Did You Know….(important for dog owners)

Category: Dog Care, Pet Health, Pet Tips | Tags:

Date: March 26th, 2014

That Even A SMALL Amount of Grapes Or Raisins Can Be Deadly For Your Dog If Ingested!

Grape and Raisin Toxicity in Dogs (from PetMd.com)

Grape and raisin toxicity is well documented in dogs.

Dogs of any age, breed, or gender may be affected. One of the most serious complications of grape/raisin toxicity is acute (sudden) kidney failure with lack of urine production (anuria). However, kidney failure is not seen in all dogs after ingestion of grapes or raisins, and again, the reason why some dogs are affected excessively while others are not is still being studied.

 Symptoms and Types

1. Vomiting and/or diarrhea – often within a few hours; after 24 hours of ingestion vomit and fecal contents may contain pieces of grapes or raisin
2. Loss of appetite
3. Lethargy, weakness, unusual quietness
4. Abdominal pain
5. Dehydration
6. Oliguria (passing only a small amount of urine)
7. Anuria (complete cessation of urine)
8. Kidney (renal) failure and death

 Seek Immediate Treatment

This is an emergency needing immediate treatment. If you are positive that your dog ingested grapes or raisins, call your vet immediately.  They will probably tell you to come in right away, and in the mean time they might tell you to induce vomiting as soon as possible, before the toxins in the fruit can be absorbed.

 Prevention

Make sure all family members are aware of all the toxic foods for dogs ( including raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate, garlic, currants, macadamia nuts, human medications, fatty foods, alcohol, unbaked bread dough, candy, xylitol, etc.)  Keep all of these foods out of your dog’s reach, and also monitor children very carefully if/when they are eating any of these foods.