WARNING PLEASE READ AND PASS ON!!!!

[Lonelymom]

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  u rine 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 ....

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp  

[Ghilly]

Thanks so much, Lonelymom, for posting this information!  It can save MANY lives!

Something I wanted to add, and forgive me if it's repetitious, I just woke up and could have missed while reading if someone has already posted it.  Regarding onions, it's not just onions themselves that are toxic to our pets.  Anything that has been cooked WITH onions can be as toxic to them as if they have eaten the actual onions.  Any meats or vegetables, stews, soups, anything that we eat, we are apt to take a small amount of and add it to our pet's food for a bit of extra flavor.  If there has been even one onion used in the preparation of this food, or onion powder, onion salt or any seasoning made with oinion is to be avoided.  

The safest thing to do, so that nobody messes up and thinks about it later on when it might be too late, is to just avoid feeding your pets table food of any kind.  It's not good for them anyway when it is prepared with human consumption in mind.  If you are going to feed your pets human food, prepare it especially for them, so that you know that everything in there is safe for them to eat.

Ghilly

[Lonelymom]

Ive had dogs all my life and know many home remedies to help  them when they are ill. I know how to stop antifreeze poisoning as long as you catch it right away but I didn't know about grapes and raisins. Just goes to show you that we learn something new everyday.

My kids love to feed the dogs all kinds of things so I have to watch them and what they try to feed them. Now that they are all older it is much easier to control.

[PrettyKitty1]

OMG I used to give my German Shepherd a lot of grapes but she never ever showed symptoms of poisoning. I could have killed my dog!!!!

Thanks for sharing this info.

[dominosarah]

My vet had pamphlets on the counter showing all the foods and plants dangerous to dogs and cats.  I was surprised by some of the foods listed.  

Very good post........sara

[sk123]

Thanks for sharing this information. This type of information is so vital and yet there's no central place for it. I'm going to create a Health Page for this information. Please help me by adding more foods to it.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Pets/Common-Foods-That-Are-Toxic-To-Dogs/show/678?cid=3

[katew888]

I use Bark Busters and these tips just showed up in my email inbox in their monthly newsletter - perfect timing to pass along:

Numerous toxic items can be found both inside and outside the home, and many of them are surprisingly common.  

    * Toxic foods include chocolate, avocado, onions and garlic, raisins and grapes, alcoholic drinks, caffeinated beverages, macadamia nuts, and chewing gum with xylitol.
    * Many plants (even dead or dried) are toxic to pets. In some cases, only certain parts of the plant are dangerous (leaves, fruit, seeds). Be aware of the toxic plants that grow in your home and surroundings (both cultivated and wild), and keep your pets away from them or remove them entirely.
    * Other toxins found outside include mushrooms and garden mulch.
    * Keep your pets off lawns or gardens that have been treated with fertilizers,prevention herbicides or insecticides. If your dog has come in contact with treated lawns or has walked on snow or ice treated with ice-melt, wipe his feet clean as soon as you get home to avoid the possibility of him licking his paws and ingesting the poison. Store all chemicals in cabinets and other places your pet can't reach.
    * Real danger to pets continues from antifreeze/coolant, even though animal-friendly products are now available prevention(usually made with propylene glycol, not ethylene glycol). Always wipe up antifreeze leaks or spills of any size. Attracted to the sweet taste, pets can die from kidney failure if they ingest even a small amount of this very toxic material.
    * Store poisonous baits to rid your home of pests (rodents, snails, insects, etc.) in places that your pooch cannot access. Like antifreeze, some baits smell sweet but are very toxic to pets, causing severe internal bleeding.
    * Other household items poisonous to pets include household cleaners (the fumes can be noxious) and heavy metals such as lead, found in paint chips and linoleum.
    * Consult with your veterinarian before giving your dog any vitamin, herbal supplement or medication made for humans. Even small doses of medications of any kind -- whether for humans or pets -- can be lethal to pets. Keep all medicines well out of your dog's reach.

Symptoms of poisoning (toxicity) in your pet can include:

    * Vomiting/upset stomach
    * Labored or shallow breathing
    * Drooling
    * Increased or decreased heart rate
    * Fever
    * Hyperactivity or sluggishness/lethargy
    * Increased thirst or lack of thirst or hunger
    * Dilated pupils
    * Stumbling or staggering
    * Seizures or tremors
    * Loss of consciousness

[Me967]

Thanks for the post.  I knew about raisons but I checked out the link you posted and was surprised to see yeast dough.  I use bread to pill my dogs by wraping all of the pills into a small ball of bread.  Hmmm.  Very interesting.  Though it's a very small amount it makes me wonder if I'm doing right.  I wonder if they mean dough specifically or the yeast that's in the dough?  

As for onions, I fight with my dogs every spring because they try to eat the wild onion greens that come up.  A great link to check out plants outside I found you all might want to look at too.  

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/?plant_toxicity=toxic-to-dogs

Thanks again for the post.  

[ginger899]

Thank you so much for posting this, lonelymom. I am sure lots of people have heard they shouldn't give their dog raisins. But it's possible many people don't know how dangerous they are. Even though I would never give my dog raisins, I didn't know how terrible the effects could be before reading this post. (That would include: raisin cookies/cakes/fruit bread/Christmas pies or pudding......etc)
That poor dog! And I feel so sorry for his owners. I guess he stole the raisins while they were out. It just goes to show....anything bad for dogs DON'T LEAVE ANYWHERE DOGS CAN GET AT!

[Jaybay]

That's right, and you need to watch out for onions as well as they can cause hemolytic anemia that can be fatal.  It's pretty darned rare, but just another item to put on the avoid list - along with chocolate.

[Lonelymom]

I got this in my email and wanted to share with everyone here. I had no idea raisins and grapes could be so fatal.