Compost poisoning to dogs

[reed]

Discovered the hard way last evening that natural molds or fungus in compost can produce a terrible poison for dogs. Our dog had been around compost and occasionally dug and chewed on stuff all her life but last evening she got into something awful.  The vet figured it out pretty quick because it is apparently not uncommon. 

It looked like a toxic reaction to us so but no clue what it might have been so we had already gotten her to vomit and fed her charcoal. She was so hot and couldn't stop panting so I held bags of ice on her ears on the way to the vet. We didn't know what we were doing but all those things turned out to be helpful especially the vomiting soon after she was exposed so at least some of it wasn't digested. Keeping her cooled off also helped. All said we think she will be OK but is in the doggie hospital till at least tonight. 

[prairiegardens]

Quick thinking on your part! I hope she's ok

[philagardener]

Sometimes dogs will eat just about anything! +1 on the OK part; let us know how it goes.

[walt]

I hope the dog is OK.  A good dog is family.

[steev]

Often better.

[reed]

We went and picked her up last night, their day shift wanted to keep her till today but the cost was getting a little more than excessive. I would have paid it if no choice but when the vet that originally admitted her came in last evening and checked her out she said we could bring her home. She had been off IV meds for about 12 hours and their normal procedure was to keep such cases for 24. That vet was a young woman working in a high end, city, animal hospital but she reminded me of an old county vet with more concern for the critters and their people than the bill.

I don't think normal good compost is dangerous. This was a barrel of kitchen stuff that had accumulated and not mixed with soil or plant material, plenty of opportunity for anaerobic activity to take place. It's all gone now, shoveled in garbage bags and hauled away.

She was so drugged up she didn't know where she was till she saw her chair on the porch. She jumped up in it and wagged her tail and cried for about 10 minutes then she resumed her normal duties. She is about an hour past time for her pills now but she is sleeping so good in her house I didn't want to wake her up, guess I should go on and do that now.

[steev]

I've been binge-ing a series, "Bionic Vet"; remarkable what can be done these days.