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My dog ate garbage, is panting, weak, and shaky. Should I worry?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Labrador | Female | spayed | 11 years and 8 months old | 72 lbs

Hi, my golden Labrador, 12 yrs old, escaped yesterday and ate food from 3 garbage bins. Today she is panting a lot, very weak and shakey. She still wags her tail, drinks water, eats and acts puppy like. Should I be concerned or just monitor her condition?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Claudia Fioravanti

Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

Veterinarian

Published on January 11th, 2020

Hi, I would recommend that you have her checked over as symptoms related to toxins can take a while to show and once you have symptoms the condition is much more difficult to treat. In particular I am worried about mouldy food. I have had a dog that suffered prolonged seizures and his temperature was very high for a long time and sadly did not recover. Another dog last week was fine for a day after eating a rotten chicken, but then went down hill and had severe signs of central nervous system disease and twitching because of the toxins. Hope this helps !
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