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 , 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 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 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 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
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 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.
Confirmation from Snopes about the above ....
snopes.com: Raisins and Grapes Harmful to Dogs Keep in mind that ANY kind of nut can be toxic! As well as Avocado's, Fruit seeds, garlic (lrg amounts) and Beer!...any alcohol for that matter!
Also, you should get and keep the number for the ASPCA Animal Control Center in a place where it's handy.
Please feel free to use this thread for any pet safety/health issues, or personal tips or stories you may have. Also, feel free to copy and paste this, to send this to friends and family who can benefit from this information!
Those darn cats will do anything to do in the dog...silly cats, they should know those dogs are crafty guys too! LOL! I guess I'm super lucky to have a picky and well trained dog. I can leave a plate of steak on the floor if I wanted to...and she won't touch it unless I tell her it's okay. I can't take all of the credit for this, I didn't get her as a puppy. I adopted her when she was 3. So alot of her training does come from her previous owner. It still blows my mind that anyone would give her up. She's such a good girl. She has never gone to the bathroom in my house, never chewed up anything but her bones, and listens to pretty much everything I say. If I had to find anything to complain about, it would be her barking at "the air!" LOL!...but if that's all I have to put up with?...heck, I'll take that anyday! 
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