I began noticing some strange, bright orange balls in different corners of my yard. They were scattered near the fence, by an old tree stump, even in the flower bed. 😲 At first, I thought they were toys or maybe berries brought by birds. But each day, there were more and more of them, and they just looked too weird. 🤔
I got suspicious. I don’t like it when something unknown appears on my property — especially when I have a dog. And sure enough, one day I caught my dog enthusiastically chewing on one of these “balls.” 😥
My heart nearly stopped. I immediately called the vet to find out what it was… 😲😲 It turned out to be… Continued in the first comment 👇👇
I quickly called the vet. Panicked, I tried to explain that my dog might have eaten some unknown fungus or — God forbid — a chemical.
The vet listened, calmed me down, and said to keep an eye on the dog. Then he added, “Take a picture and send it — maybe I can identify it.” So I sent a photo.
A few minutes later, he called back and said: “That’s a slime mold. Commonly known as wolf’s milk or wolf’s teat. Not especially toxic, but definitely not edible — for humans or animals.”
It turned out to be a strange fungus — it grows on decaying wood and stumps, looks like puffed-up balls, and can sometimes even “breathe” or “move.”
It’s a type of mold that can survive for years without water or food. While it’s not deadly, it can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation on contact — especially if crushed.
Luckily, my dog was fine. But I didn’t want to take any chances — I collected all the “wolf’s milk” and burned it far from the yard.