chaikwa

Got this in an email and thought I'd post it for those of us that have dogs in the family;

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

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 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't
call my emergency service until 7 AM.

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 IV 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 that 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 continued to increase
daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a
diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting
medications and 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.
Onions, chocolate, cocoa, avocados and macadamia nuts can
be fatal, too.

Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends
who do. This is worth passing on to them.

Red3quarter

Thanks for the post Scott, I knew cocoa or chocolat was not good to give them but I didn't know rasins were toxic to a dog.

chaikwa

I knew they weren't good for them, but I didn't know they could be deadly.

The Vet's letter is a few years old but I thought it would be good to pass on.

cincydiesel

Thanks for the info Scott.. I myself have given a grape or two to our beloved 140 lbs Mastiff. Who has just recently been diagnosed with Addison's diesease..

diesel_burner

Another reason why my dog eats dog food only. If I'm not in the house neither is he just so there are no accidents.

Redleg

Yes! I use to give Kailey grapes to play with, until I learned they were vary bad for dogs.

wyododge

Thank you sir,

Just cut and pasted to an email. I had no idea about raisins. Thank You.!!!

cbrahs

also turkey is BAD for dogs. The chemical that makes us sleepy is poison for them.

One night on post, we had a K9 unit come up (happened to be Thanksgiving night) and we were all standing around the gate. Officers wifes cooked us up some killer meals and I had asked the handeler if I could give the dog a treat. He said sure. I started to reach out with a piece of turkey and the handeler went off on me. I was like WTHeck! He then explained the poisons in turkey and the reactions it has with dogs. Never again have i given a dog a sliver of turkey.

Justwannabeme

while any info is good; remember :
things that are dehydrated are generally bad, bacterial infections start from breakdown acids.
and excess! a canister, not the little kid's box of raisins.

any chocolate is still bad though. well, if you are a dog.

ChrisJohnson

Anybody know if tomatoes can be bad for dogs? My Rott pup sometimes will pull a tomato off the plants in my backyard. He doesn't eat them (I think), just chews on them a little. I guess if he really liked them, all the tomatoes would be gone.

Pirate

Hey cincydiesel, our carrin terrior (sp) was diagnosed with Addison's about 3 years ago. Came very close to going into a comma at the time of diagnosis. Some mood changes from time to time but no real problems since she has been on the medication. The best price we have found on the medication is at Sam's Club Pharmacy.

Not meant to hijack the thread.

TOMTOM

This boy says: THANK YOU
N-me too.
TOMMY