My dog was exposed to mold, now seizing and nauseous. What's next?

I'm sorry to hear that Izzy has been having seizures and I understand your concerns. I've been looking through the veterinary community's information network (VIN) and have been unable to find any studies, case reports or conference proceedings that can prove causation or even correlation of environmental exposure to molds causing seizure activity. While the lack of information does not make it impossible that Izzy's seizures are related to molds, it seems far more likely to me that given her young age, this is the onset of idiopathic (i.e. we don't know why it is occurring) epilepsy. The onset of epilepsy most commonly occurs in dogs 2-4 years of age. If molds are contributing to Izzy's concerns, I would expect to see respiratory changes rather than neurologic signs. To my knowledge, there are no blood tests available to test for environmental mold exposures in dogs. Continue monitoring her breathing, seizure frequency and duration, appetite and energy level. Unfortunately, there are no supportive therapies or supplements that can erase her mold exposure.

I am so sorry that your pet ate moldy food. Mycotoxicosis can be mild or more severe depending on the amount ingested. In severe cases it can even lead to death. Severe signs can occur with dosages of 0.175 mg/kg PO. Death can occur with ingestion of 0.5 mg/kg PO. Early signs include restlessness, panting, hypersalivation, with or without vomiting. Mild to moderate muscle tremors develop and may progress to severe tremors, and/or seizures. I would highly recommend taking your pet to your local ER vet right away for detoxification, IV fluids, and supportive care to give her the best chance of survival. Here is website link for financial assistance if needed. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care carecredit.com should be used first since it offers quick financial support for pets that are in need of care immediately. I really hope your furry friend is able to make a full and speedy recovery! Best wishes and take care.

Poor Bailey! Moldy food of any kind can be toxic, and often causes neurologic symptoms such as muscle tremors and incoordination - it's possible that this is what you're seeing with Bailey. Difficulty walking is always a concerning sign regardless of the underlying cause, so I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam right away. He/she can do some diagnostic testing if needed to help determine what's wrong. If it is a mold toxicity problem, this can usually be treated successfully with IV fluids and medication to control the tremors until the toxic is flushed out of his system.

I would be very concerned with Izzy having this many seizures in such a short period of time. Young, small breed dogs can suffer from a condition called a shunt. With this disease the liver is unable to filter out toxins like it normally would. When this happens and the levels of certain enzymes get too high they affect the brain and cause seizures. This happens more frequently after a meal. I would recommend having Izzy checked out by your vet. They will likely run a blood test to check her liver enzymes and a test called bile acids to see how well the liver is working. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this in your young pup! Hopefully you can get a diagnosis and start managing her seizures soon.

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.

I would recommend withholding food for at least 6-8 hours and then initiate a bland diet as outlined below. If there is no improvement or Mary Jane worsens, I would recommend trying to get her in to see a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. You can look into CareCredit as an option to help assist in paying for veterinary care as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Poor Wyatt! It sounds like he is a bit sick from eating the moldy dog food, which would make him lethargic and might give him a fever. The risk of eating moldy food is that he could get toxicity from it. I would monitor him for now for signs of toxicity, which include vomiting, agitation, walking like he is drunk, tremors, seizures, and fever. If you see any of those signs, take him into a vet right away. Check his temperature now, and if it's above 103F, he will need to see a vet now. In the meantime, feed him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet.