Is the dry dog food in your home stored in a dry box?
Is there a desiccant inside the dry box?
If any of the above answer is “no”, the dog may be eating dog food containing toxins!
For convenience and cost-effectiveness, many people tend to buy large package of dog food, while it may cost more than a month for the dog to eat it all. After opening the package, the dog food is usually sealed with clips, or put into the box. However, spring in Hong Kong is humid and hot, and it is easy to breed bacteria, especially in dark and warm places, so usually 2-3 days after the package is opened, it begins to have mold growing in the dog food. If the dog food is not finished within half a month, it may even produce aflatoxin!
Aflatoxin is a notorious mycotoxin with hepatotoxicity and is the most toxic carcinogen known to date. Aflatoxin is mainly metabolized in the liver, so it is very harmful to the liver, and the accumulation of toxins in the body may cause chronic Aflatoxin poisoning and may increase the risk of liver cancer. Severe Aflatoxin poisoning is fatal. In 2008, there was an incident in Taiwan’s stray dog shelter that caused a large number of dogs to be dead due to consumption of Aflatoxin-containing feed.
If a dog eats a small amount of food contaminated with Aflatoxin, it will not be life-threatening in the short run, but it will damage the liver, leading to an increase in liver index and more likely liver failure in the long run. Helping the dog to break down and excrete toxins early could help reduce the burden on the liver and restore the liver index to normal. If you do not pay attention to the seriousness of the rise of the liver index, it may cause the dog to suffer from liver disease in the future.