I thought another holiday treat post would be
appropriate. Raisins or grapes appear to
be very toxic to some dogs.
Interestingly not all dogs seem to be susceptible. In a study published in the Journal of
Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2005, the authors examined records from AnTox,
the database of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Animal Poison Control Center. They found records of 43 dogs from 1992 to 2002 that developed
clinical signs and had blood tests indicating kidney dysfunction after eating
grapes, raisins or both. Just over half
of the dogs survived.
All of the dogs vomited. Other common clinical signs included
diarrhea, lack of appetite, and lack of energy (lethargy). A decrease in urine output, ataxia (lack of
coordination, particularly in walking), or weakness were associated with a poor
outcome. Clinical signs (particularly
vomiting and diarrhea) reportedly develop six to twelve hours after consuming
either grapes or raisins, and renal failure can develop in one to three days.
The situation has not, to my knowledge been
reproduced experimentally. It appears to
only affect a subset of dogs, since many dogs can apparently eat grapes and
raisins in similar quantities and suffer no ill effects. Until this condition is better understood, it
is advisable to keep dogs away from grapes and raisins. If a 20 lb dog eats more than 3 oz of raisins
it could be at risk. It looks like
another good reason to give your dog, dog food instead of people food.
Did the 43 dogs that were recorded as having problems after consuming grapes have anything in common with each other such as breed or size, etc.? Dogs have such a keen sense of smell, but it does not seem to protect them from poisonings. Many toxic substances seem to evade a dog’s barrier of smell or are odorless. It is surprising when dogs become so terribly ill from foods, like grapes or chocolate, that are good for humans.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I don't know if the breeds or size is available. It is interesting that many if not most of the toxins that dogs commonly have difficulty with must be metabolized to another form prior to being toxic. I know that most species can learn not to eat things that make them sick. Dogs do seem to be a bit less discriminating in their diets. It may have something to do with the fact that they have lived with humans for so long that they have become dependent on humans to take care of that aspect of their diet. It is also interesting that with chocolate and grapes they do not effect all dogs the same. Especially in the case of grapes, many dogs seem to have no problems.
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