Animal Update: Raisins and Grapes - CBS San Francisco

(AP)

Reporting Jeff Bell

Filed under

Heard On, Watch + Listen

Related tags

Animal Update, Dogs, Grapes, Jack Aldridge, Jeff Bell, Pets, Raisins, SPCA, Toxic, Toxic for dogs

(KCBS) – KCBS’ Jeff Bell talks to Dr. Jack Aldridge, Director of Veterinary Services at The San Francisco SPCA about the surprising effects of raisins and grapes on dogs.

Raisins and grapes are toxic for dogs to eat and can even cause death.   It’s still not understood why raisins and grapes are poisonous  to some dogs.

About 15 years ago, a computerized system that tracks animal-related medical conditions and toxic substance exposure began noting the association between grape and raisin ingestion and the development of acute kidney failure in dogs.

Animal Update: Raisins and Grapes

Symptoms of Raisin and Grape Toxicity

Typically, dogs will vomit within a few hours of eating raisins or grapes.   And the partially digested fruit can often be seen in the vomit, or stool, or both.   Some dogs stop eating and develop diarrhea.   They often become quiet and lethargic and can show signs of abdominal pain.   Chemical changes in the blood occur from 24 hours to several days after the dogs eat the fruit.    These changes in blood chemistry signal damage to the kidneys.   Urine production goes down, and this can result in death.

Dogs can recover from this potentially fatal condition, but quick action is required.  If the dog has just eaten the fruit, vomiting should be induced.     Medication to prevent absorption of potential toxins is also important.   Dogs should be hospitalized and given intravenous fluids for at least 48 hours.    Your veterinarian will monitor blood chemistry daily for at least three days to ensure that kidney failure does not occur.   If there is evidence of renal failure further treatment will be necessary.

Animal Update airs on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM on Sundays at 1:35 p.m., 3:35 p.m., and 9:21 p.m.   

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Raisins and chocolate are harmful to dogs

It is the season that we all do more baking and have more treats for humans around the house. So I thought it was good time to remind all my Toy and Mini Aussie friends and family about the harmful effects of sharing some things with our furry part of the family…

The following is an exert from the website drweil.com For more information about Toxic Foods for Dogs CLICK HERE

Toxic Foods for Dogs….
Chocolate can be deadly for certain dogs, but the size and breed of the dog and the amount of chocolate consumed determine how sick a pooch can get. Grapes and raisins are a different story – very small amounts can lead to kidney failure in some dogs.


So far, however, vets haven’t been able to determine what it is about grapes and raisins that make them so dangerous. They’ve looked at the chemistry of grapes and raisins and at possible residues of pesticides, heavy metals, fertilizers, and other chemicals that may have been used in cultivation, but no chemical culprit has emerged.

As far as chocolate is concerned, you don’t have much to worry about if your pet snags a piece of candy. Toxic reactions generally don’t develop unless a dog ingests 100-150 milligrams of theobromine per kilogram of its weight. That would average out to about an ounce of chocolate per pound of body weight for milk chocolate. Semisweet and Baker’s chocolate contain more theobromine so the rule here is one ounce per three pounds of body weight for semisweet chocolate and one ounce per nine pounds of body weight for Baker’s chocolate.

Symptoms of chocolate toxicity in dogs include hyper-excitability, hyper- irritability, increased heart rate, restlessness, increased urination, muscle tremors, vomiting, and diarrhea. There is no specific antidote, but if you believe your dog has eaten too much chocolate, take him to the vet as soon as possible for treatment of the specific symptoms. Just to keep things in perspective, I might mention that my daughter’s Welsh Corgi once consumed seven chocolate oranges in a raid on a Christmas stash in a closet; she had nothing worse than diarrhea for a few days.

In 1989 the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) began tracking a trend which showed that dogs who ate grapes and raisins developed kidney failure. The type of grapes or brand of raisins doesn’t matter. Neither do the amounts the dogs ate: these can vary from more than a pound of grapes to as little as a single serving of raisins.

After eating grapes and raisins, dogs typically vomit within a few hours and then stop eating and develop diarrhea. Then they become quiet and lethargic, and show signs of abdominal pain. These symptoms can last several days – sometimes even weeks. Blood tests can reveal changes in kidney function so if you know or suspect that your dog has eaten either grapes or raisins, get him to the vet immediately. Treatment can save his life.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

P.S. from Karla,
Remember that  onions and garlic in large amounts can cause emergency trips to the vet as well. It takes a pretty large amount of these to cause a problem. Just a reminder to all that the juice off that roast with all the onions in it for flavor can be harmful.

Enjoy the Holidays, Have a Merry Christmas, but don’t share the treats with the 4 legged kids. Feel guilty? Make them some of Uncle Mike’s homemade liver treats – Watch the video on how to make them by CLICKING HERE