A Few Words About Dangerous Foods for Dogs

I recently read a story posted on Craigslist.org about a few of the most dangerous foods for dogs. While this story is incredibly sad, it's also a very real and true story. Many dogs die each year from the toxic effects of everyday human foods. Please be aware that onions, chocolate (especially baking cocoa), raisins and grapes, as well as certain nuts and squash can be dangerous - or even deadly. Pumpkin, while having the ability to cure a dog of diarrhea or constipation if taken in the proper doses, too much (even a few teaspoons) can adversely affect your dog's digestive health. Read the following warning from a concerned veterinarian, and pass the information along to others who may save the life of even just one dog.

Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville, OH

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. Onions, 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.

Confirmation from Snopes about the above:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins

Human Foods can be Poisonous to Dogs

Do you often find your dog digging in the garbage? That's my bulldog, Tucker, in the picture, and that's what his face looked like when I caught him eating garbage. He now knows better than to get in the garbage, and just the mere mention of the word "trash" causes him to look at us with "I didn't do it" eyes. He knows the sound of a fork being set down on a plate at the end of a meal, and wants to help us clean our plate. America's dogs have become just as accustomed to overeating as we have, and most of us feel quite content giving our four-legged friends some food from our own plates. But aside from creating overweight dogs, what other problems can arise?

Most people eat the “meaty” portion of steaks and chicken, and then discard the skin and fat, and sometimes give it to the dogs. This is okay, but only once in a while. You don’t want to make a daily snack out of chicken skin due to the high content of saturated fats. Dogs and cats can suffer from high blood-pressure, as well as high cholesterol levels, and should be eating just as healthy as we should be.

(Raw meat is not advised, grocery store meats, especially pork, could be contaminated or contain parasites.)

Certain foods can even poison your dog, resulting in severe illness or even death. While most foods are perfectly safe, you’ll want to make sure your dog never gets into your chocolate stash – the cocoa can be deadly. Also, grapes and onions can be very dangerous to your dog’s health, and ingredients listings should be watched carefully.

It's a good idea to keep your garbage cans covered, and get locking lids on the kitchen trash as well, that way your dog doesn't find these foods the naughty way! Not all dogs will show signs of illness when ingesting small amounts of these foods, but depending on the dog’s size and body weight, your dog could get sick or die from eating these foods, and should also be protected from unhealthy sugar snacks. Sure, it’s cute to watch your pet stand on two legs, roll over, and give you a high-five – but try to keep the treats healthy as well!