March is pet poison prevention month, and it gets us here at Mt. Carmel thinking about all the various things our pets can get into that could be a problem for them!With dogs, food items tend to be the biggest inappropriate temptation that they can’t keep away from.Particularly for families with children in the house, grapes and raisins can prove to be a potentially serious issue for our canine companions.
Grapes and raisins are a tricky issue for ingestion, as we don’t know the “exact” amount that needs to be ingested that can be considered safe or not.Therefore, we have to treat any grape or raisin ingestion like a potential problem.Grape and raisin toxicity can prevent in a variety of ways, including vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and not wanting to eat.Without treatment for severe toxicity, ingestion also can lead to kidney failure and death.
With a known or possible ingestion, it is important to try to get your dog to vomit so as to not digest as many grapes/raisins as possible.Depending on the number ingested or how long it has been since they are eaten, dogs also may need a dose of activated charcoal, which helps prevent further absorption through the GI tract.For ingestions that occurred long enough before vomiting was initiated that all grapes or raisins were already digested, these dogs may need to stay in the hospital on IV fluids to help protect their kidneys from damage for 2-3 days.
If there is ever a possibility your dog may have eaten some, please give us a call right away for help!