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makafelts Dec 4, 2007

I just got this from my sister & thought immediately of all the Dog Folks here & had to share it!

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 6:01 PM
Subject: PLEASE READ!!!

If you have a dog... PLEASE read this and send it on.

If you don't have a dog, please pass along to friends who do.

Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM.

I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give I V fluids at 1 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.

The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 ( 1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.

He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medicat ions a ND they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.

Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.
Confirmation from Snopes about the above...
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp

Hugs &

DebbieD Dec 4, 2007

I have heard of this, and really feel for the owners.   

Have they established exactly what is the problem with raisins/grapes?  Do they know if its something inherent in the raisin/grape?  Or possibly something that's been sprayed on the fruit during processing?

Thank you for alerting the dog owners on this board  :hug:  :hug:

Cleathero Creations Dec 4, 2007

No it is an actual natural occuring thing in the fruit itself.  it can affect most animals and just think if you eat too many as humans we tend to get abelly ache as well.
I had a dog get into chocolate covered raisins.  we were lucky and he lived.  Crook for a while but he lived but he didn't learn ither. Every oppotunity he would try and steal them.

Tracy Dec 4, 2007

     

Little Bear Guy Dec 4, 2007

We actually got a notice in the mail from our vet clinic about three yrs ago advising us not to give raisins or grapes to our dog  because of this exact problem.  I use to give her a grape now and then but she only ever got one (I would cut it in half as she couldn't figure out how to eat if I left it whole).  She rarely gets any human food at all, we stick to dog food for her even though she will sit in front of me and give that really cute look I never give in.

I certainly feel sorry for the owners it's never easy to have to go through anything like this. 

hugs

Shane

russellbears Dec 4, 2007

OMG, how horrible, that poor dog, oh, how tragic for the owners     
Thank you so much for posting that, I had no idea about the raisins or the grapes. I have a young rottweiller who loves grapes, and of course I have shared mine with him, but he would only eat a few and then he wouldn't take any more, how lucky am I!!!!
Thanks again, I will spread the word to all the doggies I know.
Kim

TamiL Dec 4, 2007

Thanks for posting       

chrissibrinkley Dec 4, 2007

Yes, I found this one when making homemade doggie bones.  My one dog has a super sensitive stomach so I was trying to make her something organic and basic.  Raisins and grapes are not good at all.  In fact onion and garlic can be toxic as well, funny as many gourmet dog treats are "Garlic".  But it's mostly in high amounts.  If you google canine toxins or food toxic to canines you can find lists of what is ok and not ok for pets.  It's also a good idea to have a plan just in case your dog does get any of the toxins and you can't get to a vet. 

Just a quick Big doggie fyi: Something I learned about when we got our Shepherd, I never knew about this condition prior to.  Larger dogs can get "Bloat" and having a plan in place is a really good idea, because you only have minutes in that kind of emergency.

:hug:
~Chrissi

Laurie Dec 4, 2007

Chrissi I found out about bloat just before xmas last year when our red setter had it in the middle of the night.Our Doberman woke us up at 2am and wouldn't stop whining and we found our red setter trying to be sick and nothing would come up but he was restless too with it.I remembered reading in a book about it so we rung our vet and she said keep an eye on him so we went to bed again with the intention of checking him again half an hour later and the Doberman still wouldn't shut up so we went back downstairs and the vet rung back and had changed her mind and said bring him in.They had to put a tube down his throat and I think if he had been much longer we would have lost him as his gut had started to twist.He is fine now but we changed his diet as he was on a dried food diet and that probably caused it as the biscuits swell up in their stomach.We feed him fresh lamb carrots rice and a handful of biscuits and never let him have more than half a bowl of water at a time and never straight after his dinner or walk him on a full stomach or after a drink.He owes his life to the Doberman as if it wasn't for him whining that night we would have never known there was anything wrong.The funny thing was that when hubby took the setter to the vets the Doberman curled up in his bed and went to sleep as if he knew everything would be ok.
Laurie :hug:

thumperantiques Dec 4, 2007

I don't have a dog, but sent the above post to my niece.  They have a lovely dog that is VERY mischievious!  She sent me back this email and I thought it might be worth posting here.  Some of them I knew but lots I didn't know:

A. Some foods which are edible for humans, and even other species of animals, can pose hazards for dogs because of their different metabolism. Some may cause only mild digestive upsets, whereas, others can cause severe illness, and even death. The following common food items should not be fed (intentionally or unintentionally) to dogs. This list is, of course, incomplete because we can not possibly list everything your dog should not eat.

Items to avoid Reasons to avoid
Alcoholic beverages Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Baby food Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Cat food Generally too high in protein and fats.

Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil extracts Can cause vomiting.

Fat trimmings Can cause pancreatitis.

Grapes and raisins Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.

Hops Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.

Human vitamin supplements containing iron Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.

Large amounts of liver Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.

Macadamia nuts Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

Marijuana Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.

Milk and other dairy products Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Moldy or spoiled food, garbage Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.

Mushrooms Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.

Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Persimmons Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plums Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.

Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock.

Raw eggs Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw fish Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.

Salt If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.

String Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."

Sugary foods Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

Table scraps (in large amounts) Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.

Tobacco Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Yeast dough Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

puca bears Dec 4, 2007

Yes - bloat is a horrible HORRIBLE thing that can happen to any deep-chested breed.
All the books tell you what to feed and what not to feed the dog., and no exercise straight after feeding etc etc - years back, our Bloodhound got it on an empty stomach...........and you really DONT have much time - you must get to a vet!
Sir Humphrey had to have TWO operations, and a long slow recovery.......for a year, we did all the right things, but almost to the day, it happened again........and after all the poor lad had been through, we decided it would be better to put him to sleep. A lot of people have asked me "how do you know when it happens"?.......believe me - you DO....
the dog shows extreme discomfort and agitation, tries to be sick but can't...and you can see the stomach begin to swell.........it's something I hope I NEVER see again.
huggies
Maria