Dean Bridgfoot BVSc (Hons) MA (EnSci)
Compost – what’s not to like about it? Well, if you’re a cat, probably everything – cats avoid compost like coal companies avoid paying taxes. But dogs – well, they do love a rummage in a compost heap, especially if it contains bread, meat or dairy products or corn cobs!
There’s a few things that can make dogs sick from your compost pile. Probably the most common is a plain old food poisoning – upset stomach, maybe a vomit or two and a most smelly diarrhoea. Thankfully, these upsets aren’t usually too serious and most dogs quickly recover after a day or three. This usually happens if a compost pile is poorly layered with stinky stuff on top.
If fatty meats are consumed, some less discerning dogs might end up with a more serious gut upset called pancreatitis. Many of these dogs are very uncomfortable, hunched up and vomiting often. Those poor souls may need to be put onto a drip and medicated at your local vet as it can be serious for some. Burying meats in the centre of a hot compost will help avoid this.
Then there is the corn cob. Dogs seem to love swallowing them whole, and they are the perfect shape and diameter to get stuck in the intestinal tract and cause an obstruction. This is serious and usually requires surgery. Some corn cobs can act like an on again, off again ball valve in the intestine so the dog will have on and off gut pain and diarrhoea that can last for weeks. These are definitely problems that need vet attention. Cut cob husks into small pieces, or at least make sure they are deep in a hot pile away from prying paws.
Apart from gut upsets, there are some unusual poisonings that occasionally happen to dogs from eating poorly maintained compost. The dogs become very agitated, shivering or tremors, being ‘hyper’ or over-stimulated and even seeing things…tripping out, or having seizures. This has the fancy medical name of Tremorgenic mycotoxicosis and is caused by fungal toxins known as mycotoxins. It can happen quite quickly, within half an hour of eating mouldy compost, can be very distressing to the dog (and owners) and potentially life threatening. Seek veterinary help if your dog is affected. ‘Good’ compost doesn’t seem to make the mycotoxins, it’s the overly wet, dense mouldy compost that seems to be most toxic.
Finally there is the marijuana butter mix that has been tossed onto a compost pile (or put in the bin) and when eaten causes dogs to become intoxicated with ‘high’ doses of THC. These dogs are depressed or very sleepy, cold, with a very slow heart rate and often dribbling urine. Definitely not a nice time for the dog and can be life threatening if they have eaten enough. It can be an embarrassing conversation with your vet if this has occurred, but one worth having.
Keeping your piles well mixed and maintained and your dogs away when you’re adding layers should keep dogs safe, using the YIMBY compost method will help with this.
– Dean Bridgfoot is a keen composter and is veterinary surgeon with Healthy Pets in Castlemaine. Send questions or comments to hello@yimbycompost.com, or to book in for a compost workshop.
