Reply
Tue 19 Dec, 2006 12:08 pm
My dogs, Dolly and Madison, love grapes. I had no idea I was risking their health by giving them a few grapes. They've never become ill, but my ignorance could have harmed them. ---BBB
Monday, December 18, 2006
Grapes Can Cause Kidney Failure for Dogs and Cats
By Dr. Jeff Nichol
For the Albuquerque Journal
ASK THE VET: Q: I have a 1-year-old Pomeranian. Every day I throw him a few grapes, and he plays with them and eats most. My vet said dogs should not be given grapes, but my dog has never had any problems. After that I got an advertisement for a seminar on the top 10 worst things for dogs. As you might guess, grapes were listed as number one.
A: Your boy has been lucky. Grapes and raisins (dehydrated grapes) are poisonous to the kidneys of some dogs. The toxic mechanism isn't fully understood; the problem has only been recognized since the mid-1990s. Because there is no way of knowing if a particular dog is vulnerable, you could be playing with fire.
Here is what we do know: Grapes and raisins of all colors and varieties can cause acute kidney failure in dogs. While there have been no confirmed feline cases, it is believed that cats may also be susceptible.
Symptoms start with vomiting, usually within 24 hours, followed by diarrhea, poor appetite, lethargy and abdominal pain. Without quick treatment, dehydration can develop, leading to reduced blood flow to the kidneys and a much higher risk of death. Weakness and staggering carry a poor prognosis.
The good news for these unlucky dogs is that early treatment can save lives. If your dog has eaten grapes or raisins recently you should induce vomiting. Give 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1 to 2 teaspoons per 10 pounds of body weight. Your veterinarian can then rinse out his stomach and give activated charcoal to absorb the toxins. If lab work shows kidney damage, aggressive IV fluid treatment and possibly dialysis may be in order.
Grape poisoning is serious business. Not every dog is predisposed and those who are have their own toxic threshold. Just two to three grapes may be enough to damage the kidneys of a dog the size of your Pomeranian. Starting today, I'd switch to a safer treat. Greenies, available at pet supply stores, will help clean your dog's teeth and make his breath, oh so nice.
--------------------------------------------------
Dr. Jeff Nichol cares for pets with behavior and health disorders at VCA Wyoming Animal Hospital in Albuquerque.
OH NO!
I just gave Zoe a grape today! And one last night!
I hope she's ok.
Thank you for this!!!!
Hmm, I've got 4 insane Siamese pains-in-my-ass at home...
Here, kitty, kitty! Step-daddy's got a nice fruit salad for you.
Bella
Bella Dea wrote:OH NO!
I just gave Zoe a grape today! And one last night!
I hope she's ok.
Thank you for this!!!!
I know how you feel. I was shocked to learn I could be harming the dogs I love.
I wonder why vets don't stress the grape danger during regular pet visits?
Thanks for the bad food list.
BBB
The frequency of disease is extremely low, especially given that many trainers for decades have used grapes as training aids and toxicity wasn't even noticed until the '90s.
Nonetheless, i don't give my dogs grapes, but the vast majority of dogs won't be affected.
Definitely worry more about raisins than grapes, though.
Oh and I wanted to mention, DO NOT give your dogs Greenies as an alternative.
They are not 100% digestable and can/have caused death in dogs.
Greenies
Greenies 2
Greenies Death
Greenie Death 2
Greenies Deaths 3
Yeah, I was surprised one day when I read the Greenie instructions and realized you're only supposed to give them to the dog for a few minutes -- under supervision -- and then take them away. It's not meant to be a one-munch-and-done thing.
That does explain the exorbitant price, though...
Since we're on the subject...
One of mine had a $1000, potentially fatal experience with a cow knuckle. He's furious chewer, and we got him a particularly soft one one day and he ground the whole thing down to a fine powder, ate it up, and ended up with the entire length of his descending colon impacted with bone powder balls. We did manage to avoid surgery, but his small intestine was already getting pretty distended and it took about 12 hours of recurring enemas to get everything out. I think he's still got some residual megacolon from the experience, and his attitude toward vets -- which was already pretty negative -- has become downright foul. Not that I blame the little guy...
