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The bacteria, fungi, algea and protozoa in the compost pile are the same orgnaisms found in the soil.  I have little doubt that your dog cleans himself with his tongue, picking up these smae organisms.  It is highly unlikely that the compost caused you doges illness. Even if your dog remeian in your yard, should a neighbor have slug bait near the fence it can be picked up by an interested dog.  Slug bait is sweet and pets love it.  I’d trust your vet on this point.  compost is not going to cause paralysis. Kelly Slocum Vermiculture Specialist Clark County Washington – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. I am wondering if any of you  have had the same problem? Frank Shields

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. I am wondering if any of you  have had the same problem? Frank Shields

One very common source of poisoning for dogs is antifreeze.  It is sweet and irrisistible for many dogs.   If you or a neighbor had any in an accessable place or indeed if there was just a puddle on the street or a driveway, it could have caused terrible symptoms. http://www.inch.com/~bideawee/cold.html#Antifreeze Poisoning The fact that your dog was paralyzed does sound like arsenic poisoning. Arsenic is often an ingredient in snail and insect bait. An dog care site at http://www.thearray.com/drdrake.htm says: "Arsenic is combined in many of the poisons in getting rid of ants, rats, mice, slugs and some weed killers and insecticides. Death can occur quickly before it is time to observe the symptoms. In more protracted cases the signs are thirst, drooling, vomiting, staggering, intense abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, paralysis and death." For food poisoning (Is that what you mean by microbes?) it says: "Food Poisoning is common, as dogs are notorious scavengers. Signs of poisoning begin with vomiting and pain in the abdomen; They are followed in severe cases by diarrhea (often bloody) in two to six hours. If the problem is complicated by bacteral infection, shock may develope, mild cases recover in a day or two." Check with your vet and neighbors to see if there have been any other cases nearby.  Don’t discount the possibility that it could have been a deliberate poisoning. http://www.news-observer.com/daily/1997/06/04/tri07.html

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Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left.

When I was in High School almost 20 years ago my dog nearly died from snail bait the neighbors used (they lived at least 10 large houses away).  1 or 2 dogs in the neighborhood died and another nearly died, all within a few days of the bait being put out (the people then watered the bait in and stopped using it).  This tells me the bait is powerful stuff!  The dogs can get sick from eating the bait directly or from eating poisoned snails.  I don’t know how long it takes the snails to die but perhaps they crawled in from your next door neighbor’s yard?  Do they use bait?  Or maybe a bird picked up the snail and it dropped in your yard.  Or heck, maybe some kids decided to throw snails around.   The poisoned snail could have ended up in your compost or near it.  Or just anywhere within your dog’s reach.  He could have gotton poisoned during a walk off your property.  I’m guessing it takes a few hours to work.  His digging in the compost right before getting sick enough for you to notice might have been a coincidence or it could have been triggered by his getting sick.  He might have been trying to make himself throw up, for example.  Also consider the possibility of a poisoned rat or mouse or other animal ending up in or near your pile.  Your dog’s activity could have been from chasing it. I have no idea if the compost pile itself might have been responsible.  You might want to test for microbes (culture some of the compost?  I’m not sure how to go about this).  Another possibility is food poisoning from rotting something you put into the pile.  Was there meat in there? or eggs?  If the problem is the pile, make the pile bigger (if it’s hotter it will kill bateria and etc better) and get yourself a compost bin with a lid.  If it turns out you got snails from a neighbor’s bait crawling over, I’d throw away the pile and start over in another location. Consider yourself very very lucky.  If you had been out when your dog got sick, he probably wouldn’t have made it.  My dog took a few weeks of TLC to recover completely but then he was fine.  Good luck. Cyndi Oakland, California            Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide Disabled, chemically sensitive, wheelchair user          Organic Gardening only "There’s nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there’s                     Cyndi Norman

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snip : hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his : stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The : vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have : nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He : is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. : : I am wondering if any of you  have had the same problem? Had the same problem with my dog a couple of years ago.  She was deathly ill for a week.  The only explanation we could come up with was that she was munching on the raw compost.  She still goes for it any  chance she gets.  Must be something in the compost, but I don’t think it’s a poison, unless it’s a natural one, we don’t use any chemicals. gloria —

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Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. Frank Shields

Sounds like mushroom poisoning. Joe H

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Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. I am wondering if any of you  have had the same problem? Frank Shields

Response:

Tonight I turned over my small compost pile (mostly worms). Later I noticed our dog very busy in the corner the compost had been located, so I called him into the house. About an hour later he was shaking, paralyzed in the hind quarter and in a great deal of pain. I rushed him to the vet where his stomach was pumped, carbon in his stomach etc. About 2 hours and  $650. The vet said it was like a snail bait poison but we grow organically and have nothing to do with the like.  I’m sure it is the microbes in his stomach. He is spending the night there and looked terrible when I left. I am wondering if any of you  have had the same problem?

Infections don’t act that fast, so it probably was some sort of poison . . . is is possible that someone else has been putting something in your pile? Chris Owens

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