Well worth repeating

[Guest guest]

(I checked this out on snopes.com before I passed it on and verified

it is

true - see link at the bottom if interested).

 

 

If you have a dog... PLEASE read this and send it on. If you don't

have a

dog, please pass along to friends who do.

 

Written by: Laurinda Morris, DVM

Danville Veterinary Clinic

Danville , Ohio

 

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever

seen at

MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix

that 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 1AM on Wednesday

but

the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM.

 

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 the 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

have

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 a 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.

 

Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is

worth

passing on to them.

Confirmation from Snopes about the above...

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp