WARNING Dog Owners
This week I had the first case in history of
raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was
a 56 pound, 5yr old male neutered lab mix who ate
half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM
and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting,
diarrhea and shaking about 1 AM on Wednesday but the
owner didn't call my emergency service until 7 AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes
causing acute renal failure but hadn't seen any
formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the
dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER
service at Medvet, and the doctor there was like
me-- had heard something about it, but... Anyway, we
contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control
Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 1/2
times maintenance and watch the kidney values for
the next 48-72 hours.
The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was
already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine
over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are
monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We
placed an IV catheter and started the fluids.
Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was
over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine
production after a liter of fluids. At that point, I
felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him
on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine
output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and
his renal values continued to increase daily. He
produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He
was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and
they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his
urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120,
his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very
elevated and his blood pressure, which had been
staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220... He
continued to vomit and the owners elected to
Euthanize.
This is very sad case - great dog, great owners
who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please
alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very
serious risk.
Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes
could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs
grapes or raisins as treats, including our
ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to
immediate concern.
Onion, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be
fatal, too.
Even if you don't have a dog, you might have
friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville, Ohio
Confirmation from
Snopes about the above.
