Mycotoxin in wood chips killed our puppy?

[stargazer132]

Terribly sad story here...but it is hard for me to believe that mycotoxins in our flowerbed killed our sweet baby puppy. Our 9 week old Yorkie began having vomiting and diarrhea, we took him to the  animal hospital, he then then aspirated his vomit, then went into seizure, suffered cardiac arrest, stabilized then began bleeding out of both ends.  Vet called to tell me his organs were failing.  We euthanized him quickly after that information.  I have called mycotoxologists etc and they feel skeptical mycotoxins were the culprit.  However the primary vet and the second opinion both felt that the wood chips/compost were the cause.  Has anyone ever experienced this?  Our little man only weighed 1.7 lbs and was a purebred Yorkie which could have made him horribly susceptible?  

[Misfits4Me]

OMG!  My goodness, who would have guessed? My sincere condolences to you & your family, again...Thank you for going the extra mile to figure out what happened to your baby....I for one, appreciate it....

This is alarming and something most would never think of...Thank you for sharing your story and the results.....

I too, hope this will help to warn others........Bless you, Karla

[stargazer132]

And the answer is...... death by mushroom spores...or basidiomycetes to be exact.  Not  in full mushroom form or visible, but spores in the mulch that were poisonous enough even in small quantities to kill our puppy.  Hopefully this experience can help to warn others... mulch is super bad news for little ones.  Even if you get the chips out of their mouths...the microscopic, can do them in.  

[stargazer132]

Yes and thank you.  Ive been in touch with a mycotoxologist who is an expert with poisonings. He had some interesting ideas such as: the possibility that there could have been some ground up mushrooms that were in the mulch etc.  He asked me to send a sample of the area from which we believed he was poisoned.  He is a true dog lover himself and will analyze the sample for us and get back to me next week.  I will post the findings.

[Misfits4Me]

Well, at least we know, now.....Unfortunately!!!!    Karla

[Margot49]

Swelling in the face in less than an hour in one pup.  Vomiting and going into shock in another.
Most reactions I have heard of are swelling, usually starting in the face.
Anaphylaxis reactions can be immediate to less than 24 hours.

[stargazer132]

Seems that the time lapse between vaccination time and death rules out vaccinations and puts us back at exposure to something in the yard.  In the Doctor's words:

"Tiny puppies like that can succumb to even the smallest amount of toxin in a product like wood chip/compost, so I’m afraid that they are right."

[stargazer132]

Thank you for that story.  I have written to her and told her our story.  She sounds like an expert whose opinion we can trust and I will let everyone know what she says.  When your pups reacted what happened?  

[Margot49]

Dr. Dodds is very helpful and very active in the Greyhound community now.
I went to a few of her seminars years ago and she was very helpful discussing diet when I opted to do paliative care only with our Grey that had Lymphoma.
Much of the Vet community used to poo poo her thoughts on vaccines.  She said years ago we were over vaccinating our dogs.  She also addressed many thyroid issues.  Nobody used to vaccinate their dogs like those of us who showed.  Knock wood, never had Parvo here but we took every precaution we could.
Years ago, a Vet at Cornell and I were discussing shot schedules and even then, he was giving the regular puppy vaccines, a yearly booster but then only doing shots every 2-3 years after that.  When I still had my Shelties, I adopted that schedule.
Yes, I used to give my own vaccines (except Rabies) but I always made sure I gave them when my Vet was available.  I did have one pup react once but caught it quickly and my Vet treated her.  Another puppy in that litter reacted to a Rabies vaccine indicating to me that something was just not right with the immune system in that litter and those pedigrees were not used in combination again.
Know a woman who lost her Champion Yorkie to a reaction from a Rabies vaccine.
In my own experience, and those of other breeders, any reactions usually happen within the first 24-48 hours or less but not saying this could not be a factor.
Would be interested to hear what Dr. Dodds has to say if you contact her.

[Misfits4Me]

How long did you have this puppy? I don't think we know that? Got him at what age?

Here's what  to do:

Contact this women....She is one of the 2 leading experts in vaccine reactions....Although world renowned, she will answer your email....Tell her what happened and that your just trying to find some closure & have a fear of getting another dog because you do not know what happened.....She will be able to tell you if the vaccines could be the cause......Then at least you could rule that out......

