Grape and Raisin Toxicity in Dogs
October 13, 2015 2:20 pm Comments Off on Grape and Raisin Toxicity in Dogs
Meet Mosley, a 1 year old lab who is temporarily looking a bit sad due to his treatment to induce vomiting after ingesting a large quantity of grapes.Thankfully, his owners were aware of his indiscretion and brought him in immediately. For over 10 years, veterinarians have been aware of a toxicity causing severe kidney failure in some dogs that have ingested grapes or raisins. We have yet to identify the toxin and it is unclear why some dogs are affected and others are not. All types of grapes as well as currants, sultanas and raisins have been implicated,and even small amounts can be fatal. Once symptoms have occurred, prognosis is guarded even with very aggressive therapy. Cooked raisins in baked products don’t seem to be causing problems so it is possible the toxin is sensitive to heat..but we are not sure.Please,DO NOT FEED GRAPES OR RAISINS TO YOUR PETS!
Meet Rover, a 5 yr old beagle mix. Rover’s owner came home from work to find him suddenly unable to move, growling and crying out as if in pain. He immediately brought him to us and by the time he got here, Rover was almost untouchable. He was clearly neurologically impaired- tremoring, aggressive, thrashing around- easily over stimulated by touch and sound. He had severe liquid diarrhea, was drooling with his head pressed against the floor and rapidly breathing. Since Rover had been completely normal when his owner left for work, we suspected some sort of toxicity and began supportive care measures. A quick inspection of the home by his owner revealed a half eaten bottle of an over the counter sleep remedy called “Calming Sleep”. One of the ingredients in this supplement is a chemical called 5- HTP(hydroxytryptophan). At high doses, this chemical can induce a toxicity known as seretonin syndrome – occurring when excessively high levels of seretonin affect the central nervous system. Many other antidepressant medications can have this same effect if ingested at high levels. After transfer to the emergency clinic, Rover was treated with a rectal dose of a drug called Cyproheptadine which works as an antidote in cases of seretonin syndrome. With this medication, time and supportive care, Rover made a full recovery. Remember that “Natural” does not always mean safe. Please keep all personal prescription drugs- as well as supplements- away from your pets.
Kelly was spayed this week at Del Ray Animal Hospital.
