Woman warns of deadly mistake with dog after 'scary' vet visit
Kayla 'had no idea' how dangerous the situation could be for dogs.
A pet owner has tearfully shared how her pooch almost died, in a bid to warn others of a "common" mistake to be aware of.
Kayla Sylvia-Jayne recalled a "really traumatic" 24 hours after her dog Malibu got sick from mould poisoning, to help "spread awareness" of the risk.
"I honestly had no idea that this could happen," the Kiwi said in her TikTok last week.
"I was cleaning out my fridge and cupboards and there was just some rotten strawberries and apples that I threw into a bag. I didn't really think she had eaten anything, but obviously she did and I didn't think much of it."
Kayla recalled how the "tiny bit," her dog ate had "messed her up so bad". "I woke up at midnight to her having full tremors, it was almost like a seizure.
"It got so much worse and I drove her to our local emergency 24-hour hospital which is like 10 minutes down the road, and in that drive she just deteriorated so fast. If I had gotten her there any later, she'd be dead. It would be so much worse."
Mould poisoning in dogs
Mouldy food has a poisonous substance called mycotoxins, which are dangerous to dogs — especially those that like to cheekily eat out of the trash — as well as humans.
"The mycotoxins in mouldy food can cause convulsions, muscle tremors and weakness. Some dogs can have aspiration during the convulsions, which can lead to death," RSPCA NSW says on their website.
"Please note that while humans can eat some types of mould, such as the type contained in blue cheese, animals cannot."
Luckily for Malibu, she was given medical attention quickly, and was monitored and given medication for a few days, during which she suffered from a seizure.
"They gave her some medication to stop the seizure and it stopped right away which is a good sign and [she was] just smiling and wagging her tail after," Kayla said.
"One of the major concerns is that with these tremors, her body heat gets really hot because she's constantly shaking and that can cause seizures, which are super scary."
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'I had no idea'
Kayla's video received almost 100,000 views, with many sharing they didn't know how dire mould can be for dogs.
"Thanks for sharing, I am a dog mama and I had no idea! In tears for you and your bubba, praying she will recover asap," one person said.
"This happened to my in-laws' dogs. Very scary! You caught it early. Your dog will recover," another said.
"Mould can also grow in their food bags/containers so it’s important to wash these regularly!" a third person added.
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