Are Your Pets at Risk?

When we think about mold we often think about how it can affect our health or how it can destroy our homes – but what about man’s best friend? How susceptible are our pets to mold?

The first recorded case of a pet dying from toxic mold was in 2007. Two Himalayan cats were having a routine dental procedure when their vet noticed a frothy blood within the endotracheal tubes used to supply anesthesia to the two cat siblings. The procedure was halted, but the cats died within a week due to pulmonary hemorrhaging. This is the same injury that has often been linked to children who are exposed to toxic mold.

Blood collected prior to the cats’ deaths confirmed the presence of Stachybotrys mycotoxins. The veterinarian, Douglas Mader, discovered from the pet owners that their house was damaged from a hurricane seven months ago. On Doctor Mader’s recommendation, the pet owners checked their house for mold and sure enough found severe mold contamination in their walls.

Now this definitely isn’t the first time a pet has died from toxic mold exposure. But most pets don’t have a lot of routine dental work or have their blood tested for mold.