Here's her name & link:

Dr. Jean Dodds DVM    hemopet.org  

Contact her....It may take a few days for a response, because she travels alot,  but she WILL get back to you.......Let us know what she says.....Karla

[stargazer132]

Thanks Again.  Jake was less than 1.7 lbs when the vaccine was given because that was his weight when he died three weeks later.  The breeder administered the vaccine. Could the vaccine have killed him that far afterwards?

[Misfits4Me]

Have you contacted your breeder to see if he/she could offer you information? I believe I would!

I don't see anything you've shared that would have caused this.....Because of that, I would at least consider a vaccine reaction....The smaller the dog, the more likely the occurrence....My calculations are your dog was 6weeks old when vaccinated. What weight? Who gave the vaccine? If he was given the usual (One size fits all) dose, I DO believe it could be a possibility since you've basically ruled everything else out!

Please visit Truth4Dogs.com for more information.....Karla

[stargazer132]

Thanks Karla.  I need all the help I can get right now.  I am desperate to understand what happened. He had just seen the vet at our home a day before he died, she gave him Tresaderm for his little ears because he had been scratching them a lot.  

I was beginning to try and switch him to a better food, Blue Buffalo Natural Chicken and Oatmeal recipe for small breed puppy by putting just a little bit in with the food that the breeder was using, Kirkland Puppy Food.  

We were treating him with Science Diet Soft and Chewy training treats  with Real Beef, by cutting them into thirds.  Also we would put a dab of King Stuff'n Puppy Recipe in his little wee Kong toy when we would leave him alone in his little playpen.. He had his first Distemper and Parvo vaccinations on 6.27.

He was never out of our sight when he was outside and there is no poison for rodents anywhere inside or outside that we know of.

Our gardener treated our yard with moss killer in Feb.  We received new organic mulch and compost for our flower beds and compost in March. We live in a very rainy area of Washington state.

I should have asked for a post mortem but I couldnt bear to disgrace his body any more than what had already occurred.  Also we were all in such tremendous shock I wasnt sure what was happening. We buried him in our backyard and I still have some of his excrement that was in his trashbin that I havent had the strength to empty.  (I know, pathetic) but perhaps it  could help figure this out? A mycotoxicologist has offered to test our yard as well so Im following up with him today.

[Misfits4Me]

Here's a link that will explain it:  
http://www.pawsdogdaycare.com/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/rhododendron-poisonous-pets

I have Azaleas in my yard and always have.....I've never had a problem, but you know, puppies will chew on anything!  However, what's interesting about this article is that it states, the toxin will burn the mouth and normally dogs leave it alone before they ingest fatal amounts...

That said, can you think of anything else that he may could have ingested? I'll help you.....Any chemicals? Was he just vaccinated? How about his food? Flea/Tick product? Rat/mouse poison anywhere? Anything?   Karla

[stargazer132]

Thank you so much Karla.  It has been an excruciating experience so your words are much appreciated. I heard about the Cocoa Mulch but we that wasnt the type we had....and I agree with you about the time lapse..seems like the mycotoxin would take a longer time to shut our little guy down....

Do you know anything about Rhododendron poisoning?  This has also been posed as an explanation.  I don't mean to revisit over and over again but my 7 yr old daughter wants to replace the void with one of our little puppy's brothers and I am reluctant because Im not certain that I dont have a murderous yard..

[Misfits4Me]

First, let me say how sorry I am for your tragic loss.....My heart goes out to you & your puppy, bless his heart!

Every bit of these symptoms are consistent w/Poison...I'm unsure about the Mycotoxins however. I would believe that would happen slower than what you describe.

I'm leaning more towards something he ate that caused death this quickly....Poisonous plant possibly, poisonous toad, anti-freeze? These would fit....There IS a Mulch on the market that is deadly to animals, but they must ingest it....It's Cocoa Mulch....The bag may not label it as such, but the ingredient list (On the bag) would state what it's made of.....It's the same as death by chocolate, which can be lethal to animals.....

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss.....This just makes me sick..........Blessings to you and yours.......Karla