting fine running and playing but half an hour exactly she was acting strange. She was shaking as if she were scared…. Then went into full blown seizures and running into the picnic table outside. She was panting excessively as well. We panicked and took her to the animal hospital and advised what happened. Didn’t get into any chemicals because my husband has that all locked up. At the time I did not know that there was old food from months ago dropped on the floor/not cleaned up all the way. (Meat balls). The vet discussed that her white blood cells were low and something about her being at risk with her red blood cells bursting. She was still having tremors and her temp and heart rate were elevated. She gave her 3 different anti seizure meds. But since I didn’t know about the food I didn’t say anything about it. She said she was at risk for aspirating pneumonia and said that the prognosis was not good and that we needed to euthanize her. Now after reading all of this I feel like I made a mistake by going with it and she could have been saved… everywhere I read it says it could take 24/48 hours for the toxins to expel or be under control. Shouldn’t vets know the symptoms of this and possibly be proactive in getting it out of the dogs or not be so quick to say it’s time to euthanize??
Sorry for your loss. A few things. 1) not all vets are created equal. Some have some better experience with emergencies than others. Ask yourself is the vet I’m going to the best or at least very good and up to date? 2) These symptoms are the result of many many things and it is not always obvious. You should have told the vet about the food, that would have made a big difference. If you are adamant that there is nothing the dog could get into then the vet is going to go with something much worse like brain tumor, cancer…. etc. If the vet knew about the moldy food, then maybe they would have hung on for the next 2-3 days. These symptoms could be anything, most of which are critical….3) Did the vet offer a referral to a specialist or 24 hour ER hospital? Usually they offer that before euthanasia. 4) Finally was money a concern? It sometimes is the factor that chooses the treatment. It is very hard to say what was going on here, but before you blame the vet we would need to look at the situation closer. Very few vets choose euthanasia as a primary option. Sorry to hear about your loss.
So my dog ate almost a whole loaf of moldy bread. She is 50lbs a pit/lab mox and has a habit of eating alot of things when she is left alone due to separation anxiety. I usually give her food when she gets home but upon learning she ate the bread i took the food away from her. She threw that food up about 15 mins later. Other than that she is drinking water normally and just resting right now. I want to take her to the ER but i do not have any money right now to pay right now. Should i just monitor her for 24-48 hours
myself or should i take her in even though her symptoms aren’t really showing,
If you dont have the money there is not much choice. I would monitor her for the symptoms listed in the blog. Hopefully she threw up all the toxins.