This week I had the first case in history of raisinToxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient wasA 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mixThat ate half a canister of raisins sometimeBetween 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. HeStarted with vomiting, diarrhea and shakingAbout 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn'tCall my emergency service until 7 AM..

I had heard somewhere about raisins ANDGrapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn'tSeen any formal paper on the subject. WeHad her bring the dog in immediately. In theMeantime, I called the ER service at MedVet,And the doctor there was like me - had heardSomething about it, but... Anyway, weContacted the ASPCA National Animal PoisonControl Center and they said to give IV fluidsAt 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch theKidney values for the next 48-72 hours.The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) wasAlready at 32 (normal less than 27) andCreatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal).Both are monitors of kidney function in theBloodstream. We placed an IV catheter andStarted the fluids. Rechecked the renal valuesAt 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinineOver 7 with no urine production after a liter ofFluids. At that point I felt the dog was in acuteRenal failure and sent him on to MedVet for aUrinary catheter to monitor urine output overnightAs well as overnight care.He started vomiting again overnight at MedVetAnd his renal values continued to increaseDaily. He produced urine when given lasix as aDiuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomitingMedications and they still couldn't control hisVomiting. Today his urine output decreasedAgain, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine wasAt 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and hisBlood pressure, which had been staying around150, skyrocketed to 220 ... He continued to vomitAnd the owners elected to Euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great ownersWho had no idea raisins could be a toxin. PleaseAlert everyone you know who has a dog of thisVery serious risk.Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes couldBe toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapesOr raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. AnyExposure should give rise to immediate concern..Onions, chocolate, cocoa, avocadoes and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.

This week I had the first case in history of raisinToxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient wasA 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mixThat ate half a canister of raisins sometimeBetween 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. HeStarted with vomiting, diarrhea and shakingAbout 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn'tCall my emergency service until 7 AM..

I had heard somewhere about raisins ANDGrapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn'tSeen any formal paper on the subject. WeHad her bring the dog in immediately. In theMeantime, I called the ER service at MedVet,And the doctor there was like me - had heardSomething about it, but... Anyway, weContacted the ASPCA National Animal PoisonControl Center and they said to give IV fluidsAt 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch theKidney values for the next 48-72 hours.The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) wasAlready at 32 (normal less than 27) andCreatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal).Both are monitors of kidney function in theBloodstream. We placed an IV catheter andStarted the fluids. Rechecked the renal valuesAt 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinineOver 7 with no urine production after a liter ofFluids. At that point I felt the dog was in acuteRenal failure and sent him on to MedVet for aUrinary catheter to monitor urine output overnightAs well as overnight care.He started vomiting again overnight at MedVetAnd his renal values continued to increaseDaily. He produced urine when given lasix as aDiuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomitingMedications and they still couldn't control hisVomiting. Today his urine output decreasedAgain, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine wasAt 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and hisBlood pressure, which had been staying around150, skyrocketed to 220 ... He continued to vomitAnd the owners elected to Euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great ownersWho had no idea raisins could be a toxin. PleaseAlert everyone you know who has a dog of thisVery serious risk.Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes couldBe toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapesOr raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. AnyExposure should give rise to immediate concern..Onions, chocolate, cocoa, avocadoes and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.