“Magoo was a big playful Labrador retriever who often got into difficult situations …”
Thus begins the story in the latest report from the ASPCA on foods that can be toxic to dogs. It turns out that Magoo went into the pantry and hooked himself about a pound of raisins. He ate the whole thing, of course.
The ASPCA never mentions Magoo destination. But we say that only a handful of raisins can impair the health of dogs and has been fatal for some. The same goes for the grape.
Who knows?
Growing up, our family dogs considered “the first cycle of the dishwasher. They were either waiting for their turn to what we have on our plates, and were not too concerned about offering them “people food”. Never occurred to us that our dogs health could be affected by a few table scraps miserable. What was safe for us, we realized it was safe for our pets.
What’s more, whenever I ate grapes, I liked to give one or two to our German Shepherd “Tiffany”. The grapes always out of his mouth when he tried to bite them and Tiffany, ever the good sport, refused to give until it had crushed each one into submission. It guarantees a minimum of 60 seconds of harmless fun.
Tiffany also liked the gum (which chewed – wrapper and all – but do not swallow!) We had the sugarless type, often sweetened these days with xylitol.
I did not know it could have been animal poisoning our family! (More on xylitol below).
Why are grapes harmful?
As for the grapes and raisins go, no one is sure why they are so damaging. It was confirmed that even grapes grown without fertilizers or pesticides can be toxic to dogs. But not all dogs, not all the time. It is also not known whether small amounts of food over a long period of time could have a cumulative effect.
What we do know is that the end result in nearly all reported cases of grape or raisin toxicity is acute kidney failure. (The term “acute” means that the disease is severe and comes on quickly.) The dog ultimately can not produce urine, which means you can not filter toxins from their systems – a process essential to life.
During the twelve month period in which they studied the effects of the grapes, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center handled 140 cases of one or more dogs. More than a third of the dogs developed symptoms ranging from vomiting to kidney failure, and seven dogs died. The ASPCA based their study on reported cases, so naturally there may be cases where a dogs health is entirely affected by eating grapes. But until we know all the facts, the Society recommends not feeding pets grapes or raisins in any amount.
An ounce of prevention
Thus, your dog just scored a big box of raisins. What is a pet owner to do?
The first line of defense if the grapes or raisins were eaten recently, is to induce vomiting and administer activated charcoal (it absorbs toxins in the gastrointestinal tract). Vomiting is also the first sign that your dog is in trouble, so they move to the activated charcoal if vomiting has already occurred. (In a pinch you can make your own activated charcoal by charring a piece of bread until blackened and crumbles easily.) Then, call your veterinarian immediately.
You can not reach the vet? Call ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435
The veterinarian keep your dog on intravenous fluids for at least 48 hours and monitor blood chemistry daily. Normal blood test after 3 days usually means your dog is in the clear.
Always on the alert out, of course, is the best way to keep your pet out of trouble.Like children, dogs (and other pets) have the ability to get in the wrong when we are not looking.
Not only the grapes …
There are other foods your dog should stay away from, and some of them may surprise you.
Here are some other foods that may pose health damage in dogs way:
Chocolate
Who can resist chocolate? Like you, no, your dog.
Chocolate is made with cocoa beans and cocoa beans contain a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. So on Valentine’s Day, you’re actually being nice to her best friend, if you eat all the chocolates yourself!
Read my special report on chocolate at http://www.great-dog-gift.com/chocolate to learn more and see how different types of chocolate have varying effects on dogs health.
Cocoa mulch
Shells of cocoa beans are a byproduct of chocolate production (which is like manure made in the “food” category) and are popular as mulch for landscaping. Homeowners like the attractive color and scent, and the fact that the mulch breaks down into organic fertilizer. However, some dogs like to eat and it contains theobromine.
Fatty foods
Fatty foods are hard for a dog to digest and can overload the pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. This can threaten your dogs health and is potentially fatal.
Nuts
Macadamia nuts should be avoided. In fact, most nuts are not good for dogs health since their high phosphorus content is said to lead to bladder stones.
Mulch
Mulch is not food, but there is a pretty tempting for the dogs to eat. Some dogs are attracted to cocoa mulch, and eat it in varying amounts. The coca bean shells can contain from 0.2% to 3% theobromine (the toxin) that compared to 1-4% in unprocessed grains.
Onions
Onions, raw onions, in particular, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J. Ettinger, DVM and Edward C. Fieldman, DVM ‘s book: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 2 pg 1884.) Stay away from onion powder too.
Potatoes
Potato poisonings among people and dogs are rare but have occurred. The toxin, solanine, is poorly absorbed and is only found in green sprouts (these occur in tubers exposed to sunlight) and skin of green potatoes. This explains why incidents seldom occur. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs health, actually quite nutritious and digestible.
Artificial sweeteners
Xylitol is used as a sweetener in many products, especially sugarless gum and candy. Ingesting large amounts of products sweetened with xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar in dogs, resulting depression, loss of coordination and seizures. According to Dr. Eric K. Dunayer, a consulting veterinarian in clinical toxicology at the poison control center, “These signs can develop very quickly, sometimes within 30 minutes after ingestion of the product,” says Dr. Dunayer, “… For It is therefore important that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately. ”
Turkey
Turkey skin is thought to cause acute pancreatis in dogs, partly due to its high fat content.
Other foods listed by the ASPCA as harmful:
Alcoholic beverages
Avocado (the only “fatty” member of the family of plants)
Coffee (all forms of coffee)
Moldy or spoiled foods
Sal
Yeast dough
Garlic
The Bottom Line
With fewer deaths over public education, from foods like chocolate these days was reported.But it is important to keep up with what is currently known about foods and their effects on dogs health. Grapes and cocoa mulch, for example, only recently discovered to be harmful.
Check frequently with sources like the ASPCA, or to enroll in the “Cold noses News” and will keep you informed. (Also get a bunch of cool dog stuff along with free registration).
Of course, being alert and getting your pet to the vet immediately help ensure a happy outcome if something unfortunate should happen.
Here the health of their dogs and good nutrition!
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