Grape & Raisin Poisonings in Dogs

[Mooseman]

FYI
Grape and raisin poisonings in Dogs
Recently, there was a letter in the AVMA Journal from Dr. Gwaltney-Brant and others at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center discussing grape and raisin poisoning in dogs. Apparently, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities.
The grapes and raisins came from varied sources, including being eaten off the vine directly. The dogs exhibited gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion of the grapes or raisins. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. Two dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to treatment and five dogs lived. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians as the poison control center advocate aggressive treatment for any dogs suggested of ingesting excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach lavage (stomach pumping) and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.

I have fed my dogs a few grapes every now and then for years, so I don't think there is a need to panic if a dog eats three or four grapes but if the whole bunch is missing from the table one day, it would be good to think about watching for any signs of a toxic reaction. Michael Richards, DVM

[lip_ripper00]

thanks for the post. My dog has been taking more and more interest in my grape vine. Will have to watch him when they are done this fall.

[quadrakid]

what about the vino?old shep likes a nice glass of the fruit of the vine with his evening kibble. just kidding,good to know,our part beagle eats the blackberrys right off the vine and i just planted grapes last fall.

[416]

including vomiting and diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion

Known to affect some humanoids the same way! Sounds similar to what used to be a regular friday night.....or saturday, monday, thrusday.........frigging grapes anyway, very bad!

[mrdoog]

It's sad that some of the dogs died or had to be put down due to the ingestion of the grapes, but I have a feeling this study is like alot of these studies. They are released with a single purpose in mind.
-let's review this in human terms:
I weigh approx.180 kilos, if I was to eat the maximum of .41-1.1 oz per kilo, that would mean I would have to eat approx. 164 oz. of grapes.
-that's about 10 lbs of grapes
-do you think I would suffer from gastrointestinal signs?
-Another thing to consider is where your dogs are getting the grapes from, are they washed? Or off the vine?
- Grapes off the vine are covered in all sorts of goodies that will quickly lead to gastrointestinal distress, in a human or a dog.
-my advice is to watch your dog, or yourself, and try not to consume anything in such high ratios

[Calum]

Other things toxic to dogs are Macadamia nuts, Onions, and of course chocolate. You may get lucky a few times, but it is a matter of time.

[MRBucks]

Came by this thread a little late..

What about peanuts, any problem with them, and dogs? My Fox Terrier, seems to love them, and I have never seen any ill effects. He gets the odd raisin, but has no taste for grapes. Onion, hmm, pretty rare he would eat them, unless they were mixed in a little moose speghetti sauce, when he licks the plate.