# What does spider venom do when ingested? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296 "2007-10-19T14:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sofaspud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sofaspud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofaspud)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/1 "2007-10-19T14:43:28Z")
Two days ago my lovable but none-too-bright dog apparently ate a spider. We have no proof of this, but that’s what the vet said was the most likely cause when we took him in yesterday. He was acting drunk and dizzy, couldn’t stand up on his hind legs, was listless, etc. So, assuming the vet is correct, I know what _effect_ it has. What I’m wondering is _how_? I mean, it obviously didn’t bite him – no marks anywhere we or the vet could find, not even on the throat or gums. Plus, it would have been more localized (says the vet) if it had actually bitten him. This was a full-body general ‘bleh’ situation, rather than a swollen limb or something. Chances are it was a hobo or a black widow, given the spider population in these parts, if that matters any. Hobos have been especially numerous this year. ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/2 "2007-10-19T14:51:06Z")
IAMAE, but I believe that spider venom is protein based. Stomach acids break it down. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/3 "2007-10-19T14:53:12Z")
I doubt this scenario. Most (all?) venom are proteins. Cobra and rattlesnake venom can be safely drunk.\* I have never heard of a spider impacting on a dog this way. (I have seen the expression ‘hang dog’ demonstrated by one of my dogs when he ate a cane toad.) \*Bonus question, who the heck would want to drink venom? Does it impress girls? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/4 "2007-10-19T14:56:08Z")
There is a difference between poisonous and venomous. Spiders are venomous, not poisonous. Eating them should pose no trouble. > [@](#): > > Myth: Some spiders are poisonous and others are not. > > Fact: There are two problems with this idea: a technicality, and a set of false assumptions. First, the technicality. “Poisonous” and “venomous” are two different things. Offhand, I can’t think of any spider that is poisonous (harmful to eat, breathe or touch). Mushrooms are sometimes poisonous, but spiders are not; they are venomous (their toxins are proteins and work by being injected, not by being eaten). > > SOURCE: [Spider Myths | Burke Museum](http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/2marks.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sofaspud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sofaspud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofaspud)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/5 "2007-10-19T16:52:06Z")
Yeah, I _thought_ it sounded a bit too pat. I can’t fault the treatment, though; the dog’s doing much better today. Anyone have a clue what could have caused the symptoms in my OP that isn’t a swallowed spider? 🙂 (I may go back and fight ignorance at the vet’s office, while I’m at it.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/6 "2007-10-19T17:05:38Z")
[QUOTE=Sofaspud] Two days ago my lovable but none-too-bright dog apparently ate a spider. We have no proof of this, but that’s what the vet said was the most likely cause when we took him in yesterday. He was acting drunk and dizzy, couldn’t stand up on his hind legs, was listless, etc. So, assuming the vet is correct, I know what _effect_ it has. What I’m wondering is _how_? [/QUOTE] You said “apparently” swallowed a spider but you’re not sure, right? Not to be an alarmist but I had a wonderful black lab who developed seizures late in life and the symptoms you described were similar with how she acted after having a seizure. I’m just curious as to how your dog was acting prior to showing these symptoms. Ironically, we found out the hard way that our labrador was allergic to spider bites, having done what most dogs do when they see a bug. That nasty bastard bit her on the tongue (I saw it pop out of her mouth and run across the room after she hacked it out). She got up, started stumbling and drooling then collapsed, struggling to breath. Nothing like a 1:30am mad ride to the vets office. By then, she was recovering but her head and ears had started to swell up. After that, it was open season on spiders. Fortunately, she was a very smart dog and never offered to taste one again. I’ve often wondered if there was some correlation between her allergic reaction and the late onset of seizures. I hope your pooch is doing fine now! Oh, and I still despise spiders. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/7 "2007-10-19T22:55:04Z")
Dog may have eaten a poisonous plant. Think about switching vets. ---
**Author:** ![Sofaspud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sofaspud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofaspud)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-spider-venom-do-when-ingested/423296/8 "2007-10-20T01:07:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Dog may have eaten a poisonous plant. Think about switching vets. [/QUOTE] We were wondering about that ourselves, but can’t find any evidence of that in either living form, in the yard, or in the digested form, also, um, in the yard. And he hasn’t been anywhere else except on car trips the past few days. And no, he hasn’t eaten anything in the cars (we checked). The vet did ask about those, as it happens. At any rate, if it were possible at the moment I’d switch vets in a heartbeat. But it’s not. This one is the only one in town that will accept payments – oh, some of the others will if you’re an established customer, but not for first-time ones – and we just don’t have the $$$ for treatment up-front. For my wife and son, they’ve got insurance; not so much on the doggy. So while I’d love to switch (he’s rather far away), I’m reduced to operating on the assumption that the vet is capable, as evidenced by the rapid recovery after treatment, and was telling my wife a little white lie to make her feel better. He did mention seizures but said he’d bet on the spider-eating, especially since they’ve been so bad this year. Of course, he could just be a moron who happened to stumble on the right treatment, but I’ve seen him work with animals (my MIL has a brood of Japanese Chins, plus a Siberian Husky and what I can only describe as a mop without a handle), literally for generations, and he DOES seem to know his stuff. Because dammit, seizures are the next most likely cause, and this breed ([Long-Haired Chihuahua](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahua_%28dog%29)) is known for them. ☹ I didn’t know this before today, but I’ve been doing some checking. Other vets in the area have pooh-pooh’d the “ate a spider” theory, so we’re looking at either ingestion of some fast-acting, relatively non-toxic poison, or a seizure. God I hope it’s not seizures. We really love this dog. Side note: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Chihuahuas seem to have no concept of their own size and may fearlessly confront larger animals, which can result in injury. This may be the single most truthful statement ever penned on Wikipedia. 😃