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My dog ate moldy food and is lethargic with a fever. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 years and 10 months old

I think my dog ate moldy dog food that has been wet and left out. He is slightly lethargic and his head feels a little hot. What should I do ?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 6th, 2016

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.

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