Keep all active dough and starter cultures out of reach. Seek urgent veterinary advice after any ingestion. Signs may include abdominal distension, repeated retching, unsteady gait, and lethargy as alcohol absorbs.
Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a live leavening organism sold as active dry, instant, and fresh compressed cakes for bread, pizza dough, and rolls. Ferments sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Exposure often comes from dough rising on counters or scraps in trash bins. Expanding dough may cause painful bloating; fermentation alcohol adds systemic toxicity risk.
Brewing yeast slurries and sourdough starters pose similar concerns. Nutritional yeast is a different inactive product and does not rise. Warm environments speed fermentation and gas expansion.
