Dogs and raisins

[beadyboo]

ddog has just stolen a mince pie, should I worry?

I'd be ringing the vet asap and asking whether your dog is still within the window for an emetic to be effective and, if they are, taking them straight in for that. They can also advise on what to do if it is too late to induce vomiting, whether that's taking them in for observations or watching them like a hawk at home.

Raisins can cause kidney failure in some dogs. It's not understood yet why and it's also very unpredictable. Some dogs can eat loads and be absolutely fine whereas for others even a small amount can cause kidney failure.

You could also try ringing the Animal Poison Line which is a helpline for owners whose dogs have potentially ingested something toxic run by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service.

I was told it's a myth. Raisins are not toxic to dogs, some dogs have a bad reaction to them, but its like 5%. The vets keep the myth going so they can make money.

My dog ate some grapes. They told me to take him in for observation. I decided to save my money and observe him at home. He was fine, obviously if he had fallen unwell I could have taken him in.

Drinking lots of water is a bad sign apparently.

Thanks cornflake. She’s at the emergency vet now with DH and has already had an injection to induce vomiting. They are now talking about fluids etc. it’s going to be eye wateringly expensive and a worry for our beloved girl. We’ve only had her 2 months (rescue girl who is 1) and she’s a calamity on legs! Love her though.

Afternooncatnap who told you it was a myth? The problem with raisins and grapes is that it is known to be toxic at extremely low levels for some dogs whilst others can get away with eating them. You were obviously happy to edge you bets on your dog being the latter but I wouldn't take that bet with mine and I definitely wouldn't advise anyone else to do in case their dog was the former.

Afternooncatnap yes some dogs are non reactive to them, others only need a small amount and for others damage will be done over a long period. Those that do react don’t always react immediately - it’s Russian Roulette.**

It’s bloody dangerous to be telling folk it’s a myth as they could believe you and delay getting help.**

She’s home. Got back at midnight and was a bit sheepish after her ordeal. I now have the fun task of getting liquid charcoal down her!! My midnight and 4am attempts were a bit rubbish to say the least. Me, the dog and the kitchen floor are black. Any suggestions welcome.
I feel a bit sick as I’m so tired - late night, up at 4 and lots of worrying. She was a street dog before we got her, so is prone to scavenging and appears to have the constitution of an ox but I worry, and we all love her very much.

FairfaxAikman I 100% agree with you that Afternooncatnap advise is dangerous.

I can't imagine ever telling anyone its a myth when it's widely known to have serious consequences in some dogs and just to risk it so they can save abit of money

Glad she is home OP. I have had emergency dashes to the vets in the early hours (for other reasons) and it's horrible and stressful.

The emergency vet told me it's only 5% of dogs that will have a reaction to grapes. For a 5% risk I was happy to keep my dog at home.
I appreciate most people would rather be safe than sorry, but logically your dog is much more likely to be fine than ill.
I think it's worth knowing that raisins are not death to all dogs before you get worked up and rush the dog to the vet for expensive treatment that's not needed 95% of the time.
I'm not advising anyone, just giving my input and experience.

I would love to know how my rottweiler made it to 13 when I was a dc! One year she ate a dozen Easter eggs complete with boxes, learnt to catch using grapes, stole many a mince pie at Christmas!!

Afternooncatnap I appreciate you were happy to take a 5% risk. It's just that advising the OP that it's a myth is risky in case they don't seek treatment and their dog is the one of the 5 out of 100 that end up seriously ill. Certainly if my doctor said I had a 5% risk of being seriously ill or I could take some medication I would take the drugs without a doubt.

Back at vet on a drip. So worried about her.

Oh OP sorry to hear she's had a set back. Hope she recovers quickly.

Poor pup. I hope she gets better soon.
Pass on a lick and sniff from my DDog.

The 5% who do react get acute renal failure which is untreatable and often terminal within a very short space of time. As a vet I wouldn’t taken the chance with my own dog and any vet advising that not to worry stands a high chance of being found negligent if the dog does develop renal failure.

I’m hoping we’ve acted in time. She was sick within 2 hours of eating it. There were raisins in the vomit (sorry) and she has had 3 doses of activated charcoal.
She’s now on a drip at the vet.
I’ve also learned that my little jack Russell can leap onto the kitchen island so no food can ever be left out unattended. And I’m never buying mince pies again!!
Keep fingers and paws crossed she recovers, I honestly cannot imagine life without our beautiful BeadyDog.

It's very rare for a dog to be reactive to raisins and also depends on the size of the dog. Better safe than sorry if you have a little dog and you aren't sure.

I once had a lady come to my dog training classes with a bum bag full of small clicker training treats. I didn't take much notice until she pulled me aside once the class was over and asked me if I had any ideas why her dog had chronic diarrhea all the time. I asked a few questions about diet then treats. The bum bag was full of raisins and she'd been feeding him 50-100 per day.

My dog threw up four times the other day. Only after the fact did we clock she’d somehow (how???) eaten an entire load of raisins meant for Christmas cake baking.

Phoned the vets in a panic, to be also told it was 5% “if that” who had a bad reaction, and as my dog can clearly vomited extensively, and it was a couple of days later, she’d be fine. I didn’t even take her in.

Dog bounced back absolutely fine. She was disgusted and surprised at herself for being sick 🙈 and a bit pissed off I starved her for a day, but that’s all.

Do phone your vet for advice though. And, if you are insured, check it covers it.

Any more news OP on how BeadyDog is doing? Keeping paws crossed here for you both.

Thanks Bitey. Vet has called with blood results. Creatinine is fine, urea a bit high but these tests are usually done as a starving test and I gave BeadyDog an assortment of tasty treats laced with charcoal gunk at midnight, 4am and 8am so this could have affected the results. They are going to discharge her this evening and redo bloods early next week.
It has been a huge lesson to us all that everything we don’t want her to eat (food, medicine etc) needs to be in an eye level cupboard as she has ninja like skills at jumping and climbing. I guess being a stray has had this effect on her and patience and training will hopefully help.
Thanks for your good wishes, she really has filled a doggie shaped hole in my life that I never knew I had!!

The 5% who do react get acute renal failure which is untreatable and often terminal within a very short space of time.

To those saying its a myth - this you may be happy to gamble your dogs life^ over relatively cheap preventative treatment but to advise it's a myth or not to bother taking to vets is incredibly dangerous.

There is no way to know if your dog is one that will react to just getting a tiny amount once, one that will only react after getting them occasionally over a long period of time or one that will be fine with loads over a prolonged period of exposure. They cannot work out why this happens, meaning there is no way of knowing if your dog is likely to be affected or not.

Sue the key in your situation was it was a couple of days later. It was too late for emetic or carbon - so nothing they could do, plus in all likelihood your dog would have already started to go into renal failure if they were going to react.

Op you acted quickly, so hopefully everything will be ok. I've got a little dog (Cavalier) who can jump onto the worktop. Thankfully for me, it was only some offcuts from a pork joint that my dog stole, so no harm done and I learnt not to leave food on worktop, and make sure dog can't access kitchen without me to be doubly sure. It's something you don't expect from a dog less than 1ft tall! So don't blame yourself.

Glad she is coming home and hope she doesn't have any after affects. It's amazing how they sneak into your hearts

You absolutely did the right thing. How anyone can watch a living animal they profess to care about with a 1 in 20 chance of sudden acute renal failure and death is mind boggling.