Rawhide is also not good for dogs. It can ball up and sit in the intestines causing blockage and death.
It's also absurdly high in calories. A lot of folks (I'm looking at you, lab owners) feed recommended amounts of dog food and can't figure out why their dog is fat. Oh, and they also eat a rawhide bone every day. Is that bad?
Glad I read this. My new veterinarian - well, til this minute - recommended Pacco chew rawhide for his teeth. He's been working on one smallish one for about three weeks now. Actually, I have another veterinarian lined up but haven't taken him in yet.
Is there anything that's good re their teeth that isn't dangerous?
we've been through this "grape and raisin" business before .
from what i recall , it's not a good idea to feed dogs a lot of grapes and raisins ; but i also recall looking up a vet's website that stated that a "few" grapes or raisins" are not likely to do any harm at all .
similarly with chocolate , apparently there is nothing wrong with giving a dog a small piece of milk chocolate (small = size of a dime , but NOT a whole bar of DARK chocolate !) .
in germany one can buy "dog chocolate" - and the dogs are not dying over there .
hbg
If he can't actually eat the rawhide at an appreciable rate, it's fine for him. Either of my dogs can get a large rawhide bone down their gullet within 15 minutes, which is another story altogether.
All dogs are different in this regard. The nature of our dogs' chewing habits is such that only the sturdiest toys and bones come into the house. Even a piece of juvenile long bone is in shards within minutes.
My mother in law, on the other hand, has a bichon, a toy poodle, and a westie, so pretty much the only thing that's off-limits is tinsel.
I'm surprised Pacco's not a more formidable chewer, though. Corgis aren't the daintiest of dogs.
I remember this from 5 or 6 years ago.
I had to cut Bailey off from his beloved Muesli toast in the morning. Raisins + small dog can = bad health news.
We've got shredded Greenies and cookies with shredded Greenie bits in them for Cleo - she's happily inhaled regular ones after one bite. Bailey can spend an hour or so on a Teenie Greenie - ok for a very occasional treat (and the vet recommended them for his gum problems).
Well, he's about fifteen now.. if that makes a difference. Glad to know it's apt to be ok.
On chocolate and onions, I'd read that both of those can have cumulative
effects. (Derby the dobie ate an entire fudge cake once, to no apparent effect, except, I think, a little different poop - that was my business partner's dog.)
well this sucks... my beagle is crazy for a nice chilled reisling on a hot summer's day....
Too bad for her.
Mine like scotch, so I think we're all right. (No beer, though. Must be the bubbles.)
hamburger saidQuote: similarly with chocolate , apparently there is nothing wrong with giving a dog a small piece of milk chocolate (small = size of a dime , but NOT a whole bar of DARK chocolate !) .
I wouldnt screw with any amount of any chocolate with dogs n cats. because they metabolize theobromine (the alkaloid in chocky) very slowly and the result can be a fatal heart attack, and its all dependent upon the dogs metabolic rate. Its like some people can take cocaine and others cannot even snort a little without going into cardiac arrhythmia. Now, I understand that horses cant metabolize theobromine at all, so even a small amount of milk chocolate before a race could be a problem with a horse. Im out of my league but my vet's a veterinary toxicologist at U of PEnn's vet center.
You may get away with it hbg, but why chance it.
hamburger won't even get a chance to try and get away with it - we're all keeping an eye on the grand-dogs. one of them, yes I'm talking about you Bailey, is a noted food thief, so he's got to be watched very carefully when there are no-no's like chocolate around.
for Christmas, his beloved Auntie BrendaLee gave him (and Cleo) a tin of carob-dipped vanilla doggie cookies. He's crazed for them. Crazed.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace