My dog ate moldy food from the trash. When should I be concerned?

I recommend monitoring her for the next 24 hours. If she develops diarrhea, has persistent vomiting, stops eating or drinking, becomes lethargic, or acts like she is in pain (abdominal pain), then she should be seen by a veterinarian ASAP.

That's not good! he might throw up and have a little diarrhea but it is unlikely to cause any further toxicity as dogs have very strong acids in their stomach which can kill most molds. Do monitor him in the 24 hours to make sure he is ok, probably give him smaller meals as well, if he is throwing up more than a couple times call the vet.

Not necessarily--most dogs do just fine with occasional forays into the trash! Watch for excessive vomiting that lasts longer than 1-2 hours, and be advised that Lucy might develop diarrhea at any time as well. As long as she is bright, alert, eating, and acting like her normal self there is probably no need to take her to the clinic.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Moldy food can produce serious problems, like uncontrolled twitches, lack of balance, hypersalivation or even seizures. It usually takes 1-6hrs after ingestion of mold for the symptoms to develop. If Indy is acting normal and he is not showing any of these symptoms, you should monitor him at home. However, if he starts acting strange, if he develops muscle twitches and problems with walking you should take him to your vets as an emergency.

Dogs developed as scavengers so they can tolerate some food that we would consider rotten or moldy. He should be fine. If he was going to have a stomach upset it probably would have happened already, so no treatment is needed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Alfie.

I don't think you need to be too concerned. Nuts are not recommended to feed dogs, because they are high in fat and can therefore lead to some vomiting and diarrhea from gastroenteritis, and potentially some pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas--causes pain and vomiting ). The only exception to the guideline regarding nuts is macadamia nuts, which are specifically toxic to dogs. As far as mold goes, average refrigerator-household-food mold could cause some gastroenteritis but is unlikely to be a major issue. Compost piles and truly rotting food, however, are dangerous if ingested as they contain mycotoxins. (again, not the case with "refrigerator" mold). You can feed him a bland diet (boiled chicken and white rice) for a few days to help minimize gastroenteritis. If he starts vomiting, having diarrhea, or becomes lethargic, please take him to the vet. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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 !